3rd pci-e slot on Z77X-UD5H

[will_s]

Manual says the PCIE4X slot ( the 3rd pci-e slot )is available only when an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU is installed.......now I have a crossfire setup using the top 2 pci-e slots but need to use the bottom slot for my soundcard ( Xonar Essence ) . Any chance that a BIOS upgrade has fixed that or is the only way to get my soundcard working is to get a new CPU ( atm I have i7 2700k but not ivy bridge) ?

Also if I went this path having a soundcard in the 3rd slot will effect the bandwidth for my crossfire setup but would I notice it in REAL life ? Maybe on benchmark it may show as dropping a few FPS but would it be noticeable on a tri-monitor setup ?

Its a pity that I couldnt drop the 2700K back into the X58A-UD7 but its LGA1366 .....


Choices are i5 3570 = $239 i7 3770 = $349 .... I dont oc so dont need the K.

Also I would use the current memory ......

[profJim]

Re: 3rd pci-e slot on Z77X-UD5H

With your dual video card setup, is there any reason that you can't install your sound card in the pciex1_1 or pciex1_3 slots?

Installing your video card in the bottom pciex4 slot will restrict air flow somewhat to the bottom video card's cooling fans with any video card that requires 2 slots.

[will_s]

Re: 3rd pci-e slot on Z77X-UD5H

With your dual video card setup, is there any reason that you can't install your sound card in the pciex1_1 or pciex1_3 slots?

Installing your video card in the bottom pciex4 slot will restrict air flow somewhat to the bottom video card's cooling fans with any video card that requires 2 slots.

well since I last tried I have swapped the VGA cards around so tri-monitor setup ( hdmi/mini dp and dvi ) would work and that gives me more room at the top so it could fit ... but it would be basically on top of the graphics card and as that one doesnt have clean air due to the other one not sure about the heat factor

as for the one in the middle..... very tight and would effect air flow if it fitted ( older card and a bit thicker )

the thing is more room around the bottom slot and you can use that for pci-e sound cards and it would give me nice air flows

[profJim]

Re: 3rd pci-e slot on Z77X-UD5H

With my former SLI setup, I had an HT Omega pci sound card and the only place I could install it was below the lower video card. With this setup, there was only about 1/8" (3mm) clearance between the top of the sound card and the lower surface of the video card. Even with a 92mm cooling fan installed in the prototype fan shroud, the lower video card was about 5 - 7^oC hotter than the upper video card. The lower video card already had several aftermarket heatsinks installed to improve VRM cooling.

You will need to compare the cost versus benefits of using an Ivy Bridge cpu with gen3 video card bandwidth versus keeping your Sandy Bridge cpu and running with gen2 video card bandwidths.

[will_s]

Re: 3rd pci-e slot on Z77X-UD5H

well have put the card in the machine...like yours its only a couple of mm from the top of the graphics card in the top slot, worried about the heat especially when summer comes ( may swap cases ) but it sounds great ( listening to Carpenters whilst typing ). Use a cable tie to keep the power lead for the xonar from resting on the graphics card
just a side note : went into the BIOS to disable onboard and it froze. Yes, same problem, any USB device attached other then this generic keyboard and mouse freezes the screen. Disconnected and rebooted and no problems.

Thanks Jim ... I guess you saved me a few dollars :-)

[profJim]

Re: 3rd pci-e slot on Z77X-UD5H

You're welcome, glad to help out.
My goal was to present some options so that you could make the best decision.

Have you tried connecting to different usb ports?
Let us know exactly which usb ports you've tried, it might make a difference.
I think that you might have better luck with using an Intel usb 2.0 or 3.0 port.
We can help you figure out which port is which.