I recently ordered a custom PC build, and I'm looking for some advice on PCIe lanes, bifurcation, and how my storage choices might affect performance. Here's what I got:
- G.Skill 64 GB DDR5-6000 RAM (2x 32 GB)
- Lian Li O11 Vision Compact Midi Tower Case
- Noctua PRIME TX-1600 Noctua Edition 1600 Watt Power Supply
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 A-RGB Cooler
- ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-H GAMING WIFI7 Motherboard
- MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G SUPRIM LIQUID Graphics Card
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Processor
- SAMSUNG 9100 PRO 8 TB SSD
I chose an 8TB SSD because I was concerned that using 2x4TB drives would split the lanes and reduce performance. I found some helpful resources, but I'm still unsure about whether this motherboard will maintain full PCIe Gen5 speeds for the GPU and SSD. Also, I noticed in the booklet that using additional M.2 slots can switch the GPU to x8 speed. Should I be worried about the performance when adding these components? Any feedback or concerns regarding my build would be appreciated!
1 Answer
Your reasoning about sticking with the 8TB drive is spot on! If you'd gone for 2x4TB drives, you might have had to compromise on PCIe lanes, making your RTX 5080 drop to x8 speed due to bifurcation.
Also, consider switching to the **Lian Li O11D EVO RGB** case. It has a mesh top which is better for cooling, and it allows for easier AIO mounting on the top, which could save you some hassle!
Thanks for that tip! I didn't realize my current case arrangement might mess with airflow. I'll definitely check if I can switch it out.