ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme Overview Slots and Storage PCIe Lanes

ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme Motherboard Overview by Request. This is about Slots and Storage of PCIe Resource allocations. We're going to be looking at and Comparing the difference in Design vs Implementation. Yes, We have shared Resources. Yes, We have 3 Slots and 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe Drives. But there's going to be some give and take in all of that Resource allocation. We'll Itemize CPU and Chipset PCIe Lanes. And explore the Rear I/O Panel Layout of Resources. We'll use the Motherboard Manual and Motherboard Bios Manual for Our Overview. Included in Discussion: On-die ECC DDR5 and Sideband ECC DDR5.
Note: Supports On-die ECC which is Non ECC DDR5! To reiterate this does NOT support Sideband ECC!
Links:
1. ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme Motherboard
rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-crosshair/rog-crosshair-x670e-extreme-model/
amzn.to/3TR6qkS
2. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Desktop Processors - 16-Core, 32-Thread
www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-9-7950x
amzn.to/3TLpuAS
3. AMD Socket AM5 Chipset - AMD
www.amd.com/en/chipsets/am5
4 AMD Zen 4 & Socket AM5 Explained- PCIe Lanes, Chipsets, Connectivity - TechPowerUp}
www.techpowerup.com/295394/amd-zen-4-socket-am5-explained-pcie-lanes-chipsets-connectivity?amp
4. Intel JHL8540 Thunderbolt 4 Controller
www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/193684/intel-jhl8540-thunderbolt-4-controller/specifications.html
5. Gigabyte Unveils AORUS Gen5 AIC Adaptor with 4 Built-in NVMe M.2 Slots
www.gigabyte.com/Press/News/2018
6. ECC vs. non-ECC -- What do I have and can I mix- - Crucial.com
www.crucial.com/support/articles-faq-memory/ecc-vs-non-ecc
7. DDR5 - Questions and answers - Crucial.com
www.crucial.com/support/articles-faq-memory/ddr5-support-questions
8. MemTest86 - ECC Technical Details
www.memtest86.com/ecc.htm
9. DDR5 Memory Standard- An introduction to the next generation of DRAM module technology - Kingston Technology
www.kingston.com/en/blog/pc-performance/ddr5-overview
10. DDR5 has a new Sideband Bus - FuturePlus Systems
www.futureplus.com/ddr5-has-a-new-sideband-bus/
11. ECC in DDR Memories - DesignWare IP - Synopsys
www.synopsys.com/designware-ip/technical-bulletin/error-correction-code-ddr.html
12. Crucial Memory Finder - ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E EXTREME | Memory RAM - Set Filter!
www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/asus/rog-crosshair-x670e-extreme
Crucial 64GB Kit (2 x 32GB) DDR5-4800 UDIMM - CT2K32G48C40U5 [On-die ECC which is Non ECC DDR5]
amzn.to/3feds49
Support BuildOrBuy... www.buymeacoffee.com/gillboyd
www.amazon.com/shop/buildorbuy
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Subscribe, Thumbs Up, Comment! Appreciate Your Support! Thank You for Watching!

[@darkschneider8508]

5 Minutes in, and I've learned more than in a year than by myself. Great video, great channel. Subscribed.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Dark Schneider, Welcome! I'm honored! And We're just covering the Essentials! We expect these Overviews to become more Essential as We move toward CXL - Compute Express Link and NVMe-KV - Key Value Command Set. Just laying the Foundation of what We know to be True. Think of this now as IRQs and UARTSs once were the Topic of Discussion. PCIe Resource allocations are a problem on Consumer Desktop Motherboards since the introduction of PCIe 3.0! Unlike what We see on either HEDT or Workstation Motherboards! Research before Purchase! Exciting times to be Building a Computer! Appreciate Your Support!

[@bigboy501son]

@@BuildOrBuy The one thing not coverd that I was wondering about is the ROG Gen-Z.2. Does it effect any of the 16x PCIe slots or does it have its own lanes Via Chipset?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@bigboy501son, Welcome! Agreed. Thanks for Asking! Edited out. The Gen-Z.2 is PCIe 5.0 CPU Lanes on one Side and PCIe 4.0 Chipset Lanes on the other Side. Both sides are Dedicated and not Shared. Interesting card. Hope that clarification helps! Expensive Motherboard approaching the price of a Workstation Motherboard.

[@bigboy501son]

@@BuildOrBuy it does, so this card has its own dedicated lanes to the CPU? im in the market for another build and will run a single GPU but do not want to sacrafice X16. I do want to Run multiple M.2 drive in raid.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi @@bigboy501son, An unusual setup. To reiterate one side to CPU. The other side through Chipset. Both sides are Dedicated PCIe Lanes.

[@Black_Onyx]

I was looking for this board and how it handle M.2 PCie5 and amazing info is given on this video, thank you so much!!! 😉👍

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Pascal Pereira, Welcome! Absolutely! The most important aspect! Details definitely matter! Glad We could help You make a better informed decision! Appreciate Your Comments!

[@waderobinson4122]

wow so much for ECC support. thank you for clarifying what no one else has in simple language.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Wade Robinson, Welcome! DDR5 ECC is a new animal! And a Fascinating Topic since clarity seems to be lacking and is somewhat confusing. Appreciate Your Comments! Glad We could help! Our Goal is to Keep it Simple and Make it Work! Both AMD and Intel could help by Specifying and Clarifying Requirements and Support. More Obfuscation!

[@mahmahmahmahmah6699]

This guy is a legend, was hoping to see more videos.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello@@mahmahmahmahmah6699 , Welcome. I'm honored. Been very busy. Added to our production capabilities and that has taken off. Still Answering Subscribers Questions!

[@theonlyone38]

I am 100% saving this for later, as I've been considering this board for sure.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi theonlyone38, Welcome! Outstanding! Success on Your Build! Keep Us Posted on Your Progress! To reiterate, the Default Configuration is the easiest Configuration to go with! Keep it Simple!

[@ahsiong1980]

Awesome video, very informative thank you very much! 😀👍👍👍👍👍

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Tay Chin Siong, Welcome! Excellent! Appreciate Your Comments! A fascinating Motherboard for Resource allocations!

[@datavortex]

Thank you. Wish there was a block diagram as well. Great video.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Larry Fine, Welcome! That one minor detail is a major concern! Appreciate Your Comments!

[@elteacher0223]

Thanks, keep it up!!!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Juan Pablo, Thanks for Watching! Appreciate Your Comments!

[@hankarmstrong3681]

Boy did I just get educated. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I could have stayed with my old computer knowing what I know now. It's only built to run MS Flight Simulator 2020 and understanding shared resources made this NEW machine even faster. Running RAID0 would NOT really make it faster sharing resources. So 1 M2-1slot and 1 GPU PCIe x16 would be faster? The EXTREME board "seemed" faster, better and PCIe 5 seemed like the way to go. Live and learn. Thanks Gill!! Much more to learn about this board.👍👍

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Hank Armstrong, Welcome! Knowledge should be Shared! Glad We could help! I'm honored! 1. RAID 0 - 4 Drives in RAID = Speed of 3. Example: A. PCIe 3.0 = 3,500MBps x 3... B. PCIe 4.0 = 1st Generation - 5,000MBps 2nd Generation - 7,000MBps 3rd Generation - 7,200MBps C. PCIe 5.0 A. 1st Generation - 10,000MBps Doing the math, You can see the Results. This was Tested, Verified and Achieved on a HEDT Gigabyte TRX40 Designare Motherboard and Gigabyte M.2 NVMe PCIe AIC. 3 X 5,000 = 15,000MBps! 2. What's driving the PCIe Bus? Originally the GPU. Now? Ever since PCIe 3.0 and NVMe, the NVMe is driving the PCIe Bus and to reiterate, NOT the GPU! Therfore, what do You have that is PCIe 5.0? Nothing! What's the promise? M.2 NVMe PCIe 5.0 SSD Drives! Crickets. GPU? All PCIe 4.0. With that being said, a GPU in a X8 Slot will be fine. Our problem is the Obfuscation of Acknowledgement of the Shared PCIe Resources! Would anyone knowingly make that choice? No. But this is the status of Consumer Desktop Motherboards! What We currently gain is DDR5... Yes, Absolutely DDR5 is faster. We're working on a Video about the particulars We need to know. So We understand what We're doing. Such as On-die DDR5 is NON ECC! And the 4 Schemes of ECC. Of which We only need to concern Ourselves with 2. As it relates to ECC DDR5. Another fascinating Topic! Knowledge is beneficial only when put to use. In other words, know better, do better! We're all about, Keep it Simple and Make it Work! We're just hitting the high points! If We don't get Slots and Storage of PCIe Resource allocations right, nothing matters beyond that! Thus a Motherboard Overview of same! Hope that helps!

[@Polyh3dron]

Thank you for this. I just got this board and wasn't sure how the PCIe lane allocation would all work out.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Rob Young, Welcome and Congrats on Your Purchase! We think this is foundational information! Fascinating Topic worth a deep dive! In a nut shell, Shared PCIe Resources vs Dedicated PCIe Resources! Keep Us Posted on Your Build Progress!

[@Polyh3dron]

@@BuildOrBuy thanks! Only thing I’m still trying to figure out is if the use of the Thunderbolt ports in Thunderbolt mode with a couple old TB2 and 3 devices will steal lanes from some other place.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@Polyh3dron, Good Question! As a general Rule, if Thunderbolt is Built-in to the Motherboard, those 4 PCIe Lanes are Dedicated to Thunderbolt. If However used as an Add in card, depends upon how PCIe Resources are allocated. Probably Shared meaning this or that but not both simultaneously. A good example of why We need Motherboard Block Diagrams! Another way to understand USB4, this Motherboard supports USB-C Video out which is from the Internal GPU of the CPU. Dedicated PCIe Lanes! Another way to reference what We know to be true, look at Shared Bandwidth in Motherboard PDF Manual. Nothing about USB4. A preponderance of evidence. Hope that helps!

