How many cards can a GA-EP45-UD3 handle? (PCIe x1)

[nookiegirl]

Hey everybody,

I am planning on buying a couple of GIGABYTE GV-R797OC-3GD Radeon HD 7970.


My current Mobo is a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3:


It has the following

• 3 x PCI Express x1 slots
• a single PCI Express x16 slot
• CPU: Core2Duo E8400 @3.6Ghz
• RAM: 8GB

Regardless of space or heat, can I put 4 of the above 7970's on that board?
If yes, will the cards on the x1 Slot mine slower than the one on the x16 slot?

[Ultraviolet]

It should work unless that MB has some notorious issue. An hour of forum/Google/Reddit searching should confirm/deny that though.

You'll need to use risers because of the heat. One of them will have to be powered. The 1x will mine at the same speed as 16x.

[nookiegirl]

It should work unless that MB has some notorious issue. An hour of forum/Google/Reddit searching should confirm/deny that though.

You'll need to use risers because of the heat. One of them will have to be powered. The 1x will mine at the same speed as 16x.

Thank you :-)

So why does only one have to be powered? And does it matter which slot (x16 or x1) ?

[gisfrancisco]

Having one or more risers powered takes some of the load off the motherboard.