In which slot, on Asus z77 pro, do I put single GTX 680?

[nine9s]

I am getting a Asus Z77 Pro motherboard and a single GTX 680.

The motherboard manual does not state which PCIe slot to use for a single card. From the picture on the following page: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131819 I assume the top one and middle one are PCIe 3.0 (look at the top view picture zoomed-in.)

Does it matter which one I use? Would one provide a better bus than the other (is top one meant for one card and the middle is only if you do dual cards)? I am wondering because the middle one would give me better room for a PCIe sound card at the top.

If the top one is better for a single video card, should a PCIe sound card be able to fit above it in the small PCIe slot with the video card in the PCIe 3.0 slot next to it or would there not be physical room for it? Also, would it interfere with the video card's bus (Per the manual it seems the small PCIe slots only shars a bus with the black 2.0 PCIe slot at the bottom but I would like to make sure)?

 

[Freddy1765]

Each PCIe should be clearly labelled as 3.0 or 2.0, as well as 1x, 4x, 16x or w/e.
Find a hi-res image of the board on google and look.

 

[Kenmitch]

Most boards run full speed top slot. Second slot 8x only. PCI-E 1x can be run in any PCI-E slot so you could use 4x slot if wanted.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Always use the x16 closest to the CPU.

If you use the second slot it might not boot for that matter. And it would be x8 electric.

 

[nine9s]

PCI-E 1x can be run in any PCI-E slot so you could use 4x slot if wanted.

Thanks. Please let me check if I understand this correctly. So a PCI-E 1X little tab slot card, like a sound card, would work fine in the full PCI-E slot (black one at the bottom) - it would just leave much of the that expansion slot open? In other words, the sound card does not have to go into the small PCI-E 1X slot? And this would not cause any problems for the video card in the top slot (no bus conflicts or board thinks it is trying to be SLI)?

 

[Kenmitch]

Thanks. Please let me check if I understand this correctly. So a PCI-E 1X little tab slot card, like a sound card, would work fine in the full PCI-E slot (balck one at the bottom) - it would just leave much of the that expansion slot open? In other words, the sound card does not have to go into the small PCI-E 1X slot?

Yep should work fine. Just gotta try it and see.

 

[Ferzerp]

Indeed, and technically, even an x16 card should work in an x1 slot (but at x1 transfer rates) if you either cut the card, or cut the plastic out of the back of the slot.

PCIe is an interesting beast.

My current build has the opposite right now: an x1 in an x16 slot.

 

[postmortemIA]

I have 3.0 PCI-e card in x16 1.1 PCI-e slot, works fine

 

[nine9s]

Would putting it in the PCI 2.0 X8 slot make the PCI 3.0 X16 top slot run 8X?

 

[Ferzerp]

Those don't impact one another.

 

[blackened23]

Not to be a smart**, but it is in fact, in the manual. I have the P8Z77 deluxe.

Upper most slot.....

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Always use the x16 closest to the CPU.

If you use the second slot it might not boot for that matter. And it would be x8 electric.

+1

 

[nine9s]

Not to be a smart**, but it is in fact, in the manual. I have the P8Z77 deluxe.

Upper most slot.....

I download the Z77 pro manual and did not see it. I might have over-looked it but I checked it searched for it.

 

[Ferzerp]

Section 2.2.4 has the info you're looking for if the manual layout is the same across their line of Z77.

 

[nine9s]

Section 2.2.4 has the info you're looking for if the manual layout is the same across their line of Z77.

Same - it is there. Not sure how I missed it but I am glad you told me. Thanks.

Question, it states that the PCIE_3 shares a bus with the PCIE_1. If I have video card in PCIE_1 and sound card in PCIE_3, while the shared interrupts cause a problem? I remember like 10+ years ago, sound cards had interrupt problems when shared (not sure if they still do or not.)

 

[Ferzerp]

I noticed that too and am confused. I have an x1 card in that bottom slot (mine is the sabertooth). I still am running x8/x8 and the bottom slot is PCIe 2.0 as well.

Someone who knows more than I do may be able to answer.

 

[ShintaiDK]

I noticed that too and am confused. I have an x1 card in that bottom slot (mine is the sabertooth). I still am running x8/x8 and the bottom slot is PCIe 2.0 as well.

Someone who knows more than I do may be able to answer.

I´m sure you boards first 2 slot is from the CPU. hence 3.0 with Ivy. And its split from a single x16 to 2 x8 if you use both ports.

The last slot is connected to the PCH at x8. Thats again connected to the CPU with a DMI link thats shared with NIC, SATA, USB etc.

Last slot is a sillyslot.

 

[nine9s]

Looking at it, I think the sound card will fit in the top PCIE_1x slot. That would be for-sure eliminate conflicts with the video card right?

 

[blackened23]

Looking at it, I think the sound card will fit in the top PCIE_1x slot. That would be for-sure eliminate conflicts with the video card right?

Use any pciex1 slot. I put my SB titanium HD above the upper most GPU.

 

[tigersty1e]

the sound card doesn't need to be in a pcie 1 slot.

put it in the second pcie 16 slot.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Any PCie x1 slot is not part of the CPUs x16.

 

[ShintaiDK]

the sound card doesn't need to be in a pcie 1 slot.

put it in the second pcie 16 slot.

That would be silly. Since he would force the GFX x16 into x8 x2 with the soundcard.

He should avoid using the white PCIe x16 slot for anything when using 1 GFX card.

 

[blackened23]

That would be silly. Since he would force the GFX x16 into x8 x2 with the soundcard.

He should avoid using the white PCIe x16 slot for anything when using 1 GFX card.

Not to mention you want to put your soundcard in a slot that doesn't hamper airflow....putting a soundcard below your GPU sounds like a recipe for warmer GPU temps, since a discrete soundboard can generate some heat and also potentially block the fans of the gpu above it.

 

[tigersty1e]

That would be silly. Since he would force the GFX x16 into x8 x2 with the soundcard.

He should avoid using the white PCIe x16 slot for anything when using 1 GFX card.

i think the last pcie16 slot doesn't run off the cpu.

i would just try it and run gpuz to see what the gpu slot is running.

 

[tigersty1e]

Not to mention you want to put your soundcard in a slot that doesn't hamper airflow....putting a soundcard below your GPU sounds like a recipe for warmer GPU temps, since a discrete soundboard can generate some heat and also potentially block the fans of the gpu above it.

sound cards put off almost no heat. they are also short enough that gpu fans won't really block any airflow. not to mention he has 3 slots in between the top 2 pcie slots and 5 slots between the top and last one.