Dual PCI-X SLI motherboard question.

[Maverick69]

Guys, I was wondering if the dual pci-x slots on the new SLI motherboards can be used separately or can they only be used in a dual videocard setup?
I want to do some HD editing and a good HD capturecard needs a pci-x slot. Which, apparently, leaves me without a place for my videocard.
I was going to put together a single processor system to do this, however now I'm thinking that I will need a dual processor system because the motherboard will allow me to run a videocard pci-x and capturecard pci-x setup?

 

[imported_Tick]

Firstly, PCI-X /= PCI Express. Secondly, I have no idea if it will work. Thirdly, dual processor has nothing to do with PCI Express slots.

 

[tylerni7]

Well you only need one video card if thats what you mean. But then it doesn't use the SLI features. And yea a dual processor would be nice and make it go incredibly fast... but you don't need it.

 

[JackBurton]

There are no PCI-X video cards, so I'll stop you right there.

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

Originally posted by: Maverick69
Guys, I was wondering if the dual pci-x slots on the new SLI motherboards can be used separately or can they only be used in a dual videocard setup?
I want to do some HD editing and a good HD capturecard needs a pci-x slot. Which, apparently, leaves me without a place for my videocard.
I was going to put together a single processor system to do this, however now I'm thinking that I will need a dual processor system because the motherboard will allow me to run a videocard pci-x and capturecard pci-x setup?

You really need to clarify your post.

PCI-X is not the same as PCI-ex (there are other ways to write the PCI-express but I don't know or care about the official one) as another posted already noted. All SLI boards come with two PCI-ex slots that run at 16X if one slot is filled or in 8x if both slots are filled. You can definitely use a single graphics card in one and a HD capturecard in another. (They will both run at 8X.)

You won't find many if any SLI boards with PCI-X (an extension of the PCI spec not the PCI-ex spec) built in them. Maybe, a high end workstation board from Tyan. (Too lazy to check). You probably want to look for a good 4x or 8x PCI-ex capturecard (though PCI-ex peripherals are still as rare as a week going by without a Microsoft securtiy hole appearing).

There are new Nforce4 boards coming out that will support multiple 16X cards running natively at 16X (instead of downclocking to 8X on each slot). (The current Nforce 4 boards have a total of 22 PCi-ex lanes. (Hence my SLI board has two 16X slots (which go down to 8x if both are filled) one 4X lane and two 1X lanes to make a total of 22. Since 8X PCI-ex is roughly equivalent to 8X AGP in terms of bandwidth you shouldn't have issue with a 4X PCI-ex capturecard (equivalent to a 4X AGP video card bandwidth) as far as bandwidth is concerned (8X capturecard would be a monster in bandwidth!).

Edit: If you already have PCI-X capturecard (I am assuming it is a PCI-X card and not a PCI-ex card than good luck finding a PCI-ex/PCI-X motherboard.

 

[grimdeath]

there are PCI express videocards and motherboard slots(that they plug into). SLI is the system used by nvidia to use 2 PCIe cards together to help split up the workload of the videocards(though its not an even division) ATI has just released their version called crossfire(see anandtechs main page). btw you can use a single PCIe card setup just fine, most motherboards require you to move jumpers and such to determine which setup your using, but my new evga nf4 sli motherboard actually has 3 PCIe slots, one is for a single card use, and two are for the sli setup

this help?

 

[Maverick69]

Thanks guys,

I had my notations and stuff all mixed up. I've been out of the loop for a couple of years now and I'm just getting back in to find all kinds notations and variations (i.e. amd) that after a week of reading to catch up from 2003 have my head spinning.
Anyway, you guys have helped out more than you can imagine just by letting me know that PCI-X (same as old parallel pci except faster at 100 and 133 mhz) and PCI-E (Express, new high-speed serial connection available in different widths for more or less speed) are two different things, which I somehow missed.

I'm on track now. I can get PCI-X and PCI-E on the same board, however I would have to get a tyan "uber" workstation board, thanks Michael, which looks like it might be hard to find a normal antec case for, I'm just not going to go that route. The capturecard I was looking at is a PCI-X card. SO, I'm going to get a PCI-E solution which will run into a 4-Lane PCI-E slot and will be compatiable with a 16-Lane PCI-E vid. card. No need for a SLI board, Woot!

As it is now, I'm going to go with a single AMD 3800+ which from my reading appears to be atop of intel in apps for rendering and editing such as premier, unless I've missed something somewhere which is quite possible? I'm pretty set on AMD. I'm mostly concerned with whether I should go with a dual setup, considering I'll be running 2 PCI-E slots along with a RAID-1 setup (software) for backup reasons. I think that a dual Opteron setup will be over-kill 95% of the time? I guess I could always get a RAID-card to take the stress of a RAID software setup off my processor? However, I'm thinking that I'll be just fine with RAID software setup and a single 3800+ processor. Anyone have any thoughts otherwise?

Thanks everyone for the help so far. I greatly appreciate it.

 

bump

 

[Maverick69]

Is that some kind of notation I missed somewhere along the way?

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: Maverick69
Is that some kind of notation I missed somewhere along the way?

no, a bump is a post which only serves to bring the topic back to the top of the list on the forum. TheDoubleA I suspect is already banned for bumping a lot of posts for no reason.