I recently bought a second-hand PC for my nephew, and I noticed the 1080ti is installed in the second PCIe x16 slot. According to the manual, the primary slot is typically where the GPU should go, but the CPU heatsink blocks access to it. My motherboard is an ASUS Strix B460-G Gaming (mini-ATX). Is it okay to leave the GPU in the second slot, or should I try to move it? If I leave it where it is, how much performance will I lose with this motherboard? The manual states that the second slot can only support x4 mode when running, which could potentially affect performance. I'm a bit confused about whether this matters for my current setup, so any advice would be appreciated!
2 Answers
Definitely need pics to see the setup! It’s possible the CPU cooler is installed incorrectly and is hanging over the PCIe slot. If that's the case, a simple adjustment might let you move the GPU back to the primary slot without needing an extension cable.
The second slot is only x4 electrically, so while it will work fine, you might experience a bit of performance drop under heavy loads. That said, check how the CPU cooler is installed; it might not actually be blocking the first slot. Sometimes, these coolers can be adjusted to clear the space better. What cooler model are you using?
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