JKKirit :
What I would like to know is how with the PCIe channels will be used if I install devices in all of them. I read several reviews (though I can't understand much about how installing devices in these express slots makes the other ports useless). All I see is a Killer LAN port in the Gaming K5, additional M2 slot, but again in one of the reviews, there is some mention about this using x1 if filled, so not sure if this means slower performance of the M2 SSD. However, both these options doesn't support why I should go for a Gaming K5 (in my perspective). I'm looking to know if having an Aorus board will give me a better advantage in terms of BIOS layout, future proofing, difference in speed etc which techies would already have an idea on.
As I have enumerated above, those 7 features are the only differences between the 2 motherboards (aside from the general layout of connectors and headers, and of course, the overall look, which is subjective).
The PCIe lane sharing of both boards are the same. They both have three PCIe x16 slots and three PCIe x1 slots. In Z270 Chipsets with 7th gen. Intel CPUs, the CPU usually accounts for a maximum 16x PCIe lanes, while the Chipset accounts for the 24x PCIe lanes, giving you a total of 40x PCIe lanes.
The 16x lanes controlled by the CPU in these motherboards are the two PCIe x16 slots, namely: PCIEX16 and PCIEX8. This means that when you plug in 1 video card in the PCIEX16 slot, it will run at [x16] bandwidth. If you plug in 1 video card in the PCIEX8 slot, it will run at [x8] bandwidth only. If you plug 2 video cards, one in the PCIEX16 and one in the PCIEX8 slots, then the video cards will run in [x8/x8] bandwidths. 8x + 8x = 16x, that's your total PCIe lanes controlled by the CPU.
The rest of the other lanes are controlled by the Z270 Chipset and in no way will direly affect the bandwidth and performance of the two PCIe x16 slots I mentioned above.
The 24x PCIe lanes controlled by the PCH are the following:
- The DMI3.0 Link between PCH and CPU running at [x4]
- The third x16 expansion slot (PCIEX4) running at [x4] BUT may decrease to [x1]* when PCIEX1_2 or PCIEX_3 is occupied
- The first x1 expansion slot (PCIEX1_1) running at [x1]
- The second x1 expansion slot (PCIEX1_2) running at [x1]* (Shares bandwidth with PCIEX4)
- The third x1 expansion slot (PCIEX1_3) running at [x1]* (Shares bandwidth with PCIEX4)
- The rear USB3.1 Type-A port running at [x2]
- The rear USB3.1 Type-C port running at [x2]
- The LAN module running at [x1]
- The M.2 socket (M2A_32G), if configured in PCIe mode, running at [x4] or [x2]
- (For Gaming K5 only): The second M.2 socket (M2M_32G), if configured in PCIe mode, running at [x4] or [x2]
- The rest would be some SATA ports (I cannot find a block diagram on this).
So, generally speaking, you won't have any concerns in populating the x16 slots as the CPU covers the required lanes. Your concern would be the M.2 sharing bandwidth with the SATA ports.
In the Gigabyte Z270X Gaming K5, there are 2x M.2 Sockets share some bandwidth with the SATA connectors:
The M.2 socket (M2M_32G), if populated in whatever mode, disables the SATA3_4 and SATA3_5 connectors. This M.2 socket DOES NOT disable the SATA3_0, SATA3_1, SATA3_2, and SATA3_3 connectors.
The M.2 socket (M2A_32G), if in SATA-mode only, disables the SATA3_0 connector only. If this M.2 socket is in PCIe x4/x2-mode, it DOES NOT disable any SATA connectors.
Note that in the Gigabyte Z270X Ultra Gaming, there is only 1x M.2 Socket (M2A_32G).
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