PCI-E lanes question?

[8darKnight9]

I'm  planning on  a new build but since linus posted the video about pci-e lanes i was wondering if this configuration will hold:

i'm planning to get the 4790k with 2 970's and a sound card the creative Zx

if anyone can help m if this may work or not!!

thx

[deadaccount69]

it depends on the motherboard. if you get one with a plx chip, it will work. look for a motherboard that supports 3 way sli and it will work(such as maximus vii formula, or sabertooth z97)

EDIT: My bad. Maximus VII Formula does not have plx chip.

[dragoon20005]

^^ what he says

 

some higher end mobo will have a 3rd party chipset to increase the number of PCI-E lanes for the extra devices

 

like for M.2 SSD and SATA express

[8darKnight9]

it depends on the motherboard. if you get one with a plx chip, it will work. look for a motherboard that supports 3 way sli and it will work(such as maximus vii formula, or sabertooth z97)

 

 

^^ what he says

 

some higher end mobo will have a 3rd party chipset to increase the number of PCI-E lanes for the extra devices

 

like for M.2 SSD and SATA express

 

do the msi z97 gaming 5 have that feature?? thx for replying

[-rascal-]

The Intel Z97 chipset is capable of providing up to eight (8) PCI-E 2.0 X1 lanes. It just depends if the motherboard manufacturer decides to implement them...or cheap out on the board and not use them.

Look at the specifications of the MSi Z97 Gaming 5's specifications, four (4) PCI-E 2.0 X1 slots are implemented on the board.

In other words, you are good to go.

[DirkW]

it depends on the motherboard. if you get one with a plx chip, it will work. look for a motherboard that supports 3 way sli and it will work(such as maximus vii formula, or sabertooth z97)

 

The Maximus VII Formula doesn't have a PLX chip and does not allow 3-way-SLI (2-way SLI or 3-way-crossfire only). It has the normal Z97 chipset which provides 8 PCIe 2.0 lanes, (in addition to the 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes from the CPU) that connect all the PCIe slots except for the two graphics card (PCIe 3.0) slots.

 

@8darKnight9

But yes, you could run a soundcard in addition to a 2-way-SLI config on this board (and comparable ones), but you'd lose some other function (one of the SATA-Express-Slots on the VII Formula for example). Whether a soundcard is really necessary over the onboard sound...I'll leave that to you. If you're that much into audio, you'd probably be better off with an external AMP/DAC anyway...

[i_build_nanosuits]

The MSI gaming 5 has top of the line sound chips you don't need a soundcard mate.

[8darKnight9]

The Intel Z97 chipset is capable of providing up to eight (8) PCI-E 2.0 X1 lanes. It just depends if the motherboard manufacturer decides to implement them...or cheap out on the board and not use them.

Look at the specifications of the MSi Z97 Gaming 5's specifications, four (4) PCI-E 2.0 X1 slots are implemented on the board.

In other words, you are good to go.

 

 

The Maximus VII Formula doesn't have a PLX chip and does not allow 3-way-SLI (2-way SLI or 3-way-crossfire only). It has the normal Z97 chipset which provides 8 PCIe 2.0 lanes, (in addition to the 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes from the CPU) that connect all the PCIe slots except for the two graphics card (PCIe 3.0) slots.

 

@8darKnight9

But yes, you could run a soundcard in addition to a 2-way-SLI config on this board (and comparable ones), but you'd lose some other function (one of the SATA-Express-Slots on the VII Formula for example). Whether a soundcard is really necessary over the onboard sound...I'll leave that to you. If you're that much into audio, you'd probably be better off with an external AMP/DAC anyway...

 

 

The MSI gaming 5 has top of the line sound chips you don't need a soundcard mate.

 

thx guys for providing these answers you are great and for the audio yes i need the additional power of the creative labs zx it's the cheapest solution for advanced audio

[deadaccount69]

if you insist on surround sound, i would recommend a usb virtual headset. a virtual headset uses understanding of how the auricle to understand how sound is affected when received from different angles. "real" surround sound headsets use several actual speakers to "inject" the sound directly into different parts of your auricle. the problem with this in headphones is that it is inside a very small chamber so all the sounds will mix together for the most part. a virtual headset is just as effective if not more effective, it is cheaper, and lighter, and does not require a soundcard. something like a razer kraken 7.1 or maybe megalodons would be great.

[deadaccount69]

sorry wrong thread.