Two PCIe 2.0 slots with one Video card

[Saltgrass]

Anyone know if you only use one of the two PCIe 2.0 card slots, if the other one becomes useless?

I noticed some motherboards auto configure the two slots as 16x0 or 8x8, depending if you have a video card in both. Can you use a non-video type of card in the second slot without effecting the speed of the first, such as a PCIe x1, or is the slot pretty much useless.

I am looking at boards with only one PCIe 2.0 slot, but it seems the newer boards mostly have 2.

Thanks

 

[pinaplex]

it depends on what chipset you have, the p45 will run both slots at 8x8, if you put a card in there, but the x38/x48/x58 support 16x16 speeds on both slots

 

[blackened144]

If its PCIe 2.0 it doesnt matter anyway.. The 8x 2.0 slot has as much bandwidth as the 16x 1.0 slot, so if you put another card in the second slot the first should still have more than enough bandwidth running at 8x.

 

[Saltgrass]

I was thinking it wouldn't be good for the Video card to drop to 8x. Then I started thinking about other boards where I have left slots unused, and the ones I am looking at have enough other slots to fill my needs. I will probably go ahead and get a board with two 2.0 slots and an X48 chipset.

Who knows, I may even decide to go with two ATI cards instead of one Nvidia. Too bad the boards won't support SLI as well as Crossfire.

Thanks.