Motherboard question

[Web]

Showing my ignorance: Is there any other use for the PCIe 16 slot other than for a video card? I'm planning a first build and it just seems that the SLI boards have more features than the single slot boards. From all the reviews I've seen it seems that the board makers are all focused on SLI and just throw the non-SLI boards out there.

I don't plan on a second video card, so is there anything else (ie soundcard, etc) that can use that slot or would it just be a waste?

Thanks

Web

 

[mpjesse]

ALL PCI-E cards are backwards compatible. In other words, a 2x PCI-E card will fit into a 16x slot.

Furthermore, there are some high end RAID cards out there that are PCI-E 8x, but have the 16x form factor.

So no, the extra 16x slot isn't a total waste if you want to use multiple PCI-e cards, a high end RAID controller, OR another video card. and do not forget that more and more cards are being made in PCI-e. you may one day have a use for that extra slot.

 

[phreejak]

Actually, the SLI (and crossfire) market cater to just a small percentage of actual builders/users.

Rumor has it that Aegia's next generation Physx card is going to use the PCIe slot.

There may be alot of baords offerred wth SLI or Crossfire but there are a precious few boards that allow for dual 16x PCIe. Most of the time, it seems, adding a second card (GPU) drops the PCIe to dual 8's

 

[Web]

Yeah, sometimes I wonder how many people really run the SLI setup, but it seems the only boards reviewed are by (or for) enthusiasts. I've been sitting here in Iraq for almost a year reading everything I can find about various components and how to put them together. I have to keep bringing myself back to reality - I don't really need to spend $2,000 to surf the web and play Age of Empires.

thanks for the help guys

web

 

[NMDante]

Well, what good is a slow computer for Age of Empires and surfing? Guess, just surfing and AoE. j/k. :lol:

Iraq? Military? I was in Bosnia back in '99 for a few months, and all we played there was a bunch of C&C: Red Alert games. We tried to create a LAN there, but got caught, so LAN was cancelled.

Be careful in Iraq, and get home safe, where ever you call home.

 

[turpit]

ALL PCI-E cards are backwards compatible. In other words, a 2x PCI-E card will fit into a 16x slot.

Furthermore, there are some high end RAID cards out there that are PCI-E 8x, but have the 16x form factor.

So no, the extra 16x slot isn't a total waste if you want to use multiple PCI-e cards, a high end RAID controller, OR another video card. and do not forget that more and more cards are being made in PCI-e. you may one day have a use for that extra slot.

It also makes a convenient 3x5 card holder!!

Peace

 

[Web]

We "hotwired" our own little network and played CoD and Wolfenstein for a week or two before we got shut down by the network Nazis. Now we're pretty much reduced to Pocket Tanks and Solitaire. Only a month left - I'm using my $3.50/day (about $1,100) that we get extra over here to build a new system.

I think I'm pretty set on most the parts, I just hate paying the extra $80 for the SLI board when I'm not going to use it, but every review I've read says the n590 chipset is the best one for AM2. The 570 is supposed to be basically the same, but the boards seem to be stripped of some other features when they take the SLI off.

X2 4600 AM2
ASUS M2M32-SLI
7900 GT
friggin expensive ram

 

[NMDante]

We "hotwired" our own little network and played CoD and Wolfenstein for a week or two before we got shut down by the network Nazis. Now we're pretty much reduced to Pocket Tanks and Solitaire. Only a month left - I'm using my $3.50/day (about $1,100) that we get extra over here to build a new system.

I think I'm pretty set on most the parts, I just hate paying the extra $80 for the SLI board when I'm not going to use it, but every review I've read says the n590 chipset is the best one for AM2. The 570 is supposed to be basically the same, but the boards seem to be stripped of some other features when they take the SLI off.

X2 4600 AM2
ASUS M2M32-SLI
7900 GT
friggin expensive ram

Not a bad list.
If you wanted to go C2D route, I would've told you to drop it on a 965x board, E6300/E6400, same video card, and not too expensive 2GB DD2 RAM.

But at least you are going AM2, since 939 is gonna be phased out soon.

Is that all hazardous duty pay is a day? Man, I wondered what I got 7 years ago? Probably $1 and all the little cups of ice cream we could eat in 2 1/2 mins, or something similar.

Good luck, and get home safe.

 

[Web]

Nah, the $3.50/day is just "TDY" pay. You get it pretty much anytime your away from your home station - supposed to pay for toothpaste or whatever. Hazardous duty pay is around $250/month.

My wife knows all about the haz pay, but she doesn't know about the TDY, so... I'm going to "blow it" on my new toy before she does!!! :lol:

I thought about the C2D, but I've used AMD for about 10 years now and never had any problems at all and I'd just as soon have something I didn't have to worry about. I know C2D is supposed to have eliminated the kiln-effect Intel has had the last few years, but I just don't feel comfortable with it for some reason???

Anyway, thanks ... I head back to Ft. Campbell, KY in a month and then move down to your neck of the woods (Ft. Bliss/El Paso, TX) next summer.

 

[NMDante]

That's cool. I thought hazardous pay was more, but I couldn't remember. Hell, it was Bosnia. All we did was freeze and watch helicopters take off. (I was in USAF, Camp Eagle, Tuzla, Bosnia).

Yeah, alot of AMD guys are a bit gun shy about going intel, and it's understandable. But for a little more (maybe $50), you can have system that has shown very good benchmarks.

Either path, AM2 for AMD and 965/975 for intel, has a good upgrade path for the future, at least till Feb. LOL

Ft. Bliss in the summer? Oh, man, you're gonna melt or flood away. Been a pretty nasty flood season in the desert this year.