P67 question regarding SLI/Xfire and Sata 3/USB3

[AzNPinkTuv]

I hope one of you guys can help me with this question i have. I have almost all the parts for my new SB rig. I am planning on finishing my rig to consist of i7-2600k, intel x-25m 120 gig, 2 320 gigs I have laying around in raid 0 for lesser used games, XFX 6950 modded to 6970, OCZ ModstreamX 700 watt, 8 gigs 1.5b Ripjaws and lastly the mobo which i have not decided on.

so my question is, I like having the option of xfire-ing in the future my cards. From what I have read in previous posts, my understanding is this. If we run X-fire or SLI, it will run at pcie 8-8. This will be fine, however it may cut into the full speed of the USB3.0 and Sata 3 because of lane limitations. Are there any mobo's that can avoid this issue? which boards would you guys reccomend.
I was looking into the P67-UD4 from gigabyte or Pro/EVO from Asus. my budget for CPU and Mobo is prolly 350-500ish so gimmie some choices if you could.

Also, if it is a black board with red/blue to match my other components that would be great

Thanks!

 

[Rifter]

There are 1156 boards than used the NF 200 chipset for more PCIe lanes to solve this issue. They are expensive and around $180+ now, i would expect the 1155 versions to easily be closer to $250 or 300 when released, and i wouldn't expect them out till a few months after release.

 

[AzNPinkTuv]

There are 1156 boards than used the NF 200 chipset for more PCIe lanes to solve this issue. They are expensive and around $180+ now, i would expect the 1155 versions to easily be closer to $250 or 300 when released, and i wouldn't expect them out till a few months after release.

So is what you're saying basically that right now theres no way to get around the issue?

are there tests showing how much degrdation there is in terms of speed for Sata 3 and USB 3.0 when x-firing or SLI?

also what board would you reccomend then?

 

[shabby]

are there tests showing how much degrdation there is in terms of speed for Sata 3 and USB 3.0 when x-firing or SLI?

I don't think copying files while gaming is a test most websites do. Think you're over exaggerating this problem since you don't even know how much degradation there is.

 

[Rifter]

I don't think copying files while gaming is a test most websites do. Think you're over exaggerating this problem since you don't even know how much degradation there is.

This is sound advice, it might not be so bad. I cant see USB 3 speeds being much of an issue while gaming. And unless you are running a C300 SSD for gaming, or a raid array of fast hard drives losing SATA 3 speeds would not be a issue either.

That said i went for the X58 chipset over the P55 for this exact reason

 

[Castiel]

There are 1156 boards than used the NF 200 chipset for more PCIe lanes to solve this issue. They are expensive and around $180+ now, i would expect the 1155 versions to easily be closer to $250 or 300 when released, and i wouldn't expect them out till a few months after release.

NF200 boards are going to be over 300 dollars. Only two that i can confirm have them are the Maximus IV and the UD7 and should be available on launch day.

UD7's already available at provantage for 308

 

[Xed]

Didn't Intel double the bandwidth of pci-e lanes with p67 to address this?

 

[Castiel]

Didn't Intel double the bandwidth of pci-e lanes with p67 to address this?

Yes they did

 

[=Wendy=]

They did, but if a board doesn't have a PLX or NF200 chip, as soon as you populate the 2nd PCIe x16 socket with a graphics card or RAID card then you will lose USB3 full bandwidth mode, as the NEC chip requires 8 PCIe lanes to operate at full bandwidth with all ports. That isn't a problem for USB3 external HDD, but it is a problem for USB3 SSD, as only 130MB/s is available when USB3 is not in full bandwidth mode.

 

[phillyman36]

They did, but if a board doesn't have a PLX or NF200 chip, as soon as you populate the 2nd PCIe x16 socket with a graphics card or RAID card then you will lose USB3 full bandwidth mode, as the NEC chip requires 8 PCIe lanes to operate at full bandwidth with all ports. That isn't a problem for USB3 external HDD, but it is a problem for USB3 SSD, as only 130MB/s is available when USB3 is not in full bandwidth mode.

Would putting a sound card in the pci express x1 slot have any effect on bandwidth for usb3/sata6?

 

[=Wendy=]

Some boards have a 3rd PCIe x16 socket @x4, and I believe that and the PCIe x1 sockets take lanes from the PCH (Platform Controller Hub), so no, that should not affect NEC USB3 or Marvell SATA 6Gbps.

BTW: As far as i know, P67 native SATA 3Gbps and SATA 6Gbps are not affected at all.

I guess once the NDA is lifted on P67 and Sandy Bridge, we will all know much more.

I've downloaded P67 manuals from GigaByte, MSI, and AsRock, and they tend to agree with what I am saying, and that is the reason i'm looking for a board with the PLX6808 chip.
The NF200 boards IMO, add to much latency for my liking.

 

[phillyman36]

lol i keep going back to Asus website to download the p8p67 deluxe manual and they haven't put it up yet.

 

[=Wendy=]

lol i keep going back to Asus website to download the p8p67 deluxe manual and they haven't put it up yet.

hehe. frustrating, isn't it.

However, this is from the specs from Asus.

P8P67, P8P67 Pro, P8P67 EVO.

2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 * [Black] (max. at x4 mode, compatible with PCIe x1 and x4 devices)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
2 x PCI
*The PCIe x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIe x1_1 slot, PCIe x1_2 slot, ESATA3G & PESATA3G and USB3_34. The PCIe x16_3 runs at x1 mode by default for system resource optimization. (PCIe x1_2 will be disabled.)

P8P67 Deluxe
2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 [Black] (at x4 mode, compatible with PCIe x1 and x4 devices)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
2 x PCI

So it appears that the Deluxe with its PLX6808 chip doesn't need to compromise.

 

[phillyman36]

I'm only using 1 video card so I wonder if it matters if I get the Deluxe or Evo? Even though the deluxe keeps calling my name

 

[zod96]

This is what I am wondering also. If I use a single ati 5870 in one pci-e 16X slot will I still get the full speed of my crucial c300 sata 3 speeds and still keep the 5870 at 16X or will the 5870 get dropped to 8x?

 

[=Wendy=]

With only 1 x16 slot populated you should full speed SATA and USB3 on all boards.