Folding Forum

Good afternoon, I've found a second hand mobo+cpu combo for 300Euros. The set is a Χ99 EVGA FTW motherboard and an i7 5960X 8core-16thread cpu.
Would this set support 4 GPUs running at PCIe 3.0 x8, 1 GPU running at PCIe 3.0 x4 and a M.2 at x4?

https://www.evga.com/support/manuals/fi ... E-E097.pdf

If the whole thing still is functioning properly I see no reason why not. This CPU can handle 40 PCIe lanes. You should use a set of four sticks of RAM to use its capabilities (Quad channel DDR4).
For 5 GPUs, you are going to need some really powerful PSU, though, and it will be hard to cool.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en ... tions.html

says 40 lanes.

https://www.evga.com/support/manuals/fi ... X-E297.pdf

PCI-E Lane Distribution (44 Lane SKX CPU’s)
PE1 – x4 (Gen3, x4 lanes from PCH)
PE2 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE3)
PE3 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU, shares 8 of PE2’s 16 lanes)
PE4 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU, shares 8 of PE5’s 16 lanes)
PE5 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE4)
PE6 – x1 (Gen3, x1 lane from PCH)

PCI-E Lane Distribution (28 Lane SKX CPU’s)
PE1 – x4 (Gen3, x4 lanes from PCH)
PE2 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE3)
PE3 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU, shares 8 of PE2’s 16 lanes)
PE4 – x16 (Not functional with a 28 lane processor.)
PE5 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU)
PE6 – x1 (Gen3, x1 lane from PCH)

The specs do not mention 40 lanes, but it should act like one of these setups.

ajm wrote:If the whole thing still is functioning properly I see no reason why not. This CPU can handle 40 PCIe lanes. You should use a set of four sticks of RAM to use its capabilities (Quad channel DDR4).
For 5 GPUs, you are going to need some really powerful PSU, though, and it will be hard to cool.

I was thinking x16 risers for some of em, and 2 psus.
Τhe main issue is that I'll have to wait for gpu prices to drop. And by then, a better deal may have arisen.

iero wrote:Τhe main issue is that I'll have to wait for gpu prices to drop. And by then, a better deal may have arisen.

History has shown that GPU prices don't drop. A new generation of GPUs is released in a tier with higher performance levels and with higher prices. The old generation's prices may go down but not much.

You might as well plan on buying GPUs from the previous generations which have already gone through the price reduction process.

bruce wrote:

iero wrote:Τhe main issue is that I'll have to wait for gpu prices to drop. And by then, a better deal may have arisen.

History has shown that GPU prices don't drop. A new generation of GPUs is released in a tier with higher performance levels and with higher prices. The old generation's prices may go down but not much.

You might as well plan on buying GPUs from the previous generations which have already gone through the price reduction process.

I was talking about the price surge due to mining.

JimboPalmer wrote:https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en ... tions.html

says 40 lanes.

https://www.evga.com/support/manuals/fi ... X-E297.pdf

PCI-E Lane Distribution (44 Lane SKX CPU’s)
PE1 – x4 (Gen3, x4 lanes from PCH)
PE2 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE3)
PE3 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU, shares 8 of PE2’s 16 lanes)
PE4 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU, shares 8 of PE5’s 16 lanes)
PE5 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE4)
PE6 – x1 (Gen3, x1 lane from PCH)

PCI-E Lane Distribution (28 Lane SKX CPU’s)
PE1 – x4 (Gen3, x4 lanes from PCH)
PE2 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE3)
PE3 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU, shares 8 of PE2’s 16 lanes)
PE4 – x16 (Not functional with a 28 lane processor.)
PE5 – x16 (Gen3, x8 lanes from CPU)
PE6 – x1 (Gen3, x1 lane from PCH)

The specs do not mention 40 lanes, but it should act like one of these setups.

That's a manual from a different mobo, isn't it?

