Sacrifice GPU PCIe lanes for PCIe Wifi Adapter?

Hi, I'm usually helping people in this forum, but now I find myself in a dilemma and need help with a decision.


I'm currently using the Gigabyte G1 Sniper M3 Z77 board and it has an unorthodox PCIe layout.

You can see my board here http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4168#sp

So the problem is that my Sapphire 7950 installed in the top slot, is so large that it blocks the x1 and second 16 lane slot under it, leaving only the last 16 lane slot available for use. It so happens that the last slot is an x8 and shares lanes with the one my 7950 is using. So if I put anything in it, my card will run at only x8 speed.

I intend to get an Asus PCE-AC66 wireless dual-band ac adapter and it requires a PCIe slot. Because I'm shifting my desktop to another room where it is not possible to wire an ethernet cable there, I have no choice but get my internet access wirelessly. My internet service is a 300mbit/s fiber optic plan and I have a dual-band 5Ghz N router at the fiber optic access point where my desktop used to be.

Reason why I want that overkill wifi adapter is because it has reportedly excellent throughput and I will not tolerate getting anything less than the full 300mbits to my PC. The adapter antenna would be less than 10 metres away from the router and has direct line of sight.

So I'm concerned about losing GPU performance if I were put the adapter card into the last PCIe slot and limiting my card to x8 bandwidth. I play all the latest and demanding titles like BF4 and Arma3.

I know of the option to get a USB adapter instead, but I hear they are not reliable for high speeds and I'm worried of not getting the full internet speed I subscribed to. If you suggest an USB adapter please recommend me specific models that have good reviews because it would be a relief if I have an alternative that can assure me of what I want.

Please advise. Thanks in advance.
 
Solution
You will not suffer any performance loss with 8x Lanes of PCIe 3.0 rather than 16x.
Even if you had a HD 7990 in that 8x slot, there would still not be a PCIE bottleneck.
Thank you for your feedback azathoth. I am aware that in theory the PCIe 3.0 x8 would be the same speed as PCIe 2.0 x16, so my situation would be akin to running 2.0 vs 3.0 with all lanes available. Also that there is very small, if any at all, loss in performance from the change.

I would like to know of any alternative adapters that can get the job done without affecting my GPU's PCIe speed.

Also, I am not a technical expert on PCIe, but would there be by any chance that my GPU can still go beyond x8 with the PCIe adapter installed? Because the adapter only requires a x1 slot, maybe my GPU can still keep the excess x7??
 


Yes I have thought of the powerline solution very early in the course of my planning, but according to user feedback and reviews, they seem to have very underwhelming performance. I also don't have faith in my house's power cabling.
 
I actually would really like to have a cable run to the new location of my pc because I know ethernet is unbeatable. Unfortunately my family members seriously disapprove of it because it is not only ugly, but also poses a trip hazard that which I understand. Wiring around the corner of the walls would mean the cable being ridiculously long and would be so ugly even I don't want that.
 

azathoth

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Again, as I said before there will be no performance difference at all.

"Also that there is very small, if any at all, loss in performance from the change."

You have even agreed in your own statement, I do not understand what you are still worried about. You can even test it yourself beforehand with some tape if you wish.

For reference as to how*
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pci-express-scaling-analysis,1572-3.html


 
Yes I understand your point azathoth. I just don't feel at ease if my GPU has half of its pizza taken away no matter how big it is. Which is why I want to wait for suggestions of alternative adapters (especially the USB ones). I'm just hoping to find news of one that is reliable enough to give all 300mbits over wifi.

As for envy14type, I think moving the router wouldn't be any different from having ethernet wire run all the way to my PC, because it needs to be connected to the fiber access point which cannot be moved without even more cabling. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 

If run properly it is safe and nearly invisible.
But WIFI works ok, the main disadvantage is slightly higher latency.

Oh and 300M/s is unimaginable

 
Has anyone achieved minimum 300mbit/s of downrate throughput through the wireless connection with an adapter? (not the internet, just between router and adapter) If you have, please tell me what adapter/bridge/device you used on the receiving end.

Because I'm looking for alternative adapters. I have another thread in the Wireless Networking forum, and one mod pointed out the possibility of using an Asus ac router as a bridge. It's here http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1927693/usb-wifi-adapter.html#12175536
 
It's a Sapphire Vapor-X HD 7950 Boost/OC. The fault is mainly due to the board being mATX, and it has an unorthodox PCIe layout such that the last PCIe slot is an x8 meant for Crossfire or SLI with the first PCIe slot. Gigabyte did that because they know a big fat card would block use of 2 expansion slots under it.

Maybe suggest me a good USB adapter? Reviews of USB adapters look worryingly unreliable and don't give very good throughput.
 
Ok I got my problem solved. I got a PCIe x1 riser today and it managed to fit into the second x4 full length PCIe slot that my GPU was blocking. That slot has it's own dedicated PCIe lanes so I don't have to worry with a PCIe adapter anymore! Now I just have to wait for the adapter to be available at a local store. They sell like hotcakes.


Thanks everyone for your input :)