How much difference will it make using x8 PCIe slot rather than x16 for GTX 980 4 GB?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
P

PeterZ640

Reputable
Dec 26, 2015
339
0
4,790
It sadly looks like the NH-D15 cooler will be 1 mm overhanging the top x16 PCIe Slot, on the Supermicro X10SRA [xeon 2011v3] Motherboard.

If I loose this it means in the future there will be no slot to take a USB3.1 card.
Or instead of running it in:- x16, x16, Empty, x8 mode. I could run a x16, x8, x8, x8 configuration. Sadly the first x16 slot is lost.

Amazing the designer didn't suss that eh! Why put your only dedicated Gen 3 x16 [directly connected to the CPU] Slot so near the CPU!!

Most importantly, it would mean in the future, when an USB 3.1 Card Reader comes out [which I need for Photography jobs] - I would have to downgrade the GPU to a x8 slot. :(

So the real question is do these Nvidia GTX 980 or 970's really need all the channels in a x16 slot ( electrical lanes).?
Note the x16 and in the future x8 slot proposed for the GPU are both Gen3.0 and both go directly to the CPU.
I did read somewhere that there was only 1% difference in fps beteen using a x16 or a x8 Gen 3.0 slot.
I expected a lot more difference.

Sadly they think rotating the cooler 90 degrees will allow it to clear the PCIe slot but the cooling pipes will then hit the memory!

Any real world advice - appreciated.

Note the main use is Editing extrely large still photos 160MB per image files, say 800 images taken in a full day's shoot. And in the future 4K short 10 minute videos. Single monitor usage.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
May 18, 2007
23,815
5,265
108,890

Is USB3.1 really that important to read SD cards? Even UHS-II cards only go up to 280MB/s, still well within USB3.0's capabilities. If you get nowhere near that speed, you either need a better USB3 card reader or better SD cards before worrying about USB 3.1.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

PeterZ640

Reputable
Dec 26, 2015
339
0
4,790


Thanks, as I do like this motherboard for other reasons.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

PeterZ640

Reputable
Dec 26, 2015
339
0
4,790


Now I am embarressed, so stressed simply missed the point one can only go as fast as the card,
I use Compact Flash II udma7 max read write 150/160 MB/s. And thats not going to be improved as the next generation of compact flash is a whole new form fact UQx or something.
So as the camera is only a month old I will have that for 2 years lol

Except for the obligatory off line back up to portable drives - which would be very useful in 3.1 format.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
May 18, 2007
23,815
5,265
108,890

Unless you use portable SSDs or very fast thumb-drives, then you would still be limited by the external HDD's speed, which would be 150-200MB/s for WD Black.

USB 3.1 speeds might be in the "would be nice to have" column but it will be a few more years before devices that can really make use of it beyond the flexible power specification and reversible connector become common enough for USB3.1 ports to become a definitive must-have. Most devices with type-C ports today are only USB2/3.0 electrically. They only use type-C because nobody likes the wide USB3 micro-B connector.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

PeterZ640

Reputable
Dec 26, 2015
339
0
4,790


Atm I am using WD Passport 2 GB for off line backup. But had thought of slapping Samsung Evo 850 s in cases. Or with the new server, to replace my laptop, slot them in there. But my latest idea is to have 2 x 500 GB ssd's so I can quickly back up to 2 discs in the tower. This freeing my working ssd, and later sort of internslly archive to WD HDs as I am informed data doesnt last forever on ssds?

Appreciate your info on usb3.0 and I concurr as I scoured everywhere to find a USB 3.1 card reader - obviously not needed yet lol.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

PeterZ640

Reputable
Dec 26, 2015
339
0
4,790
Geofelt kindly posted this
"A gtx 980 is not meaningfully limited by running at X8, go ahead and try it.

Noctua recognized that large coolers are being hemmed in by increasingly large graphics cards and tall(useless) ram heat spreaders.
Their new NH-D15s addresses those issues."

But then it disapeared and I got a pm from Toms Hardware, saying my thread had been removed for bad conduct!

Gobsmacked! I can only Think admin must have my thread confused, with some other thread. as all the contributors were exceedingly kind, polite and helpful.

Oh well in case its back online....

Thanks Geofelt
I did see this, sadly they only give it one fan, and weirdly a set of extra clips for an optional second fan . Were one to do this then its basically an off centered D15 - pretty cool useful idea. But the odd thing is the fan that comes with it and the D15 all run at 1,500 rpm. But for some strange reason if you buy the same model fan , same product no it only runs at 1,200 rpm. And you have to use one of those lna adapters to reduce the stock fan to 1,200!!
So its a little crippled and due to demand, the D15s costs more £89 than the D15 £70 and then you need to buy another fan for £17 ( and then they are both reduced from 1,500 rpm top speed to 1,200. :(

Apparently the idea was the list price was reduced so it was a cheaper option, in case space was short and one didnt need or could not fit in the second fan. Sadly backfired as market forces means its actually 30% more expensive.lol
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
May 18, 2007
23,815
5,265
108,890

Maybe not forever but for a lightly used archival SSD, 10+ years should not be much of an issue. If you need to keep data for longer than that, you need to look into more long-term-stable media or rotating/refreshing your backup media every 5-7 years and maintaining two sets of backups, just in case one goes bad.

People used to think that recordable optical discs would be reliable long-term storage solutions, only to discover ~10 years later that their consumer-grade media had delaminated and the disc' recording layer rotted away.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

PeterZ640

Reputable
Dec 26, 2015
339
0
4,790


Yes I have a Blu Ray writer,mand thought of going that route, but its a pain burning stuff and incrementally adding new files. A clever techy guy I know also said the same thing as you highlighted.
His advice was if its important, refresh the back up every 4 or 5 years to be sure.
He also said maybe good quality ssds like Samsungs, when only used as an infrequent back upmay last a jolly long time. But warned like any solid state medium might just give you a totalnfailure out of the blue. Hence my theory of 2 back ups.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom