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Can I use the second PCI-E 16x for the main graphic card on H97M-PLUS, or do I have to change bios settings?

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  • Graphics Cards
  • Motherboards
  • PCI Express
Last response: in Motherboards
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October 10, 2014 4:09:31 AM

Hi guys

I have a problem since my case does not allow me to put the video card in the first slot (the card won't fit because too long, and hit on the PSU).

So I am using the second slot; is this OK or the second slot is slower and I need to change some settings? The docs show that both PCI-E are 16X, although the main one is 3.0, while the other one is 2.0.

I don't get thou how can they be different, if they share the IRQ and the card is enabled for SLI; which sound strange if a card run on 3.0 and the other SLI card run on 2.0.

Anyway; I want to be sure that I am using the card to the full power; Do I just plug the card in the second slot, and be done with it? Or do I need to change some settings in the bios?

Also, what is the GPU boost doing? Should I turn it on?

More about : pci 16x main graphic card h97m change bios settings

a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
October 10, 2014 4:56:01 AM

PCI-E 3.0 cards are backward compatible with PCI-E 2.0 slots. No problems. The GPU boost is the option to boost GPU performance. You can use that while playing games. The GPU should be working in any of the PCI-E slot in the mobo. Plug it in, boot and report back.
October 10, 2014 4:59:30 AM

Thanks Agera.

So far is working; but I have no idea if I am running it at the max output or not.

The card is a brand new GTX770 from Asus, so it is a 3.0; would be a waste to use it on a 2.0 port, if I loose a lot, performance wise.

Is there any "extension" that can stretch the 3.0 connector away from the mobo; so I can move the card in an empty area of the case? That could be another solution, until I find a PSU that is a couple of inch shorter, so I can fit the card where it should be :) 
Related resources
a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
October 10, 2014 6:47:08 AM

I don't know whether there are extensions available or not. GTX 770's bandwidth is lesser than the PCI-E 2.0's bandwidth. So you won't notice a bottleneck.

Summary of PCI Express Interface Parameters:
Base Clock Speed: PCIe 3.0 = 8.0GHz, PCIe 2.0 = 5.0GHz, PCIe 1.1 = 2.5GHz
Data Rate: PCIe 3.0 = 1000MB/s, PCIe 2.0 = 500MB/s, PCIe 1.1 = 250MB/s
Total Bandwidth: (x16 link): PCIe 3.0 = 32GB/s, PCIe 2.0 = 16GB/s, PCIe 1.1 = 8GB/s
Data Transfer Rate: PCIe 3.0 = 8.0GT/s, PCIe 2.0= 5.0GT/s, PCIe 1.1 = 2.5GT/s

Check these for your doubts:
Game performance on different PCI-E slots
GTX 680/770 on (PCI-E 2.0 v PCI-E 3.0
PCI-E 3.0 vs 2.0
GTX 770 and PCI-E 2.0 x16 bottleneck?
October 10, 2014 4:15:03 PM

Thanks a lot; I found some extension cables on Ebay; seems that China is the only place where you can find these cables :( 

I believe that my slowness is due to something else then...it is weird since it is a brand new system; I will check the bios to see if there is any update for the mobo. I have the latest Nvidia drivers and I have also the software that came with the video card to over clock it. Windows itself feels slow overall...which is weird since my mac using bootcamp is going much faster than this (a 5 year old mac pro).
!