Question What motherboard (Intel or AMD) provides the broadest use of PCIe lanes?

[Cameron R]

I am trying to understand the PCIe lane issue for Intel and AMD motherboards. I'm looking to upgrade my MB, if not my system.

Here is a list of my desires, in approximate order of importance:

1. Abundant power to run 4 monitors at once (one of which is a projector at 4K) Yes, this is a golf simulator...
2. Ideally 13-14 USB ports (native or with added card)
3. At least Bluetooth 5.3
4. 20 Gbps USB port on front with charging
5. 20 Gbps USB on back, if not 40 Gbps
6. Utilize my fancy PCIe 5.0 SSD without killing important parts of the PC
7. Additional 4.0 PCIe x4 slot for future expansion

My current system is working, barely. It is a Prime B650M-A AX motherboard (CPU 7700x, 32 Gig RAM) with a 4-port (two-controller USB card) to which I've attached:

• 2 mice,
• 2 keyboards,
• 1 microphone,
• 1 launch monitor,
• 1 USB C touch screen monitor,
• 2 high-speed swing cameras, and
• 1 USB external SSD for backup
• GPU 4070 Ti
• Boot drive a Crucial T705 SSD

I anticipate adding a control box for the GSPro simulation software. If you are counting, that's 11 ports. The front of the computer has two USB A ports and one C, but I prefer to use those only for temporary connections.

I'd like to keep the fancy SSD in use without whacking the PCIe main slot to x8 or killing a PCIe slot entirely.

Activity Viewer shows the GPU running at up to 100% when rendering the flight of a shot. I have not yet noticed any signs of frames getting dropped. However, when I turn on the projector the other monitors go blank, then come on, oddly resizing. This cycle happens a couple times but, after a few seconds, all returns to normal. I have no idea what causes this... Otherwise, this system is impressively rock solid, and even as stable as my Macs (it's even turning me into a PC guy!).

Research has revealed that MBs have various topologies for PCIe lanes. Ideally, I'd like to keep my fancy 5.0 drive without degrading anything else, and I know that I can do that with AMD, as four PCIe 5.0 lanes run from SSD slots to the CPU. This is a big boost for sticking with AMD. With Intel, use of a 5.0 SSD at best reduces the x16 5.0 slot to x8, and at worst, kills entirely a second PCIe 5.0 slot. If I have to clone and switch the boot to a 4.0 drive, I'll do it. I understand that I'd likely not notice the difference.

I really like Gigabyte's Z790 Aorus Master X. With 14 USB ports it is nirvana, and since the board has only one of the three PCIe expansion slots at 5.0, adding a card in the future for something like a POE (for better cameras) does not degrade the top slot. Unfortunately, using my fancy 5.0 drive would degrade the top slot to x8 (which, again, is not presently a problem.)

Staying with AMD, I like the Crosshair Extreme (but it does not seem to be still for sale) over the Crosshair Hero because the bottom PCIe slot is x4 size, which would fit my current USB card. Otherwise, the Hero good, and I can get a x1 USB card to add a couple more USB ports, though I'd get only one controller. This board also comes on the Barebones kit that is still barely available, but a serious bargain. A friend has one for sale and all things equal, I'd buy from him.

I also understand that it is possible to get USB ports added to a back panel through an internal header. This is new to me, and perhaps an avenue to use on a board that does not initially meet my USB needs. So that AMD Hero may be looking even better...

Any thoughts? Am I wrong about something? Have I missed good options?

I'm all ears.

 

[kanewolf]

I am trying to understand the PCIe lane issue for Intel and AMD motherboards. I'm looking to upgrade my MB, if not my system.

