X570 motherboard inquiries
X570 motherboard inquiries
Hey guys, This is going to be a dumb question but... Do you need a motherboard that supports SLI to run 2 nvidia cards in NON-SLI configuration? Trying to build a machine for a friend, and x570 boards are insane expensive for something with SLI support, and if that's not needed to run 2 separate cards in non SLI format, then it makes my life so much easier. I have tried several google searches and for the life of me i can not get a simple "Yes" or "No" answer. Thanks, Phil
To execute two cards in SLI mode, your system must include a motherboard with two PCI-E slots capable of operating in PCI-E X8 mode at least, and a chipset approved for SLI. An example is the x470 chipset, which enables the CPU's X16 output to be divided into two X8 slots. Some boards with A320 chipset and most B450 chipset-based models feature an additional PCI-E X16 slot, though it connects via only four PCI-E lanes—common in most motherboards. Running a video card on just four lanes would work, but SLI functionality would be lost and performance would drop.
Hey there! If he's aiming for SLI, the x470 chipset seems like a solid choice—it offers some upgrades over the x570. I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker either way. If SLI isn’t the priority, using an x570 with two cards in a non-SLI setup should work fine without any issues.
It doesn’t really improve or hurt much. The x470 supports SLI when the motherboard includes two PCIe X16 ports on the CPU side, though not all x470 models have those slots. The x570 offers PCIe 4.0 compatibility and more lanes from the chipset rather than older versions. Most x470 boards have weaker VRM (the power converter for the CPU) and less effective heatsinks, which can affect performance over time. Companies often prioritize adding features like USB 10Gbps ports or better sound chips instead of improving VRM, keeping prices low by simplifying those parts. They usually work with up to eight-core processors, but higher-end options may throttle after heavy use. Because x470 boards were produced in smaller numbers, BIOS updates are less frequent and support for newer Ryzen chips is uncertain. There’s also less assurance that future Ryzen models will be supported. Generally, 80-100 dollar B450 boards are more robust and often include more features than the higher-priced x470s. x470 boards are only worthwhile if you specifically need SLI, which is mainly for gaming and is becoming less common. Unless you really need it, it’s probably not worth the investment. You can still use video cards in any slot, including PCIe X1, and on some A320 boards the lower PCIe X16 slot has four lanes, while B450 boards have four lanes there as well. The x570 chipset provides eight PCIe 4.0 lanes, with some going to the bottom PCIe X16 port or all of them. For certain applications like CUDA or OpenCL, you can still use a single lane and expect slightly slower performance than in a full PCIe 4.0 slot. Usually, more than four lanes are unnecessary outside of gaming.
Perfect! Thanks a lot, Mariushm! That’s all the info I needed! =D I’ll let him know!