[@jameswubbolt7787]

Thanks Gil.always a pleasure. I think ddr 5 still has a way to go .

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi james wubbolt, Very much agree on that. Interesting to see the direction and current status. A work in progress! Curious how everything talking about DDR5 is obscuring the details. And Viewers need those Details to make informed Decisions!

[@Moosemanity]

Awesome 😎

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi jason bourke, Welcome! Outstanding! Appreciate Your Comments! Thanks for Watching! An amazing Motherboard in Default Configuration, it works! But the price for those Lane allocations, ugh!

[@LunarGhostII]

I've been building computers for 10 years now. I'm reminded that there is still things I don't know and that I will become ignorant on due to constant improvement on current tech. But I'll be damned if this board didn't confuse the ever living hell out of me. This video clarified so much I was shaking my head at the end. This was the first video I've seen by you, and now you have a new sub. Manufacturers really need to be concise on how they word their tech documents and address their information.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello LunarGhost, Welcome! Crazy, right! I'm honored! Appreciate Your Comments and Support! This current crop of Motherboards have too many Shared PCIe Resources! Too much obfuscation! We've learned the more We know, We realize how little We know and need to know more! You'll never look at another Motherboard the same way again after this! Success with Your Build! Think Motherboard Block Diagram!

[@LunarGhostII]

@@BuildOrBuy I certainly will! I had coincidentally seen one days prior and brushed it off. But thinking back I can completely understand the usefulness of the tool. It's a shame things like those are a pain to come by. Either way I'm excited to see more of your channel, many thanks for such great and detailed content!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@LunarGhostII, We find it strange for Vendors to not supply a Block Diagram. A Basic requirement for Motherboard Configuration. They are essential!

[@sdddfdf8702]

hello. I'm enjoying the video. I wonder when you will be testing the Thermalright hr-09 2280 pro. I'm curious about the comparison with acidalie 4 pipe

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi 장민준, Interesting You should ask! We had not planned to Test until We had better Designs to work for PCIe 5.0. However, JEYI has asked Us to Test and Compare 2 more of their M.2 NVMe Heatsinks. Therefor, those 2 are in the works! The JEYI FinsCold iGlacier8 was right up there with the Acidalie!

[@Bloomis1123]

I wish every video I learn from is as detailed as this one, amazing. Question: If I have M.2_1 and x2 M.2 drives via the GEN-Z.2 slot AND a single SSD in the SATA port.... would I still get x16 lanes for the GPU?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Brandon Loomis, Welcome! Great Question! Short Answer, Yes! You may never look at another Motherboard the same way after this! Congrats! Appreciate Your Comments! I'm honored! Keep this in mind, PCIe Resources are allocated according to Slots 1st then Storage 2nd. Differentiate CPU Lanes from Chipset Lanes. And only CPU Lanes are Split or Bifurcated. Once You grasp the Concept, the rest falls into place. Hope that helps!

[@thiagodocoutoesilva1224]

Hello. Thanks for the video. Where would you recommend that I put my second (only using 2) M.2 drive on this board for the best performance? To keep the RTX 4090 at 16x? Im also using Soundlaster AE-7 on the PCI x4 from the botton.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello Thiago do Couto e Silva, Welcome! Great Question! Glad You've asked! According to the English version of Motherboard PDF Manual on Page 13, Connectors with Shared Bandwidth. Don't use M.2_2 nor PCIe 5.0 M.2 card. The other 3 are good to go. Decide if You want to use CPU PCIe Lanes or Chipset PCIe Lanes. M.2_1 is PCIe 5.0 CPU Lanes. CPU PCIe Lanes are a tad bit faster! The Gen-Z card has both. One side is PCIe 5.0 CPU Lanes while the other side is PCIe 4.0 Chipset Lanes. Hope that helps!

[@docjuanmd7397]

Subscribed! I have been watching your videos recently and found a lot of info from HBA cards and this! Getting this board and will arrive next week. Can the OS boot on the ROG Gen-Z.2 card? Planning to install 2 m.2s. 1 on the M.2_1 and 1 on the GenZ.2 card. Btw, I will be aircooling the 7950X on this board with a noctua NH-D15. I am not comfortable using an AIO or the likes running 24/7.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi DocJuan MD, Welcome! I'm honored! Appreciate Your Comments! Short Answer, Yes! Agreed! We much prefer Air Cooling as well! Yes again, Noctua! We have covered several M.2 NVMe PCIe Adapters from Dual to 4 to 6 to 8 Drive Cards and Bifurcation! And there are cards that exist with many more M.2 NVMe PCIe Drives! Hope that helps!

[@ronyph]

@buildorbuy Hello, thx for this detailed video, i have ordered this board and after watching your video and checking the documentation, if i understand correctly, if I want to have my GPU running at x16 fully while trying to install the most M.2 drives, and not to impact the x16 lanes, i could in theory have 2 x M.2 in PCIe 5, 1 on the M2_1 & the other on the Gen Z2_1, and then 2 x M.2 PCIe 4 drives, one on the Gen Z2_2 and the other can be on an extra Pcie X4 add in card placed on the x4 PCIe 4 slot. Is my understanding correct ?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Rony-Pierre, Welcome! Excellent! Appreciate Your Comments! Correct! Remember, on this CPU / Chipset Platform, We have 24 CPU PCIe 5.0 Lanes. This Motherboard has an unusual allocation of PCIe Resources.

[@BurkeSchneider]

If a PCIE Gen 4 M.2 and a PCIE Gen 5 M.2 device are both installed into the ROG GEN-Z.2 card, will the overall speed of both devices be limited to the slower of the two M.2 drives? It seems odd to me that the manual mentions a slot for PCIE Gen 4 and a slot for PCIE Gen 5 when the ROG GEN-Z.2 card shares a single connection to the motherboard near the RAM slots. Thanks for the detailed overview!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello Burke Schneider, Welcome! Appreciate Your Comments! Excellent Question! Short Answer, only if the 2 are in RAID, together. Otherwise, no. PCIe Lanes are seperate. An unusual use of space on that card next to RAM. Enjoy!

[@BurkeSchneider]

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply, this answered my question perfectly.@@BuildOrBuy

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@BurkeSchneider, Outstanding!

[@mistersponge]

Wow you are so knowledgeable! After watching your video and reading the comments I realized I need to move my second M2 from M2_2 to the GenZ adaptor. My question is is there any advantage or preference for which GenZ slot I place a pcie Gen 4 ssd in?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi mistersponge, Welcome! I'm honored! Appreciate Your Comments! Great Question! Depends. If You Plan to later acquire an M.2 NVMe PCIe 5.0 SSD, Yes. If not, no. One side is specific for PCIe 5.0. To reiterate, either side can use PCIe 4.0 but only one side accommodates PCIe 5.0! Fascinating Topic! Crazy Results! Success on Your use and understanding of PCIe Resources!

[@mistersponge]

@@BuildOrBuy Got it, thanks again!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@mistersponge, Absolutely! Good timing!

[@ryanodneal7001]

I was on here looking for info about the on board NIC card (10G) and how it compares to say a seperate 10G NIC, for ultimate online multiplayer latency consideration. But I can't run a seperate NIC card without compromising my x16 lanes? Tho I find the on board NIC a huge upgrade over my old boards 1G in terms of latency.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Ryan, Welcome! Depends. You could use the 3rd Slot. That's using X4 Chipset PCIe Lanes. Yes, this will be faster than what you had. How much faster? Test and Verify. Then compare.

[@DTkz_]

Just got this board and I'm just waiting on the video card now! I was curious if you think I could get away with using a single gen4 m.2 in the Gen-z.2. I'd like to have that big x16 for the 4090

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Kidz, Absolutely! Great Question! GEN-Z.2_1 is to CPU whereas GEN-Z.2_2 is through the Chipset. To reiterate, use either or both and still have all 16 CPU Lanes to GPU! Hope that helps!

[@Outsider5wr]

Wow! So much to Learn about ECC, and how it relates to overclocking. (Will have to see that other video) What I have learned from the comments and replies about M.2 Drives and PCIe is almost over-whelming. The M.2 platform or other PCIe SSD as a whole have blown my mind, when I heard of them sometime ago taking the market and being out of the loop for a while. SO could the Motherboard be overloaded with PCIe assets as(for example) just 2 GPUs on main and second PCIe slot, 2 M.2 SSDs on their on board slots (M.2_1 and M.2_2) and, if physically possible, put a x4 PCIe card of any kind on that last slot? Would the last device on that x4 slot be disabled or "not Seen" by the motherboard to prevent damage or would it just cause damage? However, it does seem the PCIe_2 (8x) slot is placed in such a way that it would block the x4 slot from being used? Just a note for Gamers/Developers, The max use of those PCIe lanes (If my Understanding is right) would be x2 GPUs, x2 M.2 SSDs if you don't mind those all running at x4 each. With additional x2 M.2 drives via the GEN-Z.2 slot and Riser/adapter card if you want to fill out every slot.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Scott, Excellent observations! 1. DDR5 ECC Synopsis until then... There are 4 Adderssing schemes for ECC. We only need to know two as this relates. A. On-die ECC is NON ECC. All DDR5 is suppose to be On-die.That's for the Memory within itself. The SPD is now of greater importance. B. DDR5 ECC has to be Sideband ECC which is for Parity. And that is based on a new Sideband Bus spec which is different than SMBus but is suppose to be backward compatible. That means the Traces are there but are they enabled or can they be enabled which means does the Chipset support that feature or can this be enabled with a Bios update. More Questions than Answers! Sideband is for the Memory to talk to the Memory Controller which is in the CPU. There will be a Setting in the Bios, if supported, for Parity. That's DDR5 ECC in a nutshell. There's more but that's the essence. ECC Support has 4 Requirements depending upon who's doing the talking. C. CPU D. Chipset E. Motherboard and Bios support F. DDR5 ECC RAM 2. Technology is moving faster than ever! 3. The Problem: Consumer Desktop Motherboards have limited Shared PCIe Resources The Solution: Dedicated PCIe Resources hence at what price point does a Workstation with Dedicated PCIe Resources make more sense! On a Consumer Desktop Motherboard due to Shared PCIe Resources not everything can be utilized simultaneously. We only have so many PCIe Resources! Do the count! 4. Slot Spacing and GPU Width 5. Depends upon how PCIe Resources are allocated. In this instance, the 3rd X4 Slot is Dedicated, through the Chipset. Physical access depends upon GPU Slot width with lots of gotchas to consider. Yes, everything matters! 6. See: Connectors with shared bandwidth - M.2_2 is Shared to CPU PCIe Lanes. Therefor, PCIEX16_2 yes, would only be able to utilize 4 CPU PCIe Lanes. Not ideal for a GPU. Now You're seeing the bigger picture. Which brings Us back to the Question. At what point does a Workstation Motherboard make more sense. Know better, do better! Hope that helps!

