DC 4x GPU workstation board - Biostar Z170 - see Hot Deals thread.

[VirtualLarry]

Just saw this in the Hot Deals forum, and thought that I would post a pointer here.

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/newegg-biostar-racing-z170gt7-100usd-ar.2491885/

The reason being, is, this board has the "magic" PCI-E x16 layout to support FOUR double-width GPUs (requires a case with 8 expansion slots, like the Rosewill Blackhawk).

 

[TennesseeTony]

Certainly a great price for the board. The GPU's would have to be blower type though.

 

[Kiska]

Otherwise you'll have toasty cards

 

[TennesseeTony]

You'll still have toasty cards. Just lightly browned instead of charcoal.

 

[TennesseeTony]

I'd really like to see just three slots, triple spaced. But even then the non-blower cards max out.

 

[Kiska]

Or you know you could spend an additional $600 to water cool those cards

 

[TennesseeTony]

Then you'd want to get the ASUS x99-WS board, and have 7 slots.

 

[Markfw]

Question: if you go water cooling, can you get a double width card to work in a single slot ? If so, my SR-2 has 7 slots, and a lot of extra PCI-e bandwidth. If I had blower cards, 4 slots. I just use 2 now nicely spaced.

 

[TennesseeTony]

Certain waterblocks are true single width, but you still have the issue of the output jacks being on a double width plate.

Check this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pu0Y4h5Has

 

[Markfw]

well, I already have the motherboard... May have to look at 4 x 1070's with blowers. Another over $500 + memory and CPU is a lot. PLUS the cards.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, the OP of that thread claims that the board in question that I linked, does NOT use a PLX chip / chips, so the most PCI-E lanes from the CPU is 16+4. I don't know how they are distributing them to the physical x16 slots. They appear to be soldered as x8 electrically, if you look on the backside. I'm really curious how that board is wired, now.

My four-slot MSI 790GX board, was x8/x8/x8/x8 PCI-E 2.0 electrically from the northbridge, I think.

 

[TennesseeTony]

AMD differs from Intel. They can have more X's on their slots, due to the 2.0 spec, or some such. Or maybe Intel is just baiting buyers with artificial limits, trying to get users to buy their more expensive processors. But even Intel's best processors don't allow enough lanes to cover 4 by 16x.

That being said if it was only 8x/8x/4x/4x it would be just enough for Folding, which is the most bandwidth intensive DC project I've seen.

Newegg lists it as x16, x8, x4- from SB, x4- from SB. ?? Maybe one of those 4x's was supposed to say NB instead of SB. So I'd say it's a great platform, minus the need for an expensive new processor to feed those GPUs, i5 minimum for Folding.

 

[Markfw]

So, Tony, the SR-2 I have is supposed to have a lot more lanes. Looks like 4 at x16 or 7 at x8. You think that that PCI-e 2.0 spec on that motherboard would feed 1080's good enough ?

 

[TennesseeTony]

Yep, you are good to go on that board. Not sure how well the PLX chips work on that one, but only 4 cards shouldn't be much issue if any.