PCIe 3.0 with Ivybridge

[ussff]

Whilst it has been proved in several reviews that PCIe 3.0 does not produce a significant gain with a single GPU... there appears to be more than anecdotal enthusiast testing on the net that makes PCIe 3.0 look better in CF... at x16.

For me it’s the tipping point as to whether an IB is worth the extra cash (and heat) over a well established SB, if I'm building a rig for the future... does anyone have trusted tests either way with multiple GPU's?

With an Asrock Z77 Extreme 4, I'm specifically interested in x8 x8 CF ...your thoughts and recommendations welcome!

 

[stulid]

Thread here may help - http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18404685

 

[ussff]

Interestingly the comment that PCI-E3.0 8X/8X is equivalent to PCI-E2.0 16X/16X stands out for me.

My Z77 Extreme 4 has a PCIe 16x slot, dropping to 8x/8x if I crossfire configure my system. I could not afford a mobo that went 16x/16x in crossfire - but if I stick an Ivybridge in the Z77 instead of a Sandybridge I will achieve PCIe 3.0 8x/8x which will take some grunt in the next few years...

 

[sturmtruppe]

On my Z77 board, the second pci-e slot is physically wired at 8x (Meaning the pins only go about half way across the slot)

I tried my PCIe 2.0 gfx card in one of these slots, GPU-Z reported the card was running at PCIe 2.0 @ 8x