Here is a list of my desires, in approximate order of importance:

1. Abundant power to run 4 monitors at once (one of which is a projector at 4K) Yes, this is a golf simulator...
2. Ideally 13-14 USB ports (native or with added card)
3. At least Bluetooth 5.3
4. 20 Gbps USB port on front with charging
5. 20 Gbps USB on back, if not 40 Gbps
6. Utilize my fancy PCIe 5.0 SSD without killing important parts of the PC
7. Additional 4.0 PCIe x4 slot for future expansion

My current system is working, barely. It is a Prime B650M-A AX motherboard (CPU 7700x, 32 Gig RAM) with a 4-port (two-controller USB card) to which I've attached:

• 2 mice,
• 2 keyboards,
• 1 microphone,
• 1 launch monitor,
• 1 USB C touch screen monitor,
• 2 high-speed swing cameras, and
• 1 USB external SSD for backup
• GPU 4070 Ti
• Boot drive a Crucial T705 SSD

I anticipate adding a control box for the GSPro simulation software. If you are counting, that's 11 ports. The front of the computer has two USB A ports and one C, but I prefer to use those only for temporary connections.

I'd like to keep the fancy SSD in use without whacking the PCIe main slot to x8 or killing a PCIe slot entirely.

Activity Viewer shows the GPU running at up to 100% when rendering the flight of a shot. I have not yet noticed any signs of frames getting dropped. However, when I turn on the projector the other monitors go blank, then come on, oddly resizing. This cycle happens a couple times but, after a few seconds, all returns to normal. I have no idea what causes this... Otherwise, this system is impressively rock solid, and even as stable as my Macs (it's even turning me into a PC guy!).

Research has revealed that MBs have various topologies for PCIe lanes. Ideally, I'd like to keep my fancy 5.0 drive without degrading anything else, and I know that I can do that with AMD, as four PCIe 5.0 lanes run from SSD slots to the CPU. This is a big boost for sticking with AMD. With Intel, use of a 5.0 SSD at best reduces the x16 5.0 slot to x8, and at worst, kills entirely a second PCIe 5.0 slot. If I have to clone and switch the boot to a 4.0 drive, I'll do it. I understand that I'd likely not notice the difference.

I really like Gigabyte's Z790 Aorus Master X. With 14 USB ports it is nirvana, and since the board has only one of the three PCIe expansion slots at 5.0, adding a card in the future for something like a POE (for better cameras) does not degrade the top slot. Unfortunately, using my fancy 5.0 drive would degrade the top slot to x8 (which, again, is not presently a problem.)

Staying with AMD, I like the Crosshair Extreme (but it does not seem to be still for sale) over the Crosshair Hero because the bottom PCIe slot is x4 size, which would fit my current USB card. Otherwise, the Hero good, and I can get a x1 USB card to add a couple more USB ports, though I'd get only one controller. This board also comes on the Barebones kit that is still barely available, but a serious bargain. A friend has one for sale and all things equal, I'd buy from him.

I also understand that it is possible to get USB ports added to a back panel through an internal header. This is new to me, and perhaps an avenue to use on a board that does not initially meet my USB needs. So that AMD Hero may be looking even better...

Any thoughts? Am I wrong about something? Have I missed good options?

I'm all ears.

Why can't your low bandwidth devices use a USB hub?

 

[Cameron R]

Why can't your low bandwidth devices use a USB hub?

An option, but not elegant. Nor, as I understand it, quite as good. Shared bandwidth and all. The only low bandwidth devices are the keyboards and mice, and probably the microphone and maybe the monitor's touch screen aspects. The Cameras require their own controllers ON a HS port, as does the launch monitor. But it is an option. So I DO appreciate the thought!

 

[35below0]

A fancy 5.0 SSD is more or less just that. Fancy. It is faster but it's rarely noticeable.

Any reason a 4.0 SSD is ruled out? Because if you believe you're getting better performance, you are. But a blink of an eye faster than a blink of an eye isn't worth the money imo.

 

[thestryker]

If you want PCIe 5.0 SSD Intel is not a choice right now unless you are buying workstation CPUs.

On the AMD side of things to get extra expandability you need to buy an X670/X670E board as they have a second PCH for added connectivity.