[@nickmhc]

@@BuildOrBuy respect for taking the time to answer this. I’m looking to build a gaming computer that can also execute machine learning workloads. ASUS used to make Xeon compatible DDR4 gaming boards that sound like the perfect solution… [adding that I found you while trying to figure out how to cram an Optane boot drive and two GPUs onto the same rig]

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@nickmhc, Welcome! We try! E for effort! ASUS is a good choice for all Your intentions! Choosing a Consumer Desktop Motherboard, depends. If You can live with Shared PCIe Resources instead of Dedicated PCIe Resources, then You're good to go. Whether DDR4 or DDR5, tough call. Everything new will be DDR5 going forward. And as soon as PCIe 5.0 is released, expect DDR to be right up there with next Generation DDR. Hope that helps! Appreciate Your Comments! Too bad Intel has dropped Optane. Proprietary is always an issue. Changing one thing changes everything!

[@asdf51501]

Anyone else playing the “reiterate” drinking game? 🤣 This is a great video series, I’m learning a ton and it’s very much appreciated. What I’m getting is that there’s a lot of creative allocation management that should be paid attention to depending on the intended use cases. I’m also getting that CPUs really need more and more lanes. Personally I opted for the Hero rather than this board

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi BigPotatoeMoths, Excellent! Knowledge should be Shared! Glad You're receiving value. Lots of Options on Consumer Desktop Motherboards! None of these Motherboards should cost over $500. Anything above that is approaching the price of a Workstation Motherboard! Appreciate Your Comments! We became aware of this issue with PCIe Resources when Intel introduced the X299 Chipset, PCIe 3.0. That was an eye opener and a head turner to wrap Our mind around!

[@asdf51501]

@@BuildOrBuy Agreed! 😀

[@AquaStevae]

This is a bit off topic, but something you said brings the thought to my head. If you have a mobo, with updated latest gen headers on it, like a USB gen 3 2x2, but are still using an older case that does not have a gen 3 2x2 port on it's panel, can you buy a usb gen 3 2x2 cable with the port on the end, to connect to the mobo header and use loosely?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Stev A, Excellent Question! Yes! Also depending upon the Case Manufacturer and Model, there may be a Wiring Harness update kit. We have seen a few available directly. Of the handful We found, all were out of stock. Corsair and Lian Li come to mind at the moment. As for buying a USB-C bracket, here's a link to one, either right angle or straight. LINKUP - USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps USB-C Type Internal Panel Cable Mount Motherboard Header amzn.to/3DTFWIu As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases! Hope that helps!

[@Tz-eg2dk]

Hey, thanks for the video! I'm looking for someone with one of these who can answer a question about the RGB if possible. If you set the RGB Matrix pattern and OLED and reboot into the bios is the RGB pattern you set still displayed while you're in the BIOS? I'm asking as I run Linux regularly alongside windows so I'd like to be able to reboot from windows into linux and keep the RGB pattern as it was but can't find any info on it :(

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Tz2001, Welcome! Interesting Question! We Focus on PCIe Resources. As the Bios PDF Manual states on Page 47 how that function works, in "working state", it should. If not then would require a Bios Update. The PDF Manual is Generic but Specific to ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Series Motherboards. Therefore expect same behavior from any ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Motherboard. Hope that helps!

[@slipsream47]

Great video! I'm setting up dual 4090's into this motherboard and wanted to know my options for my m.2's. If I put in one M.2 into M.2_1, one into GEN-Z.2_1, and another one into GEN-Z.2_2, will I still be ok for running PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 in 8x mode each? I have two Gen3 M.2 as of right now. Thanks.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi slipstream47, Welcome! Appreciate Your Comments! Correct! To reiterate, stay away from M.2_2 and You'll have PCIeX16_1 & PCIeX16_2 both running at X8! Fascinating Build! BTW: Which RTX 4090s are You using? What's Your Render engine? Your channel name, reminds me of when Slipstreaming under Vista was a big thing! Still viable even now! Just so much easier now!

[@slipsream47]

​@@BuildOrBuy Thanks for confirming that for me! I'll be using the MSI Suprim Liquid X 4090's with a Corsair 7000D case. Currently, I working with Redshift in Cinema 4D. I have to admit, Vista was pretty heavy for my pc back then that I kept XP until 7 came out. Both were light on resources for me.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@slipsream47, Smart choice on GPUs! That Render engine should make good use of those GPUs! Remember Vista was when We went from 32 bit to 64 bit Windows. From 4GBs to 8GBs of RAM. What a ride! And here We are now! Success on Your Build!

[@pawebatyra1819]

Incredibly valuable video! Thank you! I was confused because of it and as far as I know only this motherboard allows to do that kind of thing. Please telle me if I understand properly and my goal is achievable. I want 3x M.2 gen 5.0 drives (when of course 5.0 m2 would be available) two on motherboard (in m.2_1 and m.2_2 - in raid 0) and one in ROG GEN-Z.2 adapter (in slot supporting gen 5.0). So as far as I understand all 3 m.2 drives will be connected directly to the CPU. Due I'm using theese my main PCIEX_1 slot will run only as 8x. I'm not planning to use PCIEX16_2 nor that 4.0. I just want 3 m2 (two in raid 0 and one not) and decent graphics card (running it as x8 does not affect performace much AFAIK). Do I understand it correcly and my goal is possible? The second thing is RAM - I want 128GB - i heard that on latest Intel platform it would be impossible but on AMD X670 i heard of people that are using all 4 ram slots (even if it is not tested by asus in theri compatibility list). Thanks in advance for your help!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Pawel Batyra, Welcome! Excellent Question! Thank You very much! Absolutely correct! Appreciate Your Comments and Sharing Your Planned Configuration! We need more PCIe Resources! When Motherboards get to this class, this should be a Workstation Motherboard instead of a Consumer Motherboard! For RAM, start with Motherboard QVL. Cross reference with 4 RAM Manufacturers and Compare. Then Contact RAM Manufacturers for Setting Requirements for that Configuration. Bleeding edge will have growing pains! Which means Bios Updates for RAM Compatibility! You too are noticing the lack of Configuration Testing! Fascinating, right!

[@pawebatyra1819]

@@BuildOrBuy Wow! Thanks a lot for answering! For now I'm planning to use G-Skill with AMD EXPO - they are on QVL and even of their site they advertise ram on this specific motherboard (I know it does not mean nothing - but it's a nice detail)... Will try out four 32GB sticks and I will certainly let you know here if it worker!

[@SelfHandledRogue]

@@pawebatyra1819 did it work

[@MrOnkelDoctor]

Is it possible to use the PCIX16_2 for a single GPU with full 16 lanes???? Problem is, my 4090 with a mounted EKWB Vector² active backplate needs a lot of space on the top side....

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi ***b00nzky***, Welcome! On a different Chipset, Yes - HEDT or Workstation. On any Consumer Desktop Motherboard, no. All Consumer Desktop Motherboards prioritize Slots from 1st Slot down. I'm just the messenger. Hope that helps!

[@PetroshellyShots]

what if you put an gen4 ssd card in the 16_2 socket will it bring down the 16_1 to 8 lanes? In the manual it only says about a PCIe 5.0 device

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Petroshelly Shots, Welcome! Interesting Question! Glad You've brought that up! Looks like We'll need to start addressing this Question directly and specifically in upcoming Videos! PCIe Lane count remains constant. Only Lane Bandwidth changes according to PCIe Specs. Hope that clarification helps! To reiterate, installing a PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drive in a PCIe 5.0 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drive Slot, PCIe Lane count remains the same. That's a constant. Only PCIe Bandwidth changes according to PCIe Spec. However, with that being said, as what We know to be true, two upcoming technologies may change that. The Key to remember and maintain is backwards compatibility. CXL - Compute Express Link and NVMe Key Value Command Set. Further Research: NVMe Command Set Specifications nvmexpress.org/developers/nvme-command-set-specifications/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20Key%20Value,rather%20than%20a%20block%20address. CXL Specification www.computeexpresslink.org/download-the-specification SSDs Get Smarter - See: CXL protocol www.eetimes.com/ssds-get-smarter Compute Express Link (CXL): All you need to know - Rambus www.rambus.com/blogs/compute-express-link/ Hope that helps! More than You asked!

