PCI Express 3.0 x16

H

hackalive

New member
Hi guys,

I'm using an ASUS Z9PE-D8 WS - which by nature has enough PCI Express sockets.

However - with dual height GPUs it means I dont have room for my PCI Express SSD from OCZ.

So my thinking is I need a PCI Express ribbon cable.

So where do I get a PCI Express 3.0 x16 compliant cable from?

And are there any limitations on the socket I can connect it to?

Cheers in advance guys.
 
This means you have 4 dual hight gpus right? I don't think you'll be able to use these ribbon cables and install the gpu in the case's pci slots.
 
yes four dual height GPUs.

I am hopeful there is a way to make it work.

Looking at my board there seems to bit a little bit of room between the mobo and the GPU - so if the ribbon didn't stick out too much it may fit - whats everyones thoughts? Anyone got an ASUS Z9PE with a 980/Quadro and can tell me the gap size?

Cheers
 
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Unfortunately I don't have this mb but all these pci cables seem to be about 10cm/4'' long and it's gonna be very hard to install them
 
How do you mean hard? As in to get low enough past the other GPUs because of the short able length?
 
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Have you considered water cooling your cards? This would make them single slot. As long as you're not using a card like a GTX 680 which has stacked DVI and power connectors thus requiring two slots even without the cooler fitted it should work.
 
Quadro 6000 cant be water cooled - no blocks that I can find and they are genuine dual height GPUs. So thats a no go. Hence looking at this whole ribbon thing.

Current train of though is buy a 'riser' (http://linitx.com/product/10881) if it supports changing the cables and finding someone who has longer Pcie cables.

Need to be 3.0 though not 1 or 2.
 
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If that is just extending the pins then it will just work as PCIe 3.0 does not add any extra pins over 2.0 or 1.1 the changes are all in the chipset side to increase the protocols efficiency and clock rate resulting in the negotiation of faster speeds.

So that cable should "just work" at PCIe 3.0 speeds if it already works at 1.1 and 2.0 Speeds.
 
hackalive said:
How do you mean hard? As in to get low enough past the other GPUs because of the short able length?
Click to expand...

I thought it was too long. I've just found out that the problem is more complicated than I thought first, I thought you could plug the cables in the pci-e slots that are covered by the gpus, but i doesn't seem to be possible as the cables seem to come out straight of the slot a fair bit before the flexible part of the cable starts.
My idea would have been to install the first 3 gpu, then run a ribbon cable from the bottom black slot past the end of the mb (as far as i can tell the only place where there's enough space), this would mean installing the ssd in slot 9 and then run another calbe from the last blue slot to slot 10 and install the gpu there, if this makes any sense to you, you'd probably run out of slot in you case too
 
Vicey said:
If that is just extending the pins then it will just work as PCIe 3.0 does not add any extra pins over 2.0 or 1.1 the changes are all in the chipset side to increase the protocols efficiency and clock rate resulting in the negotiation of faster speeds.

So that cable should "just work" at PCIe 3.0 speeds if it already works at 1.1 and 2.0 Speeds.
Click to expand...

okay - so that "issue" is solved.
 
MadMarc said:
I thought it was too long. I've just found out that the problem is more complicated than I thought first, I thought you could plug the cables in the pci-e slots that are covered by the gpus, but i doesn't seem to be possible as the cables seem to come out straight of the slot a fair bit before the flexible part of the cable starts.
My idea would have been to install the first 3 gpu, then run a ribbon cable from the bottom black slot past the end of the mb (as far as i can tell the only place where there's enough space), this would mean installing the ssd in slot 9 and then run another calbe from the last blue slot to slot 10 and install the gpu there, if this makes any sense to you, you'd probably run out of slot in you case too
Click to expand...

Not all of them seem to come out heaps - http://chassiscombo.com/istarusa/products.php?model=DD-666-C9-03

Currently the plan for the rig goes:

GPU1 (PCIe1)
Spare Unused PCIe 'Covered' by GPU1 (PCIe2)
GPU2 (PCIe3)
Spare Unused PCIe 'Covered' by GPU1 (PCIe4)
GPU3 (PCIe5)
Spare Unused PCIe 'Covered' by GPU1 (PCIe6)
GPU4 (PCIe7)

So the idea is run from PCIe6 to beneath PCIe7 (making a "PCIe8" slot). But I am sure I will need longer than 10cm - the GPUs are about 10cm wide themselves.
 
