(Probably silly) advice needed: Enough PCie slots?

[scully1888]

Hi there!

I'm a video games journalist looking to finally upgrade my creaking PC so I can get back to reviewing the new releases (currently limited to console-only because of my ancient set-up).

I've used the PCSpecialist builder to create a PC with the following specs (see below) but given that I'm not enormously savvy when it comes to PC component compatilbility – my speciality is software, not hardware! – I asked my social media followers if they saw anything that struck them as potentially problematic.

Here's the thing: I want to add an Elgato Game Capture 4K Pro to this (because I need to capture high quality console game footage as part of my job), and PC Specialist doesn't have it in stock at the moment so I'll need to buy my own.

It needs a PCIe 2.0 x4 connection, but someone suggested to me that I should check there'll definitely be space for it, and that it'll definitely get enough bandwidth from the motherboard, given everything else that's going to be included.

I know I'm probably over-thinking this but surely adding another PCIe 2.0 x4 component to this setup will be fine? I'd imagine there'll be a slot, there'll be enough power going to it, and there'll be space at the back of the case to accommodate the extra HDMI ports?

To answer the other questions I believe are usually required:

Monitor - I'm currently running a pair of Samsung 4K HDR 60Hz IPS 4ms monitors on my current PC and will probably stick with those for now. I appreciate those won't get the most out of the GPU and CPU games-wise (unless I'm playing AAA games at 4K on Ultra settings), but I'll upgrade the monitors later down the road when I rebuild my funds. I'm mainly going to be playing single-player games on it, so I really don't need 1ms response times just now.

Uses - High-end gaming, video production, streaming

Budget - £4,500 (current specs come to around £4,100 so that should be fine. If anything, I'll make the second SSD bigger)

Huge thanks, apologies for not being fully clued up on all this

Case
CORSAIR 4000D RGB AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE - WHITE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB) KIT
Graphics Card
24GB GIGABYTE GEFORCE RTX 4090 WINDFORCE V2 - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6850 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6850 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid Cooler - WHITE
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
1 x PCS ARGB LED Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £4,155.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/TyTuuPxt3p/

 

[TonyCarter]

The issue may be down to the physical size of the GPU and capture card, as on some motherboards one of the PCIe slots may be covered up by an extra thick GPU.
But there is a couple of places that should be tweaked for that level/cost of build (case, cooler, paste, PSU, storage)...and if you want help, you'll have to post the full config (not a screenshot) following the process below...

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

When creating a forum post looking to discuss a PC spec there's a really simple way to post the spec in question here. IF YOU HAVEN'T ORDERED ONE YET AND ARE LOOKING FOR ADVICE ON A BUILD follow this step. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ORDERED AND ARE ASKED FOR SPECS follow the next post. Click the...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Let us know if you're after an all-white build, as there's a different configurator for that (which allows white coolers, motherboards, etc.).

 

[scully1888]

Thanks Tony, my bad: I've edited the post to add the copied & pasted config rather than a screenshot.

This is the layout of that particular motherboard (first pic): again, I'm far from an expert, but does it look like the expansion slots are far enough apart? The Elgato device isn't much thicker than the slot itself (second pic), so I'm hoping it would fit.

I'm not fussed about having an all-white build, to be honest, I don't mind how it looks.

 

[TonyCarter]

Yes, it looks like there's plenty of room, even with the 4090. I have the same GPU in a Strix X670E motherboard with an Asus m.2 card in that lower slot, and there's about a 5CM gap between them.

 

[scully1888]

Thanks both, that's a big help.

Figment, the problem with the 4K X is that I need multi-app support (so I can stream on OBS while capturing higher-res footage on Elgato's capture software at the same time), and while the 4K Pro offers that the 4K X sadly doesn't.

 

[TonyCarter]

Here's my suggestion using most of the budget, but really just upgrading some of the key supporting components.

I'd also normally select an all iCUE LINK set-up, but the fans are out of stock and won't let me continue with them selected, so have gone for non iCUE LINK for now.

I've not gone over to the white / Luna configurator as the motherboard selection isn't particularly strong.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER ATX CASE - WHITE - much better case for airflow & room for components to breathe; but can't see the black version on the configurator at the moment
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) - for your mix of gaming & video editing, the 9900X3D/9950X3D would probably be a better option, but they've not been released yet
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X870-F GAMING WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7) - very little between this and the much more expensive Crosshair
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB) KIT
Graphics Card
24GB GIGABYTE GEFORCE RTX 4090 WINDFORCE V2 - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CRUCIAL T705 GEN 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 14,500MB/sR, 12,700MB/sW) - super fast gen5, primary SSD for OS, apps, games launchers (and not meant for storing games, video, etc.)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6850 MB/W) - secondary drive for game installs
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6850 MB/W) - tertiary drive for video projects
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET - about the minimum we'd want for this level of build & components; has better efficiency range and is the newer ATX3.1 / PCIe 5.0 spec for better GPU power spike protections and higher single PCIe rail output (so less cables for the GPU)
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT RGB CPU Cooler - to keep the CPU in its peak operating window, and 3x120mm to match the front aesthetic; (no white version available in this configurator)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
4 x Corsair RS120 ARGB PWM Fans - WHITE - 3 for the side and 1 for the rear to keep the same overall aesthetic (see my note above about iCUE LINK versions)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £4,401.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/p5MWNjYRWD/

 

[scully1888]

Thanks so much for all that Tony!