[@PetroshellyShots]

okay so then i think my samsung 980pro goes in the 3rd slot with an pciex adapter, since its over the chipset its not cutting off GPU Performance right?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@PetroshellyShots, Yes, You can or use M.2_1, Dedicated to CPU. M.2_2, Shared to CPU. In this configuration, to reiterate GPU will use ALL X16 PCIe Lanes, electrically. Hope that helps! Another way to think about this situation, GPU would be ok with X8 PCIe Lanes. Not what most of Us would choose but doable. Remember, GPU is no longer Driving the PCIe Bus. M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drive is Driving PCIe Bus! And when was M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drive introduced? Since PCIe 3.0!

[@andreashasvold2658]

Hello! Excellent video with very detailed and technical info. I tried the best i could to understand, but i still have to ask. I have a rtx 4090 that needs to run in x16. But i also have two samsung m.2, a 980 pro and a 990 pro. Can i use them both on the motherboard and still get full speed on everything?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Andreas Hasvold, Welcome! Thank You! Appreciate Your Comments! To accomplish what You've Asked, do NOT use PCIEX16_2 nor M.2_2. Those are Shared. PCIEX16_1 will utilize all X16 PCIe Lanes! Hope that helps!

[@andreashasvold2658]

@@BuildOrBuy thank you! I just realised that i am looking at the x670e Hero. This is a extreme. Would you happen to know if it is the same layout? So x16_1,m2_1 and m.2_3 slot for best performance?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@andreashasvold2658, Great Question! That's the reason for these Videos! Every Motherboard is configured differently. Here's Our ASUS ROG Crosshair X670e Hero Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZprEaWWnptllq5o At least You'll know what You're looking for! Hope that helps!

[@eliaschami5614]

So by adding 2 m.2 drives on the rizer card i will still have the first pcie lane slot going x16 for the gpu?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello Elias Chami, Welcome! If You're talking about the included GEN-Z card, correct. Hope that helps!

[@brogster]

Where would you recommend that I put my main M.2 drive on this board for the best performance.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Brogster, Welcome! Use M.2_1, Dedicated. Avoid M.2_2, Shared. Hope that helps!

[@TheBrazilWill]

This I hear you correct? The GenZ.2 is not a shared resource? So it will not take one of the 24 lanes? So it will not impact PCIEX16_1 or 2?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi William, Another Excellent Question! And... Another reason We need those Motherboard Block Diagrams! Clarity! According to the Motherboard PDF Manual, as near as We can tell... 1. GEN-Z.2_1 is PCIe 5.0 to the CPU and is Dedicated. 2. GEN-Z.2_2 is PCIe 4.0 through Chipset, Dedicated. To reiterate, there is nothing in the Motherboard PDF Manual to indicate those PCIe Resources are Shared. Therefore they have to be Dedicated. This is the most complicated X670E Motherboard We've seen so far. Lots of Options! Lots of crazy Shared PCIe Resource allocations. For a Motherboard of this complexity, We should be looking at a Workstation Motherboard with All Dedicated PCIe Resources! Hope that helps!

[@FABESTAH]

Hello! First of all, thanks for this very informative and clarifying video. I have still have .. questions though: 1. As far as I can see I would be able to use an Intel optane drive in the 3rd PCIE slot without running in any restrictions regarding my GPU in the 1st slot or am I wrong? 2. Would I be able to run two PCIE 5.0 M.2. SSDs in a Raid configuration when I equip them in the 1st M.2. and the PCIE 5.0 Gen-Z slot? 3. Are the two USB4 a.k.a. Thunderbolt on this board really supplying 40 Gbps as I've heard in a other video that this is not the case. Apparently they've just added the 30 Gbps from the Display Port signal and the 10 Gbps together for one port and the other one is simply specified wrong (this information is from a X670E Crosshair Hero review though, that's why I'm not sure) Thank's in advance for your answer and the great content you put out!

[@BuildOrBuy]

FABESTAH, Welcome! Thank You! Very much Appreciate Your Comments! Great Questions! Glad You've asked! 1. Possibly. 3rd PCIe Slot is using Chipset PCIe Lanes. Let's talk a bit more about this. Which Intel Optane Model for Specifics! My concern? PCIe 3.0 or PCIe 4.0? Why? Difference in 3,500MBps vs potential of 7,200MBps. Yes, Intel Optane looks great on paper. Intel Optane was Designed for Intel Chipsets. Yes We've used Intel Optane for purposes other than cache as Designed and sort of like what You're proposing. However, the Design Spec. We used Intel Optane in an External Enclosure to Speed up install of Windows from Windows Media installation. Did it help? Not enough to matter. Our use was proof of concept. In other words, doable. 2. Correct. That's what We see. Dedicated CPU PCIe Lanes! We need a Motherboard Block Diagram! This is why We talk about the Useable Lanes, Total Lanes and then mention Absolute Lanes, by Our count. There are 4 more PCIe Lanes not in the count! And why We prioritize Slots and Storage then Thunderbolt if present due to CPU DisplayPort pass through for CPU PCIe Lanes. 3. Thunderbolt is an interesting animal. 32Gbps for PCIe protocol and 8Gbps for DisplayPort protocol = 40Gbps. The Spec for Burst mode may not be actual Throughput. A Thunderbolt Device may be Specified for 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 even if it can only achieve 20Gbps Thunderbolt 4. According to Intel, Thunderbolt is a transformational high speed dual protocol (PCIe and DisplayPort) I/O. The advantage, Thunderbolt is Bi-Directional Bandwidth. Q? How does Thunderbolt achieve 40Gbps when PCIe 3.0 is only 31.5Gbps? The Thunderbolt protocol uses a different encoding encapsulation. To reiterate, Thunderbolt can encapsulate both PCIe protocol (31.5Gbps) and DisplayPort protocol (8Gbps) signals to achieve 40Gbps. Crazy math! Then there's overhead of the Thunderbolt protocol to account for of around 20%. Think about that when You hear 40Gbps Bi-Directional Bandwidth. Marketing! In a nut shell, to reiterate, 20Gbps USB-C 2x2 is so much easier to implement than 40Gbps Thunderbolt! Hope that helps!

[@FABESTAH]

@@BuildOrBuy 1. I actually don't have an Optane drive yet and therefore didn't research much into the topic but as a fellow software dev friend of mine said it helps a lot with compiling and dealing locally with bigger databases I decided that I definitely want to have the option to buy one for myself as a future upgrade (presumably the PCIE 4.0). Good to hear, so I don't have to worry about that :) 2. So, the 4 lanes that were mentioned within the 28 total lanes are used for the Gen-Z and / or Thunderbolt? Great to hear that it's possible, once again, I just wasn't sure because I've never dealt with a Gen-Z like add-in M.2. card :) 3. Yes, Thunderbolt is truly an animal and the perfect addition for all the obscurley complicated USB specs ;D Ah I get it, that's how the came up with the 40 Gbps. What exactly do you mean by overhead in this regard? (I'm not a native English speaker and couldn't find a fitting translation) Yes, your did help me a lot but I would still have ... questions if you don't mind, though I'm already more than thankful for the information and time you've provided for me. 4. Just to make sure that I did understand everything correct (because I want to buy this motherboard and paying 1000€ for a motherboard isn't something I do everyday ;D): These two Thunderbolt ports are both fully functional Thunderbolt 4 ports even though they came up with the 40 Gbps because they added together the 32 Gbps from the PCIE protocol and 8 Gbps from the Display Port protocol but what's up with the other non Display Port one? To sum it up: Are both of these fully functional Thunderbolt 4 ports? 5. If all this is is true about the board, there's only one last question / issue. You mentioned in your video that there's is no throughput for that one Thunderbolt port but is that really not possible at all on this board to get a Thunderbolt output from the dedicated GPU in the first PCIE slot? (It seems kind of strange to me that this feature isn't given on such a high end motherboard?) 6. If you have any experience with workstations for software developers who do a lot of work in VMs, large databases and compiling code, what would you recommend (budget isn't too low but also not too high ;D): - This board with a 7950X3D - Wait for the new Intel Xeon - Go for a Threadripper Once again, because I can't stress it enough, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me and everybody else here watching your channel, your work is an enrichment for everybody on the internet! :D

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@FABESTAH, 1. Near instantaneous access! To reiterate, extremely low latency! Intel Optane SSD DC P5800X is NVMe PCIe 4.0. Available in 3 capacities. A. Intel SSDPF21Q016TB01 Optane SSDPF21Q016TB01 P5800X 1.6TB PCIEX4 15MM 3D Solid State Drive amzn.to/3ZvmECr As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases! B. Intel Optane SSD P5800X Series www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/memory-storage/solid-state-drives/data-center-ssds/optane-ssd-p5800x-p5801x-brief.html 2. Do a Lane count... 16 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 28. Yes. Remember, the Gen-Z card is different on each side. CPU PCIe Lanes on 1 side. Chipset PCIe Lanes on the other side. 3. The Thunderbolt protocol has about a 20% Overhead. Deduct that from the Thunderbolt Bandwidth. In other words, 40Gbps - 20%. 4. No Consumer Desktop Motherboard should cost over $500. This price is equal to a Workstation Motherboard. However, there is only 1 Workstation Motherboard with Thunderbolt. ASRock WS WRX80 Workstation. Link below. Both Thunderbolt ports are fully functional. 5. In English PDF Motherboard Manual, Page 77. See: Rear Panel Connectors. There are 4 USB-C Ports. The 2 in the middle are USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 ports - 40Gbps Thunderbolt. On the Far Left that is 10Gbps USB-C. Far Right, that is 20Gbps USB-C 2x2. those Thunderbolt Ports can pass Video if You choose to do so using internal GPU in CPU. 6. Interesting Question. When someone says Workstation I think ECC. If true then DDR4 or DDR5? If DDR5 then right now, Intel W790 Workstation Chipset. All DDR5 is NON ECC. On-Die ECC is Non ECC. The W790 supports DDR5 Sideband ECC. How to tell? Always look in the Motherboard Bios Manual for anything pertaining to Parity. Off by Default. DDR5 SideBand ECC requires CPU, Chipset, Bios and Motherboard Support. DDR5 SideBand ECC utilizes the I3C Bus which is backwards compatible with SMBus. The DDR5 SPD does more than just read programmed RAM Specs. The SPD on DDR5 acts as a Hub. The On-Die function is for the internal use of the Memory. Whereas the DDR5 Sideband ECC uses the I3C Bus for RAM to Communicate to Motherboard regarding Parity check. Performance hit? Statistically 1 to 2%. Not bad for what it does. We will NOT see DDR5 SideBand ECC on Consumer Desktop Motherboards. To reiterate, only on Workstations. That too can be verified by Checking Motherboard QVLs and Cross Referencing with RAM Manufacturer Specification Recommendations. You have to decide and prioritize Your needs. The WRX80 Workstation is the best value but the current iteration only has DDR4. If You want DDR5 right now, Intel W790. Even though Intel calls this a Workstation Chipset, by Lane Count this is a HEDT. Glad to help! Appreciate Your Comments!

