Damn, The Asus and DFI SLI boards really look sweet, but it seems such a pitty to block slots in a SLI configuration (say, dual 6800GT Ultras). So, I did a little digging and found this...
PE-FLEX1, PE-FLEX4, PE-FLEX8and PE-FLEX16 are flexible extenders for PCI Express X1, X4, X8 and X16 buses. The Minimum cable length is 1". User can can order any cable length up to 18". If not specified, the standard cable length defaults to 3". The overall extender length with a 3" cable is about 4.25".
http://www.adexelec.com/pciexp.htm
I wonder if PCI-e is robost enough to run such extender cables (say 8 - 16 inches) to a different spot in an ATX case such as an unused 5.25 bay or some other creative location without introducing problems related to interference, signal attenuation, etc.
Can anyone point me to specifications on PCI-e bus limitations, maximum extender cable lengths, shielding, etc?
Frankly, I doubt very much that PCI-e would be tolerant of extender cables at high-bandwidth, especially in an environment like a typical 2+GHz ATX cased computer, but the idea does seem entertaining.
What are YOUR thoughts?
-spearsd