The only other thing someone's now pointing out is that the addition of the 4K Pro to the motherboard might force the two PCIe slots to run at x8 / x8 mode, and that this might not be enough for the GPU. Is that a valid concern?

EDIT: Although it looks like the alternative one you're suggesting may solve that problem anyway?

 

[sck451]

Looking at the manual for that motherboard, it appears that the PCIe slots are independent, though both are affected by M.2 cards. If the second M.2 slot is filled, the top PCIe slot is x8, otherwise it's x16. If the third M.2 slot is filled, the PCIe slot seems to be disabled. The first and fourth M.2 slots are fine to use, however.

So you will want to check which M.2 slots are used, and maybe limit yourself to two M.2 drives.

In reality, you'd probably be fine running PCIe 4.0 x4 even on a 4090, and the next gen will probably be PCIe 5.0, but obviously you'd prefer to be running at x16.

I'd be glad if someone else would look over the manual to make sure I'm reading that correctly.

 

[scully1888]

If that ends up being correct sck451, would you maybe suggest changing the two 4TB SSDs to a single 8TB one, or would that affect performance more once it starts filling up beyond 50% capacity (as is usually suggested with SSDs)?

To be honest, my current setup uses an old 256GB SSD for the OS which only reads at about 1800 MB/s and writes at about 950 MB/s so two 4GB drives reading at up to 7000 MB/s and writing at 6850 MB/s will still be an enormous difference to me: I don't mind the OS and game launchers taking an extra few seconds to boot, so if two 4TB drives on the first and fourth M.2 slots avoids issues with the PCIe slots then I don't mind going with either 4TB + 4TB or 1TB + 8TB (though the latter will likely be more expensive).

 

[sck451]

I guess it depends on why you need 8TB of storage. If it's for game capture, a hard drive would be a better bet. If it's for storing games, I guess it might make sense to go for the massive drive if you really need it. If it's for video editing, the hard drive might also be an option, or you may need SSD speeds.

Either way there probably isn't much to choose between 8TB and 2x4TB. The former is more expensive and likely to be easier to manage, but 50% capacity will be the same either way.

My actual solution would be to look at one of the X670E boards as they have more PCIe capacity. I think you're in one of the unusual scenarios where X670E actually makes sense. I'd probably choose the Gigabyte Aorus board instead. None of its PCIe lanes are connected in the same way.

 

[scully1888]

How about, if I do decide to ditch the Elgato 4K60 Pro and just go with the USB version instead, would that free up the ability to have a 1TB / 4TB / 4TB SSD setup (on either the CROSSHAIR X870E HERO or the ROG STRIX X870-F GAMING) without affecting the GPU bandwidth?

 

[sck451]

How about, if I do decide to ditch the Elgato 4K60 Pro and just go with the USB version instead, would that free up the ability to have a 1TB / 4TB / 4TB SSD setup (on either the CROSSHAIR X870E HERO or the ROG STRIX X870-F GAMING) without affecting the GPU bandwidth?

You can keep the Elgato 4K60 Pro and get the full bandwidth if you go for an X670E board. Either the Crosshair or the Aorus would be fine – the Aorus is a lot cheaper.

 

[scully1888]

Okay, food for thought. Thanks for your help, everyone who replied.

 

[TonyCarter]

You can keep the Elgato 4K60 Pro and get the full bandwidth if you go for an X670E board. Either the Crosshair or the Aorus would be fine – the Aorus is a lot cheaper.

If the Elgato card is only PCIe 2.0x4 then surely even a lowly, shared PCIe 4 or PCIe 5 slot will be enough, no?

 

[sck451]

If the Elgato card is only PCIe 2.0x4 then surely even a lowly, shared PCIe 4 or PCIe 5 slot will be enough, no?

Some boards reduce the speed of the primary slot if others, whether PCIe or M.2, are used. That's the problem with the Strix board.

 

[scully1888]

Presumably if I can make do with the alternative USB version of the Elgato, however, then this problem disappears regardless of the motherboard? Presumably every option we've discussed on this thread allows just an RTX 4090 and three M.2 SSDs without issues?

 

[sck451]

Presumably if I can make do with the alternative USB version of the Elgato, however, then this problem disappears regardless of the motherboard? Presumably every option we've discussed on this thread allows just an RTX 4090 and three M.2 SSDs without issues?

Yes, though as you say the PCIe version has its advantage. And yes, they all can, but your scenario is definitely one where X870E, which is normally excessive for a gaming PC, totally makes sense, and it's what I'd choose in your shoes.