Oops, you are right, here is your motherboard https://www.evga.com/support/manuals/fi ... E-E097.pdf

EVGA X99 FTW – K (151-BE-E097) - 17 -
PCI-E Slot Breakdown PCI-E Lane Distribution (40 Lane Processor)
PE1 – x16 (x8 if PE3 is used)
PE2 – x1 (Gen2, lane is pulled from PCH)
PE3 – x8
PE4 – x8
PE5 – x16 (x8 if PE4 is used)
PE6 – x8 (Disabled is M.2 is used)

So PE1, PE3, PE4, PE5 and PE6 should all be x8 if there is no M.2

So its 5x PCIe 3.0 x8 and a SATA SSD.
I was just calculating the cost of the entire package.

300E mobo+cpu
100E 4 dimms of RAM
40E for a Be Quiet Pure Rock 2 Black
530E for 2x Corsair HX Series HX1200 - 1200W - 80+ Platinum
20E for an SSD

That's around 1000E without any graphic cards.



I FORGOT THE 2 risers. 2x 30E

You'd be better off just buying cheaper boards and running Linux. I've noticed little drop off running x4 in Linux although I admit I don't run crazy expensive gpus.

And do you really need 2400W? Even 4 3090s wouldn't go anywhere near that much.

HaloJones wrote:You'd be better off just buying cheaper boards and running Linux. I've noticed little drop off running x4 in Linux although I admit I don't run crazy expensive gpus.

And do you really need 2400W? Even 4 3090s wouldn't go anywhere near that much.

I can't recall my logic for picking 2x 1200W psus the other day. Maybe, number of pcie 2x8 cables?

Your suggestion seems better to be honest. 2 gpus max per mobo, at x4 or x8, would allow for cheap 80+ psus.


*EDIT* How old dual cores would you guys say that are enough to drive 1 modern GPU. Would an Intel Pentium G860 by enough or am I reaching?

Depends on the OS I think too. I've got a couple of G4560 cpus driving in one case two 1070s and in the other a 1080ti and a 1070 and they seem happy with such a low spec cpu. Previously one was running a G4400 with two 1070s and again, no issue with the performance of the 1070s even with one of them at x4. But I suspect it might be different if trying to drive a 3090.

Wonder how single board 5 aircooled GPUs setup should look nowadays for not frying any of cards with their dissipated heat.
Something like caseless horizontal big open frame, with cards at PCIe x16 > 2x PCIe x8 risers, positioned safely above motherboard, with 3 fans of each GPU looking down and backplates looking up, with heated air exhausted from heatsinks long sides of each card and helped it to move up away with some 120 mm fans positioned on lightweight frame above cards and firing warmed air up with one or two fans installed over side exhausts of each pair of cards. Or even maybe these 8 fans will be redundant and heat will flow up just with convection, not sure.
Maybe, nor sure, сan't thinking something better without big expensive custom loops with few big radiators here and there in very custom enormous case with a size of refrigerator.

Frontiers wrote:Wonder how single board 5 aircooled GPUs setup should look nowadays for not frying any of cards with their dissipated heat.
Something like caseless horizontal big open frame, with cards at PCIe x16 > 2x PCIe x8 risers, positioned safely above motherboard, with 3 fans of each GPU looking down and backplates looking up, with heated air exhausted from heatsinks long sides of each card and helped it to move up away with some 120 mm fans positioned on lightweight frame above cards and firing warmed air up with one or two fans installed over side exhausts of each pair of cards. Or even maybe these 8 fans will be redundant and heat will flow up just with convection, not sure.
Maybe, nor sure, сan't thinking something better without big expensive custom loops with few big radiators here and there in very custom enormous case with a size of refrigerator.

I think that this isn't what you were thinking. In any case, you could use something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/223684389701 , if the board allows for bifurcation amd the cards aren't saturated with x4 speeds.
Any dream of multiple gpu folding system seems to be many months away. I currently buy up 10 series gpus and flip em for a small profit, in hopes of being able to buy used gpus if the crypto market crashes.

Most of the motherboard Bioses don't support more than 3 GPUs.
But even if they did, the rack above won't work.
They're ok for USB style PCIE x1 risers, but PCIE x4, x8 and x16 style risers have a maximum length the cable can be.
With that rack, at best you'll need 2 mobos, mounted on the opposite side of the GPUs.