Can anyone help a noob with a PCI question?

[pvm122389]

Hey guys,

My rig currently has an EVGA superclock gtx 680. I'd like to go SLI around Christmas time, but I remember reading something about how the 680s are PCI 3.0 cards, but my mobo is only PCI 2.0 compatible.

Now I have no idea what this means. Does this mean that I simply cannot go SLI 680s until I get a different motherboard? Or just that my performance won't be as good as it could be with a PCI 3.0 mobo? Either way I wouldnt want lackluster performance so the new mobo is going to have to happen.

Also, I have a corsair mid tower case. Is that big enough to have SLI 680s and the new mobo? Like would a PCI 3.0 mobo be bigger than waht I have now (ASUS P8 z68-V LX)?

Finally, what might you expect the 680 prices will be down to around Christmas? I'm pretty unfamiliar with the rate at which new GPUs and/or architectures will be released in the next few months, so I figured someone else who has being PC gaming for longer than I could provide a reasonable answer.

Thanks in advance for the help guys.

 

[Sunius]

It means nothing really. I would not worry about it - it's just big words from marketers. While there is some technological stuff about PCIe versions, they will not cause any performance issues at all.

 

[SinisterSalad]

It's like USB. Things are backwards-compatible. As long as you have two PCI-E slots, you'll be fine. There's been plenty of reviews showing that there isn't a significant difference in performance from 2.0 to 3.0 right now. I don't think pricing will come down much, if at all until demand drops.

 

[pvm122389]

Ahh...because somebody on GameFAQs (lol i know) said not to even bother going for SLI 680s unless I had a PCI 3.0 motherboard.

What about the case and the parts fitting? Like I said I'm very new to PC gaming and the gtx 680 is pretty damn big inside my case. It looks like theres room for another for sure, I just don't know how tight of a squeeze you want for heat reasons, especially with 2 high power cards like that.

 

[Sunius]

I'd say at least 3 cm gap between the cards.

 

[cooldudesubho]

Your board doesn't support sli.

asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_LX/#specifications

 

[pvm122389]

Damn..wish I did a little more research before I got that mobo but like I said I'm a noob and there's just so much you need to know,

So whats a nice SLI ready mobo? And I'm thinking I'll probably just go ahead and try to get a full size case just cause I'd hate for heat to become an issue. Its quite the non issue for me at the moment and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

[cooldudesubho]

Buy any of there p8 z77 boards.Get the V one if you want bang for your money.