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Intel motherboards for 3xSLI

Pham NuwenPham Nuwen Registered User regular
edited April 2009 in Moe's Stupid Technology Tavern
It seems like every motherboard I look at which supports 3xSLI has all of its PCI(e) slots monopolized by the video cards because of their thickness. Could anyone recommend an intel i7 chipset board that has enough PCI(e) slots for three video cards, as well as at least two additional cards (say, network or soundcard for example)? Obviously that would mean that at least two extra slots would have to be usable (uncovered by card thickness) after plugging in the video cards. Surely I'm not the only one having this problem?

Pham Nuwen on

Posts

  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Right now 3 sli/cross fire is piontless. Nothing supports it, even if someone did the mobos can't run all three cards at full speed.

    Just sli 2 of the video cards with 2 processers: GTX 295 or x4870 (2). This will give you functional quad SLI/Crossfire that is in fact supported by hardware & software.

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  • Pham NuwenPham Nuwen Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    The ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution with the NF200 chipset works just fine with 3xSLI, all channels running in 16x with the lastest 0311 BIOS, all three cards running at full performance. Also all the games I want to play do support it, like Crysis and Farcry 2, and various racing games.

    Of course, that board doesn't have any slots free once you load it up with three cards (the ones not being used get covered up by how thick the cards are), hence, my problem. :(

    Pham Nuwen on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Yeah I just found the EVGA 141-BL-E759-A1 does trible SLI as well.

    I was just looking at mobos and doing research on this a month ago. Damn turn your back for a minute.

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  • FatsFats Corvallis, ORRegistered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Pham Nuwen wrote: »
    The ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution with the NF200 chipset works just fine with 3xSLI, all channels running in 16x with the lastest 0311 BIOS, all three cards running at full performance. Also all the games I want to play do support it, like Crysis and Farcry 2, and various racing games.

    Of course, that board doesn't have any slots free once you load it up with three cards (the ones not being used get covered up by how thick the cards are), hence, my problem. :(

    We're going to need a larger motherboard standard before you get your wish. There just isn't enough room for 3 2-slot video cards and 2 other cards.

    Fats on
  • Pham NuwenPham Nuwen Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Dark Shroud wrote: »
    I was just looking at mobos and doing research on this a month ago. Damn turn your back for a minute.
    lol yeah, that's the law of accelerating returns at work :D
    great for progress, bad for the wallet :P
    Fats wrote: »
    We're going to need a larger motherboard standard before you get your wish.

    When do you think that'll happen? And is there seriously no one else who's running three video cards and NO other PCI cards? Seems like that really limits the functionality of a computer...

    Pham Nuwen on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    One of these might be what you're looking for. But yes it's time for a bigger mobo size with how large both the towers and video cards are now.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157155

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131358 <- seems best for 3xSLI

    I'm looking to build an i7 system soon as well. This mobo had my attention because it has a built in X-FI sound card.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131352

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  • FatsFats Corvallis, ORRegistered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Pham Nuwen wrote: »
    When do you think that'll happen? And is there seriously no one else who's running three video cards and NO other PCI cards? Seems like that really limits the functionality of a computer...

    Honestly, you're the only person I've ever heard of running 3xSLI. Still, yes, more PCI-E slots would be good. Hard to say when that'll happen, especially since the current movement seems to be toward microATX and other smaller form factors.

    As a stopgap, there are some PCI-E riser cards that plug into an empty PCI-E slot and give you two or more slots to work with, but I don't know if they work with every motherboard (and you'd need a huge case to fit everything).

    Fats on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Fats wrote: »
    Pham Nuwen wrote: »
    When do you think that'll happen? And is there seriously no one else who's running three video cards and NO other PCI cards? Seems like that really limits the functionality of a computer...

    Honestly, you're the only person I've ever heard of running 3xSLI. Still, yes, more PCI-E slots would be good. Hard to say when that'll happen, especially since the current movement seems to be toward microATX and other smaller form factors.

    As a stopgap, there are some PCI-E riser cards that plug into an empty PCI-E slot and give you two or more slots to work with, but I don't know if they work with every motherboard (and you'd need a huge case to fit everything).

    It's not so much the lack of PCI-E slots it's the spaceing. There are plenty of mobos with 4 PCI-E x16 slots. The problem is the double wide cards will cover other slots. Click some of the links I posted and you'll see. The manufactures place the normal PCI & PCI-E 1x slots in between the x16 slots. So people can run SLI or Crossfire with double wide video cards.

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  • FatsFats Corvallis, ORRegistered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Dark Shroud wrote: »
    It's not so much the lack of PCI-E slots it's the spaceing. There are plenty of mobos with 4 PCI-E x16 slots. The problem is the double wide cards will cover other slots. Click some of the links I posted and you'll see. The manufactures place the normal PCI & PCI-E 1x slots in between the x16 slots. So people can run SLI or Crossfire with double wide video cards.

    Yeah, I've seen the layouts. With most of them the bottom-most PCI-E slot would be free and unblocked, which is where the riser would come in. The slots in-between may as well not exist.

    Fats on
  • SatsumomoSatsumomo Rated PG! Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    I only approve of 3x SLI setups when they are used for F@H. Other than that, it's unnecessary.

    Satsumomo on
  • psychotixpsychotix __BANNED USERS regular
    edited April 2009
    Fats wrote: »
    Pham Nuwen wrote: »
    The ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution with the NF200 chipset works just fine with 3xSLI, all channels running in 16x with the lastest 0311 BIOS, all three cards running at full performance. Also all the games I want to play do support it, like Crysis and Farcry 2, and various racing games.

    Of course, that board doesn't have any slots free once you load it up with three cards (the ones not being used get covered up by how thick the cards are), hence, my problem. :(

    We're going to need a larger motherboard standard before you get your wish. There just isn't enough room for 3 2-slot video cards and 2 other cards.

    Most people I know who blow the cash on 3x SLI also go liquid cooling. This often frees up the other slots. Plus it helps move the heat, even with cards that vent hot air out air cooling will heat up a case something fierce.

    psychotix on
  • Teslan26Teslan26 Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    A larger motherboard standard is, quite honestly, backwards in my opinion.


    Focus on getting the cards downsized to fit standard sizes. Cooling solutions are going to become more and more important. But frankly - I want smaller towers not bigger ones.

    Teslan26 on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Teslan26 wrote: »
    Focus on getting the cards downsized to fit standard sizes. Cooling solutions are going to become more and more important. But frankly - I want smaller towers not bigger ones.

    You're missing two things here.

    A) These are not standard or even close to normal rigs we're talking about here. These for either extreme gaming rigs or work horse computers for graphic design among CPU intensive applications.

    B) If you look in mid towers or larger they already have the room & mounts for a larger size mother board. Existing non-server towers will not get bigger. They'll just be used to their full design extent.

    We're not talking some crazy huge mobo build here. Just something like two more inches or specifically at least two more usable slots for cards. Some people might need three more slots. Because off the top of my head I'm thinking of a Sound Card and a Video Capture Card.

    And then there will be people who will need more USB or Firewire ports so one add-on card. This add-on card can also apply for upgrading existing PCs to USB 3 or Firewire 1600 & 3200.

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