[@yourboy4oh]

Will my GPU stay at x16 if I use two m.2 NVME drives via M.2_1 and M.2_2

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Yourboy4oh!, Welcome! Great Question! Utilizing M.2_1 Yes! Dedicated Resource. Utilizing M.2_2, No! Shared Resource. In Motherboard PDF Manual, See: Connectors with Shared Bandwidth. When M.2_2 is enabled, PCIEX16_1 will run X8... Hope that helps!

[@Korculanac11]

Really glad I found your site, have subbed. I have a Gen 3 SSD in the M.2_2 which I will be removing and installing in the Gen-z.2. This memory test is still doing my head In. Have installed the late 0805 bios. I am currently using 4 x 16Gigs of Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL36 DDR5 EXPO. Windows 11 Pro install and still random BSOD. Any suggestions. My Specs are Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB, 980Pro 2TB, Asus Strix 3090 OC., 1200w Asus Thor PSU.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi John, Welcome! I'm honored! Appreciate Your Support! 1. Memory on QVL? 2. Drop down to 4800 for now until another Bios update becomes available. 3. Could be CPU. 4. Could be Motherboard. 5. Did You try just 2 sticks of RAM? 6. AMD X670E Chipset Driver - Latest version. www.amd.com/en/support/chipsets/amd-socket-am5/x670e 7. Running latest RTX 4090 Driver? 8. Bios Q-Code shown? 9. Run a Memory test. Did You notice the Code on the BSOD? Sometimes that can be traced. In the past usually meant a Driver. But right now, DDR5 is going to require Patience, Persistence and Perseverance! Found this on ROG ASUS Forums: "Go to Extreme Tweaker/DRAM Timing Control and enable "Memory Context Restore" option. This will disable memory retraining during every start of the computer." rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?131349-Problems-with-consistently-entering-BIOS-on-Crosshair-x670E-Hero-and-how-to-fix-it Hope that helps! Keep Us Posted on Your Progress!

[@Korculanac11]

@@BuildOrBuy Thank you for your detailed reply, much appreciated. Just waiting for my 990 Pro to arrive, will do a clean install of Win 11 again and see how we go. I have noticed a lot of RMA's with 7950 CPUs. Hope I'm not in the same situation. Keep you posted.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@Korculanac11, Appreciate Your Progress Report! Can't help but wonder if these CPU issues are ESD related. Interesting. We saw same on TRX40 & WRX80 early on. And only 1 Subscriber had to RMA his CPU. In South America so he had a hassle of a time getting his CPU replaced but did eventually! Went through Two Motherboards to finally realize it was CPU. Are You still within that 30 day Window for a Return? Hope so! If not, AMD. Success on Your Build!

[@Korculanac11]

Just letting you know that I received my new 7950x CPU and no more BSOD. Cannot believe it was a faulty CPU all this time. As mentioned I have read on ROG forums that others have had there CPU's replaced with the same outcome.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@Korculanac11, That's a really crazy situation! Glad that fixed it however, now this sounds more like a defective batch of wafers! QC should have caught that manufacturing defect! Appreciate knowing You have Resolution!

[@lilblackduc7312]

*Baby Threadripper* is what I've called the 16-core AMD CPU ever since it was allocated to mainstream. 🇺🇸 😎👍☕

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Lil' Black Duc, HEDT - Well stated! Very good Perspective! When We do the W680 Overview, that too will an interesting Perspective, Content Creation Rendering Workstation vs Business Desktop Workstation. In the works! The Threadripper Pro is the best Platform for Resources now!

[@hasancan]

Hello, May i use igpu on one monitor and dgpu on another monitor at the same time on this mobo? You covered it but i didnt understand. Many thanks

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello hasancan, Welcome! We should have expounded more on that topic. Edited for content and time. Glad You've Asked! Yes it's possible and doable. However Your best performance will be from Your seperate GPU. Remember the IGPU is using System RAM whereas the GPU is using VRAM. Most GPUs allow for 4 Monitors. Some allow up to 6 Monitors per GPU! Hope that helps!

[@hasancan]

@@BuildOrBuy thank you very much. I will use igpu on second monitor for browsing while keeping dgpu for gaming 👍

[@GSP-76]

Very informative video. I've tried explaining PCI-E lane allocation, bifurcation to people and they look at me I'm some crazy person. I have the Crosshair Extreme..I had it paired to a 7950x but now I've put that CPU in a different x670 system and I'm about to start using the 7950x3d. I'm looking for info on how well 4 dimms of memory will work out with this CPU which is very sensitive to voltage. Any luck getting all 4 slots working at 6000MT with 1.4v or less?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello GSP-76, Welcome! Appreciate Your Comments! Both are elusive and fascinating topics everyone needs to know and understand. Fundamentals! Good Question! Following the Motherboard QVL, ASUS indicates this kit: PNY MD32GK2D5600040MXRGB 32GB 1.4V amzn.to/3q3cuNq As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases! That's been an elusive conundrum! Hope that helps! Keep Us Posted on Your Progress to Test and Verify!

[@GSP-76]

@@BuildOrBuy That memory kit makes total sense..it is CL40 and takes 1.4v...both are likely needed to achieve stability when using all 4 slots. I have 4 sticks of CL32 EXPO memory that works perfectly with the 7950x so I'll try to do some testing..I'm just worried about the 3D CPU and voltages given everything that has happened recently with SOC voltages killing CPUs.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello @@GSP-76, Agreed. Undervolt. And watch those numbers! Keep Us Posted on Your Progress!

[@dt8921]

So I have this exact board with the 7900x my question is this I have the 4090 on the top PCIe slot a M.2 in the underscore 1 slot and two more M.2s in the top right next to the RAM and I set those two up in RAID 0 but I can’t see them in windows 11 I can see them in the bios. Can you help me out?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello DT, Welcome! Great Question! Did You Download and Install the AMD RAID Chipset Drivers? Apparently Windows does not know that! Windows still sees the individual controller. You are now using a RAID controller and must install the RAID Controller driver. Voila! www.amd.com/en/support/chipsets/amd-socket-am5/x670e Choose Your Version of Windows. AMD has not Updated the RAID Expert Installation Guide to reflect the X670E Chipset. There are 2 possible directories in the Driver file structure. You'll have to verify which one to use. I expect the same directory as X570 Chipset. Just a Heads-up on that! There are 3 Files to install from Device Manager since You are already operational. And they MUST be installed IN the correct ORDER! Hope that helps! Keep Us Posted on Your Progress!

[@dt8921]

@@BuildOrBuy thank you so much I will try this right now everything else I’ve has not worked. Do you know the order I’m supposed to install the files in?

[@TheBrazilWill]

If nothing else is used, can I put the GPU on the PCIEX16_2 and leave the PCIE16_1 empty and get X16? This is not clearly documented but ASUS support told me I can.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi William Pessoa, Welcome! Great Question! Impossible! We can dream! They must be reading from a magic document We don't have access to! According to the Motherboard PDF Manual, to reiterate as stated in the Video... 1. PCIEX16_1 is X16 Lanes, singular. 2. PCIEX16_2 when used is X8. Therefore when BOTH of the above are used simultaneously they are EACH X8. See: Connectors with shared bandwidth It's all there. Just not clearly explained. Most Viewers don't realize what's going on. Another reason for Our Motherboard Overviews! And... That's why We made this Video using different Add in card Scenarios! Another way to look at this, to reiterate as We have Outlined in the Video, knowing the CPU PCIe Lanes, do the count. Not enough CPU PCIe Lanes! Hope that helps!

[@tonyyyhuynh1283]

Do you know if this motherboard can handle all four DIMM’s filled with memory or would the fastest speeds still be with two slots taken?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi TonyyyHuynh, Welcome! Good Question! That was an issue with the 5950X but apparently is not an issue with the 7950X. The biggest issue on the X670E for Memory is finding a Kit that's Validated with 4 sticks of RAM. Cross reference the Motherboard QVL and the RAM Manufacturers List of choice. You may have to contact the RAM Manufacturer and ask. This is an ongoing process of Bios Updates and Validatation. Hope that helps!

[@weather12guy]

31:31 hi so I am trying to get a Elgato PCIe x1 card to work on the PCIEX4 slot but no video will appear until I move it to PCIEX16_2 which is not ideal. I also have a x16 GPU in PCIEX16_1, and 2 M.2 drives installed in GENZ_1 and M.2_1. I have no idea why the elgato will not show any video on PCIEX4, any ideas?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi weather12guy, Welcome! Excellent Question! What Bios Version are You using? You are not the 1st with this Problem! Crazy, right.

