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PCIe 2.0 2@ (x16 x16) or 2 @(x8 x8)

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Motherboards

Last response: June 8, 2011 6:39 AM in Motherboards

Everx

May 25, 2011 3:59:29 PM

what is better for gaming. I have 2 GTX 480 sli linked. Is it worth the extra money for 2 slots at x16. Looking upgrade CPU and Mobo. Thinking going with i5 or i7 sandy bridge, but at a lose with the PCIe 2.0 speed I want if the cost is justifies the two PCIe 2.0 at x16. If someone could point me in the right direction.

More about : pcie x16 x16

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Leaps-from-Shadows

Motherboard Master

May 25, 2011 4:12:01 PM

If you are running a single-monitor resolution like 1920x1080, then x8/x8 is good enough. If you are running a multi-monitor setup, then it might be a good idea to get a board that can do x16/x16.

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curtox

May 25, 2011 4:30:33 PM

From what I've seen online in some testing x8/x8 is only roughly about 5% to 8% lower in terms of performance compared to x16/x16. So it really comes down to how much that amount of performance is worth to you and your budget, and could the extra cost of the higher end MoBo be better spent elsewhere. At least that's how I looked at it, and I wound up going with a x8/x8 MoBo.

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Leaps-from-Shadows

Motherboard Master

May 25, 2011 4:33:23 PM

Yes, it's 5-8% lower in those huge multi-monitor resolutions. If you're going to spend that kind of money just on monitors, you likely want maximum performance from your graphics cards.

For the rest of us with one monitor, x8/x8 performs the same as x16/x16.