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This is how I would do it:

Slot 1-6 gpu, 7 empty, 8 ssd, 9/10 gpu. maybe slot 8 is blocked because of front panel connectors

 
hackalive said:
That seems fine (prob the only option which I am def happy with :) thanks) - but where to get the right length cables now?

No issue with Front panel connectors - dont care about them enough :P

The ones here seem bigger than 10cm https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=7216.740
Click to expand...

I couldn't find shorter cables and I don't think you want a ghetto mounting system like the guy in your link, considering what an amazing rig you have.:p

The problem is not that you can't use the frontpanel connectors, I think that you won't be able to install the cable there as the female end of the cable would need to be there where the connectors are in order to line it up with the slots on the board
 
MadMarc said:
I couldn't find shorter cables and I don't think you want a ghetto mounting system like the guy in your link, considering what an amazing rig you have.:p

The problem is not that you can't use the frontpanel connectors, I think that you won't be able to install the cable there as the female end of the cable would need to be there where the connectors are in order to line it up with the slots on the board
Click to expand...

Firstly - no ghetto mounting systems - will be using a STH10 or similar (still deciding that) - so feel free to advise - remembering dual PSUs.

Less than 10cm would never work - so I was looking for longer and now I have them :)

Dont care about the front panel connectors - it will only block the firewire and a few other 'unimportant' connectors - still will have power connectors at my disposal so I can turn the rig on :) So I dont think that is an issue - unless I am missing something in what you are saying.

Now the debate is molex vs no molex:
http://cablesaurus.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=12
vs
http://cablesaurus.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=9

Thanks for all your advice and help so far ;)
 
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hackalive said:
Firstly - no ghetto mounting systems - will be using a STH10 or similar (still deciding that) - so feel free to advise - remembering dual PSUs.

Less than 10cm would never work - so I was looking for longer and now I have them :)

Dont care about the front panel connectors - it will only block the firewire and a few other 'unimportant' connectors - still will have power connectors at my disposal so I can turn the rig on :) So I dont think that is an issue - unless I am missing something in what you are saying.

Now the debate is molex vs no molex:
http://cablesaurus.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=12
vs
http://cablesaurus.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=9

Thanks for all your advice and help so far ;)
Click to expand...

No problem dude, but I'm not sure if you got my point, I understood that you don't need frontpanel usb, firewire.... but all these connectors are where the 8th pci slot would be on the mb if it had one, which is where the slot of the ribbon cable would have to be in order for everthing tho fit into 10 expansion slots. This is imo not possilble and you'd have to install the ribbon cable's slot in the 9th slot, so right below where the mb ends, the last gpu would then take up slot 10 and 11, but the STH10 only has 10 slots, there is enough space though that you could still install it but the card wouldn't be able to exhaust the hot air
 
MadMarc said:
No problem dude, but I'm not sure if you got my point, I understood that you don't need frontpanel usb, firewire.... but all these connectors are where the 8th pci slot would be on the mb if it had one, which is where the slot of the ribbon cable would have to be in order for everthing tho fit into 10 expansion slots. This is imo not possilble and you'd have to install the ribbon cable's slot in the 9th slot, so right below where the mb ends, the last gpu would then take up slot 10 and 11, but the STH10 only has 10 slots, there is enough space though that you could still install it but the card wouldn't be able to exhaust the hot air
Click to expand...

Okay I get what you mean now - and after looking at the board and your pic.
So assuming the GPU takes slot 9/10 because leaves me with what to do with the SSD - knowing I have a 20cm cable to play with.

Its and RM84 so its "half height" so some way to securely mount it half way along the slot 8 - so its away from the front io connectors?

Any thoughts on what to do?
 
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hackalive said:
Okay I get what you mean now - and after looking at the board and your pic.
So assuming the GPU takes slot 9/10 because leaves me with what to do with the SSD - knowing I have a 20cm cable to play with.

Its and RM84 so its "half height" so some way to securely mount it half way along the slot 8 - so its away from the front io connectors?

Any thoughts on what to do?
Click to expand...
Good idea with half hight pci bracket, this makes it easier. You should be able to install it like this, I think it's enough when you install it in the case's slot and fix it with the pci screw, now you have to figure out a way to mount the gpu, I think the screws at the pci bracket wont be enough
 
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