[@weather12guy]

@@BuildOrBuy I am on BIOS 1101, which was the current bios when I built the system.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@weather12guy, Check Your Bios Updates. There were several Users with that very same issue! Crazy, right! It's a matter of PCIe Resource allocation!

[@snakebite2]

There's no resource penalty using the ROG Gen-z.2?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi snakebite2, Welcome! ROG GEN-Z.2 houses 1 M.2 - GEN-Z.2_1 to CPU. Dedicated. 1 M.2 - GEN-Z.2_2 through Chipset. Dedicated. Weird setup but it works! All good to go! Dedicated PCIe Resources! Hope that helps!

[@Phyrex89]

my english is not 100% perfect. Have I understood correctly that if I install a graphics card plus two m2 cards in the m1 and m2 slots, I will not have any problems with the lanes? I actually wanted to install two m2 cards in the slots mentioned above and two in the expansion slot, but I just noticed that there were problems with the lanes there.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Phyrex, Welcome! Great Question! 1. PCIEX16_1 - X16 Lanes 2. M.2_1 - to CPU. 3. GEN-Z.2_1 - to CPU 4. GEN-Z.2_2 - through Chipset Do not use M.2_2. Hope that helps!

[@Phyrex89]

@@BuildOrBuy it actually helped me a lot! thank you very much for taking the time

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@Phyrex89, Absolutely! Glad We could help!

[@ahmedbarakat1661]

Is there a significant difference in overclocking the Ryzen 7950x on apps?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Ahmed Barakat, Welcome! Define Performance vs Stability. For each User depends upon workflow. We prefer Stability vs Bragging rights. Your Results may vary. Keep it Simple and Make it Work! Hope that helps!

[@GFDthatsMe]

So I have a 4090 I was going to put in the top pcie 5.0 slot. I wanted to put in a capture card in the bottom pcie 4.0 slot. Then m.2 in m.2x1 and gen adapter by ram... My questions are, the 4090 is a pcie 4.0 card, will it use full pcie 4.0 bandwidth being pcie 5.0 x8 or will it be stuck to pcie 4.0 x8? Is their any benefits to having a 4090 on pcie x16 vs x8? Because if not, I wouldnt mind having the 2 extra m.2 slots then for 2x 970 evo plus nvmes.. Thanks again for this great video. Your channel is highly undervalued for subscribers

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi GFD, Welcome! Great Question! Your GPU is PCIe 4.0 in a PCIe 5.0 Slot using X8 Lanes at PCIe 4.0. Remember a chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Performance wise taking a 1% to 2% Performance hit according to Stats. Results can vary. Everyone should Test and Verify! I'm honored! Appreciate Your Comments! Hope that helps! Fascinating Topic!

[@GFDthatsMe]

@@BuildOrBuy Thank you!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@GFDthatsMe, Glad to help! Appreciate Your Support!

[@GFDthatsMe]

​@BuildOrBuy it's prime day today and was thinking of buying the t700 4tb drive. This is my question. My setup... 4090 in pcie 5 x8 4k pro capture card pcie 5 x8 (change?) 990 pro m.2 slot 1 pcie 4 980 pro m.2 slot 2 pcie 4 2x p3 plus adapter pcie 4 2x 16tb hard drives sata Would the t700 pcie 5 drive work with my setup to replace the 990 pro?

[@Outsider5wr]

For gamers who want to keep that juicy x16 speed for their GPU, could you use the one M.2_1 slot and have two other M.2 SSDs on the GEN-Z.2 Riser/adatper card OR only use the GEN-Z.2 card fro M.2 drives to keep the x16 for PCIe?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Scott, Yes!

[@little_fluffy_clouds]

Yes, that’s how I configured mine, can confirm it works

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@little_fluffy_clouds, Welcome! Excellent! Appreciate Your Comments! Thanks for Sharing!

[@TheJashimraswi]

@@BuildOrBuy Hey just following up on this, I am looking to Install one in M.2_1 slot and have two other M.2 SSDs on the GEN-Z.2 Riser/adapter. Will all 3 M.2 ssd's work as PCIE 5.0x4 along with x16 for the GPU?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@TheJashimraswi, Welcome! All 3 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drives will work. However, the GEN-Z.2 Card is PCIe 4.0 on one side and PCIe 5.0 on the other side. Hope that clarification helps!

[@TheLisaDeesDelightsShow]

👋🏽👋🏽😍😍

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Lisa Dee, Thank You very much! Appreciate Your Support and Encouragement!

[@furryballUser]

Your assistance in my issue is greatly appreciated. I need to build a new workstation. The last time I constructed a system was with dual 2011v1 e5-2690s (2012). Today systems are so power-hungry. I need to decide on the power limitation first before anything else. I am in the United States, and my new workstation will plug into a 110-volt outlet in my home-not enough to support a 1600w ps (right?). I can't rewire or anything. Do you have any guidance on the highest power target I should consider? ADA Workstation GPUs over gaming. Software/OS Considerations: Machine learning, Linux, Windows, SoSumi/MacOS, VirtualBox, Windows, Houdini, Clarisse, Blender, Davinci Resolve, Maxon One, Nuke, Unreal, and Adobe Creative Suite. I love your channel and have learned so much in my short time as a member. Thanks!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi furryballUser, Welcome! Bummer about FurryBall. Appreciate Your Comments! I'm honored! All about a Purpose Built Computer! 1600 Watts, You're thinking Dual RTX 3090 something. Maybe. The EVGA 1600 Watt PSU states, ...continuous power delivery and 94% (115VAC) / 96% (220VAC~240VAC) efficiency. A fully modular design, 100% Japanese Capacitors. EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 T2. Think maybe 1300 Watts Either, OR! Either way, dedicated circuit. Add an On-line Sine Wave UPS! Workstation, ECC RAM. How many CPU Cores? 32 is a great value with 128 CPU Lanes. However, based on what You have and since You had 2 Xeons for 32 Total CPU Cores, 1 Threadripper Pro can Equal or Double Your total CPU Core count. Expect on average, $100 per CPU Core. Think single GPU instead of Dual Consumer GPUs. Think Workstation GPU. Anything requiring CUDA Cores? Like NVIDIA Omniverse? If not, think about AMD Pro Radeon. AMD OpenCL Drivers were rewritten. Very stable Pro Drivers! A Workstation starts with Motherboard, CPU and RAM. Using the Adobe After Effects Multi Frame Rendering CPU Optimization Formula, as stated: 1. CPU Cores x 4 = RAM 2. CPU Core Count = VRAM Those 3 numbers are all about Quantity. Perfect for a WRX80 Workstation, Threadripper Pro! Do You have any Brand Preferences? What's Your time frame? Details matter!

[@furryballUser]

@@BuildOrBuy Hah! You are the only person to identify FurryBall! I knew I was in the right place! Thanks for all the info. Many of my thoughts are mirrored in your suggestions. PCIe lanes are everything. WRX8 for me. Almost all my software needs tensor or Cuda cores. Blender Cycles is intriguing: it uses up to ten GPUs and supposedly does not duplicate files on each GPU when using NVLink. The Nvidia ADA 6000 spec sheet, shows 300w. Hopefully, the ADA 5000 matches the power target of last year's a5000 - 230w! Two slots and efficient. My end goal: 5975wx. Dual ADA 6000 or dual ADA 5000. 256 GB ECC 3200 ram. ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE. Storage-1: eight M.2(s), (a). four "Team Group T-FORCE Cardea ZERO Z440 M.2 2280 2TB" on the card, (b). WD BLACK SN580 2TB for Boot and Apps, (c). "FireCuda 530 4TB" for work files, (d). "FireCuda 530 2TB media disk, and (e). "FireCuda 530 2TB" for the scratch disk. Storage-2: four 10TB mechanical 7200rpm drives - 30TB RAID5. 1200w Power Supply. My starting build: 5955wx RTX 3080 256 GB ECC 3200 ram ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE Storage-1: WD BLACK SN580 2TB for Boot and Apps "FireCuda 530 4TB" for work files "FireCuda 530 2TB" media disk "FireCuda 530 2TB" for scratch disk Storage-2: four 10TB mechanical 7200rpm drives - 30TB RAID5. 1200w Super Flower LeadEx SE Power Supply. I need to get the build started right away. I hope to hit my end goal by this time next year.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@furryballUser, Absolutely! Excellent Plan! Adequate time frame Keep Us Posted on Your Progress! Success on Your Build! BTW: WD Black SN850, good choice! Which RAM? Kingston? Perfect size PSU. Maybe stretch that to 1300W. Depends upon what's available when You're ready!

[@furryballUser]

@@BuildOrBuy Good suggestion - 1300W is the right move to begin this build. The QVL mem list was the first thing I checked out for this board. Kingston/Micron 3200/ECC 1,2,4,8 channel: 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB available from CDW. I discovered new NVMe(s): WD Black SN850X and the Samsung 990 Pro. I also noticed the ASRock WRX80 Creator R2.0 AMD WRX80 is available now. Great times! Many choices.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@furryballUser Absolutely! Keep Us Posted on Your Progress! Success on Your Build!

