mATX motherboard that can fit SLI and sound card

[yoshimania]

Hey guys,

I was trying to find an mATX motherboard that can fit two GTX 1080s and a sound card, kind of like in this build : http://pcpartpicker.com/b/ps4CmG (except he has a wireless network card instead). The thing is when I'm shopping for the motherboards, I don't know if the sound card will fit or if it will overlap with the graphics cards, because in my currant build the graphics card takes up 2 expansion slots, so I don't know how it could possibly fit just by looking at the picture, unless someone could tell me a trick

Thanks,

Yoshi

 

[Rogue Leader]

Totally re-writing this post because I was wrong. And the worst part is I own this motherboard:

http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170M-PLUS/

Note the GPU slots are slot 1 and 4, so as long as your case can fit the space at the bottom it leaves 1 open PCIe x1 slot in between the cards.

EDIT again.... ugh just realized doesn't support SLI. OK there has to be a way to do this... the search continues....

 

[ragnarok94]

Hey guys,

I was trying to find an mATX motherboard that can fit two GTX 1080s and a sound card, kind of like in this build : http://pcpartpicker.com/b/ps4CmG (except he has a wireless network card instead). The thing is when I'm shopping for the motherboards, I don't know if the sound card will fit or if it will overlap with the graphics cards, because in my currant build the graphics card takes up 2 expansion slots, so I don't know how it could possibly fit just by looking at the picture, unless someone could tell me a trick

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Gqtz7h I think you'll have to go full ATX, I edited the list for the 1080s, soundcard and compatible case/mobo. there is an Asus board about $10 cheaper but the one I picked had a few more positive reviews
either way you'll need a case with at least 6 back slots I think

Be sure to take advantage of the PC partpicker compatibility tool, it works wonders when picking parts (its accurate most of the time but deeper research is recommended)

 

[Rogue Leader]

So mATX motherboards only have 4 slots making what you want to do tough,

The build that you posted he is using a Maximus VIII Genie, and while the GPU would normally cover that slot the water block allows for enough room that he probably used something like

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054CO2US?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

To shift it over slightly.

 

[yoshimania]

Hey guys,

I was trying to find an mATX motherboard that can fit two GTX 1080s and a sound card, kind of like in this build : http://pcpartpicker.com/b/ps4CmG (except he has a wireless network card instead). The thing is when I'm shopping for the motherboards, I don't know if the sound card will fit or if it will overlap with the graphics cards, because in my currant build the graphics card takes up 2 expansion slots, so I don't know how it could possibly fit just by looking at the picture, unless someone could tell me a trick

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Gqtz7h I think you'll have to go full ATX, I edited the list for the 1080s, soundcard and compatible case/mobo. there is an Asus board about $10 cheaper but the one I picked had a few more positive reviews
either way you'll need a case with at least 6 back slots I think

Be sure to take advantage of the PC partpicker compatibility tool, it works wonders when picking parts (its accurate most of the time but deeper research is recommended)

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#X=0,98669&sort=a8&page=1

So I came up with a list of compatible motherboards, would any of these work?

 

[yoshimania]

So mATX motherboards only have 4 slots making what you want to do tough,

The build that you posted he is using a Maximus VIII Genie, and while the GPU would normally cover that slot the water block allows for enough room that he probably used something like

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054CO2US?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

To shift it over slightly.

But if he used the riser, how did he sill manage to fit the network card into the case? Like shouldn't it be hanging out? Also if a mATX case is meant only for like 2-way SLI and nothing else, why do they have 5 full length expansion slots?

 

[ragnarok94]

[/quotemsg]

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#X=0,98669&sort=a8&page=1

So I came up with a list of compatible motherboards, would any of these work?

[/quotemsg]
Any should work, you might try adding each individual board to the list to be sure.
If you really want mATX, you're limited to these 4 though:
http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/6JfmP6,mbKhP6,p4nG3C,m6RFf7/

Id go with the Asrock 170M Extreme4 myself, just because it has 6 SataIII ports and has the lowest price while maintaining decent reveiws. if not it, then the gigabyte

 

[yoshimania]

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#X=0,98669&sort=a8&page=1

So I came up with a list of compatible motherboards, would any of these work?

