Check your PCIe lane usage to ensure you haven't exceeded the maximum limits.
Check your PCIe lane usage to ensure you haven't exceeded the maximum limits.
Hey there! I want to say sorry for not being familiar with all the details about building PCs. Your time and understanding mean a lot. I’m new to this forum and still figuring things out, especially when it comes to hardware specifics. Thanks for taking the time to read my question.
About three years ago I set up a home workstation for editing videos and color correction (started as a Hackintosh but switched to Windows 10). I usually work from an office using a 2017 iMac, but the pandemic pushed me to work from home. This made me think about upgrading my setup.
The two main things I’m considering are:
1. Getting an extra I/O device (like the Blackmagic Ultra Studio mini 4K, needs Thunderbolt 3).
2. Adding a Thunderbolt 3 card (possibly Titan Ridge 2.0) for either doubling data access or expanding NAS storage.
I’m also thinking about two options:
- Two x DAS units using a 10GbE card.
- Or a single 10GbE card for two NAS drives – one for fast online access (like a QNAP TR004) and another for slower archival storage (such as a Synology).
This got me thinking about my PCIE slots. I currently have:
- My GPU
- A boot drive in the M.2 slot
- A spare drive in another M.2 slot
I’m wondering if I have enough lanes and want to learn more about them. My research suggests I might have around 40 lanes, but I’m not sure if my motherboard or any components are limiting it.
I have a couple more questions:
- If I push my PCIE capacity to its limit, would my graphics card and any Thunderbolt devices lose their full speed?
- If I have 40 lanes, does that mean my GPU slot (16x) is mostly free? Would I still have enough for other devices?
- With a setup like this (I/O box via TB3, DAS, NAS on 10GbE card), do I need to worry about bottlenecks?
I’m still learning a lot from this, and I really appreciate your patience. If you have any advice or resources, I’d love to hear them!
Best of luck with your builds – you’re on the right path.
Take care, and have a great day!
What full system configurations are available? The lane count isn't the main focus—it's about how your board integrates with you. Simply counting lanes won't work, since many boards leave them unused, or you can't activate all of them in your setup. If it matches the system you're describing, you'll have two PCIe slots to work with. One slot from the chipset (x4) and one from the CPU (x8), with the GPU using x8. When setting up storage on your build, use local storage for current projects (it will be faster and simpler to set up a NAS or NAS array), then connect a 10GbE switch so you can link a large NAS or two that hold less frequently accessed projects and files.
Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. In terms of your setup, the specifications I mentioned align with the configuration you described. You’re right about how the ports are used for traffic—your previous storage setup was solid until space and port limitations became an issue. You’re considering upgrading to a 10GBE NIC and exploring options like Synology or Qnap for less frequently used drives. Great plan!