Need a clearer breakdown of PCI slots? Explain what each slot does and how it connects to your device.
Need a clearer breakdown of PCI slots? Explain what each slot does and how it connects to your device.
I possess an ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero paired with an RTX2080TI. This configuration suits my gaming and media editing needs. I'm considering a Hackintosh setup since web drivers aren't available. Adding another AMD Radeon VII to the second PCI slot could work, but it might affect performance. Using X8 speed seems likely unless you select X16. You won't need to constantly plug in cables—just switch profiles for different operating systems, each on its own M.2 slot.
The process occurring when inserting a device into the second PCI-e x16 slot is handled by hardware, not software, which means it applies universally. It doesn't depend on whether you're using an Ethernet card, WLAN, or sound card. As soon as the system recognizes the device, it restricts the available PCIe lanes in the top slot. Modern graphics cards typically don't fully utilize all 16 lanes. You might want to run a baseline benchmark, then repeat it with the second GPU installed, to check for any performance differences. If results remain consistent, you're likely fine.
The RTX 2080 Ti requires only a few lanes, making it easy to add another graphics card.