Really newb question about motherboards and PCI slots...

[notigg]

Hey I have a question. My motherboard is capable of 3 way SLI. so it has 3 of those slots on the motherboard. I never ever plan to go 3 cards... just 2. So that third one is kind of useless. Do only graphics cards go in those slots? is there anything else you can put in them? because the notches appear different than regular PCI... and PCIe .

if that third slot was a PCI or PCIe instead of a graphics card slot I would be able to use it... but now I have to get rid of my wireless card... find a way to network my computer with either wire or my powergrid... and sell my awesome PCIe soundcard to get a PCI soundcard of the same exact kind.

I should have done more research and gotten a mobo with only 2 graphics cards slots because 3 is overkill and it wastes space.

 

[Corporate Thug]

yeah its for a video card.

 

[Stormscape]

Actually a PCIe 1x card will work just fine in a 16x slot, it was designed that way. Same with a 4x card in a 16x slot. Unless your slot is somehow different from regular 16x PCIe, in which case I'd need to see a picture.

 

[notigg]

maybe I am misunderstanding something... aren't PCIeX1 the cards with the "small" contacts on it? Much smaller than PCI. and isn't the video card slot long?


like this card? (this is my card)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829132010

 

[dawp]

you can use any pci-e card in a x16 slot, anything from x1 to x16.

that Xonar should work in the 16x slot. and just because it's x16 slot does not mean it's x16, it could be x8 or x4, a lot of boards are that way, only 2 true x16 with the additional x16 at the lower speeds.

My x58 sabertooth has a 16x slot next to the board edge that is lower speed:

1 x PCIe x16 (at x4 mode)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131665

click on details and look at the expansion slots.