[@jwar2163]

Is this a good board for AMD5 Ryzen 9 7950X3D , Strix Geforce RTX 4090, Not sure of the DDR5 Ram thinking of Corsair Dominator 6200(CMT32GX5M2X6200C36) I am so lost regarding the correct DDR5 for stability. I will lightly overclock when gaming, but most of the time operating stock for productivity work. As of today June 6 2023 ASUS BIOS Version 1415 posted on ASUS support page 5/16/2023. supposed to correct issues with CPU and memory. So my plans is either this board or the Crosshair 670E Hero. AMD R9 7950X3D, DDR5 Still processing the correct one. GPU Strix Geforce RTX 4090 OC Samsung 990 or 980 NVMe 2 TB @ 2 plus 3 970 evo + NVMe 1 TB installed in ASUS GR701 case with ASUS Thor 1200 PSU cooled with AIO until I can save more money to water cool.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello jwar, Welcome! Good Question! Either Motherboard should do the job nicely! Everyone is having issues with stability on DDR5. Lots of Bios tweaks to get everything stabilized. It's a guinea pig work in progress! As for Memory, stick to the QVL since that's what's been tested and verified so far! Hope that helps!

[@dreamfunction4491]

Hi my use case is one graphics card 7900 XTX and sound card: Creative SB AE9. If I use the 7900XTX in the PCIeX16_1 and the Creative SB AE9 in the PCIeX16_2 slot, does that mean I will lower the x16 for the 7900XTX to x8 and the sound card to x8 ? 2nd question: How can I get x16 lanes for the 7900XTX and still add in a sound card ? Thanks.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Dream Function, Welcome! Great Question! What are Your Plans for the 3rd Slot? That X4 through the Chipset. The Creative SB AE9 only requires PCIe X1. Therefore, best solution, unless You have other Plans for PCIeX4 would be for Creative SB AE9 PCIe X1 to reside in that Slot! If and when You put anything in PCIEX16_2 then both PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 when used simultaneously each becomes X8. Result of Shared PCIe Resources! Hope that helps!

[@dreamfunction4491]

@@BuildOrBuy Yes that helps exactly. What about a Capture Card then ? You mentioned one should use USB external for capture cards. Last question: The Extreme mobo comes with an additional expansion card to add some more NVMe. Do I put that card in the PCIex16_2 slot ?? Thanks.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@dreamfunction4491, 1. Capture Card or Sound card? 2. There are 2 cards included with the Motherboard. A. ROG GEN-Z.2 Card with Heatsink - Install in GEN-Z.2 Slot. B. PCIe 5.0 M.2 Card with Heatsink. Yes, install in PCIEX16_2 Slot. That leaves the 1st Question in play. Internal or External. If External then USB or USB-C or USB4! 3. Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2, Internal Capture Card, Stream and Record 4K60 HDR10 amzn.to/3PIeN0V 4. AVerMedia GC573 Live Gamer 4K, Internal Capture Card, Stream and Record 4K60 HDR10 amzn.to/3GaXNgl 5. Blackmagic Design Web Presenter 4K amzn.to/3hKT3EV 6. Blackmagic Design UltraStudio 4K Mini with 64GB Extreme PRO Memory Card & 3' HDMI Cable amzn.to/3PSSCoQ As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases! These are other Options to consider. Hope that helps!

[@dreamfunction4491]

@@BuildOrBuy Thanks very much.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@dreamfunction4491, Absolutely! Keep Us Posted on Your Progress!

[@lionking888555]

Is there diagram that shows the distance between PCIE_1 x16 and PCIE_2 x8? I am trying to see if I can fit two Sapphire Nitro 7900xtx cards (each 71.6mm thick)

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello lionking888555, Welcome! Excellent Question! Wishful thinking! We share those sentiments. Sapphire Nitro 7900 - 3.5 Slots wide. If they were 2 Slots wide they would fit side by side. Dual Slot Cooling system. The Motherboard Manual indicates components locations but no measurements. Bummer, right! As always, Test and Verify!

[@lionking888555]

@@BuildOrBuy Yes. I guess, I'll just have to buy and see.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@lionking888555, Experience is the best Teacher. Keep Us Updated on Your Progress. BTW: What version of Windows are You using? Windows 10? That will work! Windows 7, that might be another stumbling block.

[@lionking888555]

@@BuildOrBuy Windows 10 and 11. I believe MA will be sunsetting Win 10 in the next couple of years; so, might as well start transitioning to 11.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@lionking888555, Or wait for Windows 12!

[@ZaRo667]

Hi, does using the gen-z.2 card will downgrade the performance of either my graphic card or my SSDs if there is a graphic card in the pcie16_1, an ssd in the m.2_1 and a ssd in the gen-z.2 card ? Also is there a better place to put my 2nd ssd in the 2 pcie that are in the gen-z.2 card or are the 2 ports in the card the same ? (Im from France feel free to ask me to clarify if its not understandable)

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Pierre, Welcome! Great Question! The GEN-Z.2 Card has 2 distinct and seperate sides. 1. GEN-Z.2_1 to CPU is PCIe 5.0, Dedicated. 2. GEN-Z.2_2 through Chipset is PCIe 4.0, Dedicated. Since the GEN-Z.2, both sides, are Dedicated, no effect on GPU Lanes. Do not use M.2_2 nor PCIe 5.0 M.2 card. Thar would lower Your PCIe Lane count to GPU. Hope that helps!

[@ZaRo667]

@@BuildOrBuy so the way that I described is the optimal way to use the motherboard for 1 gpu and 2 ssd ?

[@ZaRo667]

@@BuildOrBuy and also any of the 2 port are good for our current gen of ssd (pcie 4) since its retro-compatible ?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@ZaRo667, To rephrase, if You mean PCIe 5.0 Connectors? Yes, backwards compatible with PCIe 4.0. Hope that clarification helps!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@ZaRo667, As already outlined. As already stated. Hope that helps! Success on Your Build!

[@jameszeiger8533]

Question: The manual is confusing me on the proper placement of 2x32GB, G.Skill RAM modules. If I understand what they are saying (maybe I don't), they are saying that 2 RAM modules should go into slots A2 & B2 for best performance/addressing, not A1 & A2. Does that make sense? Kindest Regards and thank you for answering BuildOrBuy!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi James Zeiger, Confusing, Yes. Seems every iteration these Configuration locations change. For Comparison just checked Kingston for Memory Bank Schema. No indication of Order. Stick with what ASUS has defined as You have described. Hope that helps!

[@jameszeiger8533]

@@BuildOrBuy Thank you most kindly..10-4!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@jameszeiger8533 Absolutely! Keep Us Posted on Your Build Progress! Also curious about Your M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drive Temps!

[@jameszeiger8533]

@@BuildOrBuy Will do! I am running currently a 5950x on a Dark Hero Mobo with the Samsung 980 SSDs in the M.2_1 and M.2_2 slots. I find the temps to be more than satisfactory (30-40c) with the plated heat sink and running the system at a PBO of 5Ghz and total air cooling. I am hoping the 670E extreme Mobo with the 7950x 3D will also maintain adequate SSD temps using the GenZ, since it lifts it up into the airflow and I am running a Noctura 15 with 3 CPU fans and 4, Bequiet case fans. Samsung says 70c and below are good temps for their 980 SSDs and I have never approached more than 40 to 43c even when running intensive hard drive tasks, eg, encrypting drives with bit locker. I will follow up.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@jameszeiger8533, Excellent! Much Appreciated! Yes, those are good Temps! Always curious when someone has high Temps. Noctua is hard to beat for the price!

[@ByzKing]

I've been experiencing a consistent trend of intermittent failures/crashes where the fans spin up to full speed, and the system locks. Some require a reboot, some require a complete shutdown, and some require me to reset bios. The other night, I had a failure so bad that none of those would work either. I ended up taking out the RAM and the Z card that had both NVMEs and the 4090 to get the bios to be completely clear. I even tried hitting the Switch bios button. It got stuck on Super IO initialization failure. I eventually got it back up and running but at this point. BIOS 1415 runs on default settings, all power management is disabled, and ASUS Crate is not installed. I am weary of hooking my 2nd monitor back up and really changing any other settings. I'm not even using the RAM profiles. At one point, it gave me BIOS code 00 or 99 if I had 2 monitors hooked up while having Teams and Outlook on 1 monitor while having a small game or training on the other monitor. In the evenings playing DIablo with my wife, I would have intermittent crashes that were similar to the other failures. I am confident it has anything to do with the game because it's the same type of failure as the others. I had a spare set of new G.Skill RAM because I bought 4 sticks, not knowing how much AM5 sucks at running 4 sticks. I swapped the 2 sticks out the other night, redid the BIOS, and left everything on default. I'm starting to think this board can not handle the voltage of running a PCIe5 NVME, a 4090, and a 7950x

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello The King's Rejects, Unfortunate. The overbearing question, is this CPU or Motherboard or both? Can You isolate?

[@ByzKing]

@@BuildOrBuy We're doing a cross ship RMA with Asus first. I'm going to RMA the 1350w Thermaltake GF3 power supply as well. AMD I'm concerned how that process will go. Their site is very clear on how strict they are.

[@ByzKing]

To answer Your questions more clearly. I don't have enough hardware here to troubleshoot and swap known good parts for isolation. My wife is on a rock solid AM4 platform with a Gigabyte Master 570 board, 5950x, 32x4 skill (128GB) running at 4000, and a 4080. I'm so jealous. Her system is flawless in stability.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello@@ByzKing, DDR4 is tried and trusted. DDR5 is bleeding edge! To Test and Verify requires another CPU and Motherboard. And to do all of that within the initial 30 day time frame. If the Bios cooked the CPU, then both are bad. You could end up frying another CPU. We just don't know. Have You Updated the Bios? That's the 1st step. Monitor the Numbers, CPU Voltages and Temps and Compare with known Spec parameters. Ate You operating within tolerances. This is like chasing gremlins. A Tedious challenge. Keep Us Posted on Your Progress!

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello@@ByzKing, Who makes that Thermaltake PSU? Clean Power is everything! If ASUS fried the CPU, AMD can tell. ASUS would be responsible. Keep Us Posted!

