Does it matter what pci 16 slot i use for my graphics card?

[Ben Hoy]

i have 2 pci express 16 slots does it matter if i plug my GPU in the first or second one?

 

[MarkW]

It can. The slot closest to the CPU is the only slot that can get 16x lanes of PCIe. Everything else maxes out at 8x or less.

 

[clutchc]

That will depend on the make/model of the motherboard. Normally, you put the first card in the first PCIe x16 slot.

 

[holyprof]

Unless the motherboard is based on a CPU with more than usual PCI-E lanes, the first PCI-E slot, next to the CPU is the only appropriate for a GPU. There are some motherboards that use a PLX chip (usually denominated "Gaming" or "SLI edition") with 2 16x PCI-E slots but even in those cases i recommend putting the graphics card on the first slot.

 

[Ben Hoy]

That will depend on the make/model of the motherboard. Normally, you put the first card in the first PCIe x16 slot.

i have a wifi card as i can not move my router and i cant have a dual slot graphics card but there is another 16 pci further down my motherboard can i use that instead or not?

 

[clutchc]

That will depend on the make/model of the motherboard. Normally, you put the first card in the first PCIe x16 slot.

i have a wifi card as i can not move my router and i cant have a dual slot graphics card but there is another 16 pci further down my motherboard can i use that instead or not?

Again, it will depend on the make/model of the board as to how many lanes you will have available at that slot. Some boards with 2 slots are x16, x16. Some are x16, x8. Some are x16, x4. Some are x8, x8.
And it would be nice if you'd tell us your gfx card too.

 

[MarkW]

i have a wifi card as i can not move my router and i cant have a dual slot graphics card but there is another 16 pci further down my motherboard can i use that instead or not?

Move the Wi-Fi card to the slot further away from the CPU, and put the video card in the long slot closest to the CPU.

A wi-fi card only needs 1 or 2 PCIe lanes. A video card needs 16. So make room for the video card in the first long slot or the cards performance will suffer.

 

[jsmithepa]

It's kind of misleading they use those long PCIe slots but not all the pins/lanes are being used until one reads the fine prints.

 

[holyprof]

i have a wifi card as i can not move my router and i cant have a dual slot graphics card but there is another 16 pci further down my motherboard can i use that instead or not?

can you take a picture of your PC opened and supply the motherboard brand and model please?

 

[clutchc]

i have a wifi card as i can not move my router and i cant have a dual slot graphics card but there is another 16 pci further down my motherboard can i use that instead or not?

can you take a picture of your PC opened and supply the motherboard brand and model please?

Lol... good luck. I've asked him twice.

 

[MarkW]

I cannot explain it any clearer than this.