[/quotemsg]
Any should work, you might try adding each individual board to the list to be sure.
If you really want mATX, you're limited to these 4 though:
http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/6JfmP6,mbKhP6,p4nG3C,m6RFf7/

Id go with the Asrock 170M Extreme4 myself, just because it has 6 SataIII ports and has the lowest price while maintaining decent reveiws. if not it, then the gigabyte

[/quotemsg]

But for the ASRock mATX board, both graphics cards and sound card would fit right?

 

[Rogue Leader]

So mATX motherboards only have 4 slots making what you want to do tough,

The build that you posted he is using a Maximus VIII Genie, and while the GPU would normally cover that slot the water block allows for enough room that he probably used something like

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054CO2US?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

To shift it over slightly.

But if he used the riser, how did he sill manage to fit the network card into the case? Like shouldn't it be hanging out? Also if a mATX case is meant only for like 2-way SLI and nothing else, why do they have 5 full length expansion slots?

The case has 5 slots because if you look at that ASrock extreme 4 posted above you can fit 2 SLI cards and a card in between, or for example a port attachment which only needs a case slot, not a board slot.

Thats how he got that wifi card in there, Looking at the motherboard he has thats the only physically possible way.

That ASRock Z170 Extreme 4 looks like you can squeeze an additional card in between the 2 GPUs. because there is 3 GPU slots and 1 x1 slot in between gpu slots 1 and 2. so you'd use the first and last gpu slot and then that slot for the sound card.

Now that all makes sense BUT according to the manual

http://asrock.pc.cdn.bitgravity.com/Manual/Z170M%20Extreme4.pdf

I don't think it will actually work based upon the configuration of the slots. Its possible if you do put a card into the bottom slot it will only run at x4. Its because GPU slots are tied direct to the CPU, which only has 16 PCIe lanes.

Hence I think using a riser to use the x1 slot which is tied directly to PCM and not direct to the CPU is the only way to go here.

 

[yoshimania]

So mATX motherboards only have 4 slots making what you want to do tough,

The build that you posted he is using a Maximus VIII Genie, and while the GPU would normally cover that slot the water block allows for enough room that he probably used something like

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054CO2US?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

To shift it over slightly.

But if he used the riser, how did he sill manage to fit the network card into the case? Like shouldn't it be hanging out? Also if a mATX case is meant only for like 2-way SLI and nothing else, why do they have 5 full length expansion slots?

The case has 5 slots because if you look at that ASrock extreme 4 posted above you can fit 2 SLI cards and a card in between, or for example a port attachment which only needs a case slot, not a board slot.

Thats how he got that wifi card in there, Looking at the motherboard he has thats the only physically possible way.

That ASRock Z170 Extreme 4 looks like you can squeeze an additional card in between the 2 GPUs. because there is 3 GPU slots and 1 x1 slot in between gpu slots 1 and 2. so you'd use the first and last gpu slot and then that slot for the sound card.

Now that all makes sense BUT according to the manual

http://asrock.pc.cdn.bitgravity.com/Manual/Z170M%20Extreme4.pdf

I don't think it will actually work based upon the configuration of the slots. Its possible if you do put a card into the bottom slot it will only run at x4. Its because GPU slots are tied direct to the CPU, which only has 16 PCIe lanes.

Hence I think using a riser to use the x1 slot which is tied directly to PCM and not direct to the CPU is the only way to go here.

Okay so how do you use a riser in your case, because I've never seen or heard someone use it.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Okay so how do you use a riser in your case, because I've never seen or heard someone use it.

If you notice it has a thin ribbon cable attached (this is a better example)

https://smile.amazon.com/Express-Lane-Version-Extender-Riser/dp/B00T9ZQDKI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471796386&sr=8-1&keywords=pcie+x1+riser

You just bend and loop the cable around and then drop the card into the slot on the case you want it to mount to.

Considering the motherboard he used there is no other physically possible way he did that. The GPU he has even with the water block will block that slot.