[@ByzKing]

I'm really confused as to what to do next. I'm deciding what to do with my PCIe 4 NVME M.2. I'm running a PCIe5 / Gen 5 NVME in the Z card and using a 4090 in my primary PCIe5 slot. I'm considering leaving the Gen4M.2 in the same Zcard as the Gen5 M.2. Before I got the Gen5 NVME M.2 and was running just the Gen 4 NVME in the NVME slot behind the 4090 GPU, my games would occasionally crash.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello The King's Rejects, Welcome! A conundrum! BSOD, Ugh! Have You checked the M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drive Firmware? Definitely better housing both on the Zcard. The M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drive Firmware should Throttle before allowing the Drive to go beyond operational Temp parameters. Hope that helps!

[@ByzKing]

@@BuildOrBuy Thank you for replying. We finally got the machine up and running and survived 10+ hours of Passmark's performance test "very long" iterations. I'll be adding in the PCIe Gen5 drive back in on Tuesday. All firmware, Bios, and system components have been updated. So far, so good rock solid on stability. I'll report back in after we've tested the new NVME.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@ByzKing, Excellent! Glad You're up and running! Everything is copacetic! Appreciate the Update!

[@ByzKing]

@@BuildOrBuy Both drives are in the Zcard. We saw a 35% increase in performance with the Gen5MSI over the Gen4Sabrent

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hello@@ByzKing, Only 35%? Expected better. Bummer!

[@hadoukenocx4746]

If I use an RTX 5090 that has 5.0 PCI-E and M.2 SSD 5.0 and 3x M.2 4.0 that means my RTX 5090 will only run at 8x instead of x16?! Because of the one 5.0 SSD?! :o Did I understand that right?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Hadouken OCX, Welcome! Great Question! 1. IF the PCIe 5.0 M.2 card is installed on the PCIEX16_2 slot, Yes. 2. When M.2_2 is enabled, PCIEX16_1 will run x8. Bummer, right. Not enough CPU PCIe 5.0 Lanes! Hope that clarification helps!

[@Leo_the_Frog_1]

Is the genz.2 card connected to the chipset lanes?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Kuchi Kopi, Welcome! Great Question! GEN-Z.2_1 is PCIe 5.0, CPU Lanes. GEN-Z.2_2 slot is PCIe 4.0, Chipset Lanes. Hope that helps!

[@Leo_the_Frog_1]

@@BuildOrBuy Thank you for the clarification! Great video by the way. Best explanation for ddr5 ram I could find

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@Leo_the_Frog_1, Absolutely! Thank You! We're working on another Video about DDR5. Too much obfuscation and confusion as a result.

[@v.v.2684]

Can anyone help me? I need two 4090 for my use case. I know the x16 lane will be split to power the two GPUs. But let's say I decided to power one GPU and utilise full x16 without having to go through the hassle of detaching the second GPU. I do lot of extensive rendering.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi V. V., Welcome! Prioritize Your Requirements. To use 2 X16 Slots, electrically, You need a HEDT Motherboard. Not a Consumer Desktop Motherboard. This is all about the Render. Using a Consumer Desktop Motherboard, You will Share 2 X16 Slots using 2 GPUs. The only way to turn one GPU off is to unplug said GPU from the Slot. Simple. Now the next question, how will Using two GPUs on a Consumer Desktop Motherboard affect Rendering when they are each running X8 electrically. Test and Verify. What's Your Rendering engine?

[@v.v.2684]

Thank you for responding, I use Octane or Redshaft depending on the clients' needs. Mercury Playback with Adope, and for personal use Topaz AI to upscale videos to 4K. I've read somewhere I can turn off the second PCIe lane, allowing the top x16 lane to be utilised in-cass I want to game. I'm not sure if it can be done through BIOS.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@v.v.2684, To reiterate, there is no way to turn off a PCIe Slot. PCIe Lanes are allocated based on use. Bifurcation can change a Slot from X16 to X4X4X4X4 depending upon the CPU and Bios. I'd like ro read the article You referenced.

[@v.v.2684]

I don't mind having both GPUs split x8/x8 for rendering, still faster rendering than one 4090 at x16. It also allows me to use both or split them for different rendering processes like using topaz and adope simultaneously. My only concern with this motherboard is if I can turn off the second lane in case I wanted to game without the need to detach the second GPU. Maybe through the BIOs? I'm not very well versed with hardware, only software that I work with.

[@v.v.2684]

Consumer desktop parts are all I have access to where I'm from, unfortunately.

[@jerryquesenberry2520]

Is this channel still on going?

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@jerryquesenberry2520, Still going. Been busy. Always answering questions. What do you need?

[@jerryquesenberry2520]

​@@BuildOrBuy I was trying to figure out which slot would be the correct slot to use for a 2nd M.2 SSD on the Asus TUF Gaming X670E. Being a draftsman, I started drawing lines in the Asus manual provided, using the specifications page. Any chance you could save me some time & tell me which of the available other M.2 slots is the one that would keep it at 4.0 x4? Or is it that any of the other slots would be correct since they do not share resources? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Really great information! Thanks

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@jerryquesenberry2520, If only ASUS would supply us with Motherboard Block Diagrams! ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-Plus www.asus.com/motherboards-components/motherboards/tuf-gaming/tuf-gaming-x670e-plus/ On CPU PCIe 5.0 Lanes M.2_1 On CPU PCIe 4.0 Lanes M.2_3 Chipset PCIe 3.0 Lanes M.2_2 Chipset PCIe 4.0 Lanes M.2_4 Interesting Layout of PCIe Lanes. Use M.2_3 for 2nd M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Drive.

[@jerryquesenberry2520]

@@BuildOrBuy So one last question sir. If I install an old Sound Blaster Z in PCIEX16_2 slot, will it impact the 4080 Super in PCIEX16_1 slot by sending it into X8 mode? The Sound Blaster Z is a PCIe card.

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@jerryquesenberry2520, Good question. Normally yes. However... On this Motherboard You are using, Your primary PCIe 5.0 X16 Slot is dedicated. Your next 2 Slots are through the Chipset. PCIe 4.0 X16 is X16 mechanically but X4 electrically. That 3rd Slot is PCIe x4 mechanically and electrically. An interesting situation. Anyway, Not enough PCIe Lanes to go around. Hassle, right. But enough to do what you want. Every Motherboard is laid out differently. To reiterate, your GPU will not be impacted.

[@nickmhc]

TL;DR - can’t run more than 1x GPUs at the full PCIe 5.0 x16 bandwidth 2x GPUs downgrade to 2x x8’s Also more than 1 PCIe M.2’s in CPU lanes downgrade the GPUs due to limits on the number of native CPU lanes I wanted 2x+ GPUs and an Optane boot drive on an ROG Extreme consumer gaming motherboard Now I realize I need to be shopping Threadripper or Xeon workstation boards Thanks

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi Nicholas, Copy that. Format of Content based on Answering Subscribers Questions. You see the big picture for PCIe Resources. On a price per PCIe Lane count, Dedicated PCIe Resources are a better value. Optane support for PCIe 4.0 is a curios mix. Not on M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD format. Intel Optane SSD with PCIe 4.0 Interface. Did You notice the price? 1. Intel SSDPF21Q016TB01 Optane SSDPF21Q016TB01 P5800X 1.6TB PCIEX4 15MM 3D Solid State Drive amzn.to/3XFe4Qx Better to invest in a Workstation Motherboard and install a Quad card. Bios Bifurcated Quad cards require a Motherboard that can Bifurcate a PCIe Slot. The ASUS WRX80 Workstation Motherboard is the perfect option for that! 2. ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI AMD Threadripper Pro EATX workstation motherboard (PCIe 4.0, ASMB9-iKVM, 2x10Gb LAN, 7xPCIe 4.0 X16 slots, 3xM.2,2xU.2 ports, 11 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports,8-channel DDR4 ECC) amzn.to/3HY6ASC As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases! The next part of Your Comment, prioritizing PCIe 4.0 or 5.0. If 5.0 then right now, Consumer Desktop Motherboard unless choosing Intel W680. For that, only shipping W680 Motherboard is from Supermicro which does NOT Support BIOS Bifurcation. Options and Prioritization of Requirements. What Do We need and what can We live with. Sometimes a conundrum! Keep Us Posted on Your Direction! Hope this helps!

[@nickmhc]

@@BuildOrBuy absolutely, that’s literally one of three mobos I’m looking at (pending a potential new DDR5 Threadripper… I’m months away from starting to buy parts tbh but got a great paying job. One thing I didn’t consider: PCIe 5 being 2x the speed but 4090’s still being 4.0, it doesn’t matter if the slot gets “downgraded” to 8x on a 5.0 board because it would still be max bandwidth Still I want a full slot for Optane because I want the 5-6 second cold to full boot on Windows that Level 1 Techs was able to achieve

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@nickmhc, Congrats on the job! You're waiting on what We're also expecting, either a HEDT or Workstation PCIe 5.0 Motherboard! However, changing one thing can change everything! Intel Optane is only going to happen on an Intel Chipset Motherboard with Optane support. Optane is proprietary. And history. Something else to think about.

[@nickmhc]

@@BuildOrBuy Level 1 techs had it as a boot drive on an AMD build. Not trying to promote another channel in the comments of yours but they did an awesome job talking up why Optane was such cool technology. it only works as memory cache on an Intel build but they’re saying it’s harder to force it to be a boot drive on an Intel build because Intel wants to force it to be its original sorta-RAM function versus using its glorious speed to boot up from cold in 5-6 seconds

[@BuildOrBuy]

Hi@@nickmhc, What Motherboard and Chipset were they using? And which Optane M.2?