{"video_id":"Qnauk0wEerQ","title":"What Happens If You Fill EVERY PCI Express Slot?","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2025-05-04T14:58:16Z","duration_s":419,"segments":[{"start_s":0.12,"end_s":8.12,"text":"so many of us only ever end up using one slot on our motherboard usually for a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.799,"end_s":11.2,"text":"GPU but what would happen if you filled","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":8.12,"end_s":13.12,"text":"all of them it's not that unrealistic","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":11.2,"end_s":17.439,"text":"let's say you're a gamer you got to have your GPU but you also need to connect","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":15.4,"end_s":21.92,"text":"your desktop to Wi-Fi so you throw in a wireless card You Stream So you need a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":19.68,"end_s":26.72,"text":"capture card and you've got a pretty big game Library so you're out of m.2 slots","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":25.0,"end_s":30.92,"text":"so you add some more storage with one of these babies then there's the fact that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":28.88,"end_s":36.44,"text":"you've got this natural attraction to PCS with lots of USB ports so you throw","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":33.68,"end_s":41.239,"text":"in one of these and that's five cards which happens to be the same or more","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":38.8,"end_s":47.079,"text":"than most modern motherboards can accept will this overload your system in some","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":43.52,"end_s":50.079,"text":"way well as is the case with so many","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":47.079,"end_s":51.84,"text":"things in PC land the answer depends on","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":50.079,"end_s":56.92,"text":"what kind of CPU and motherboard you have what cards you're using and exactly","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":54.64,"end_s":62.199,"text":"what it is you're trying to do further complicating matters is that even PCI","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":59.44,"end_s":68.04,"text":"Express slots that look identical can operate at very different speeds let's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":65.28,"end_s":73.08,"text":"break it down some slots connect directly to your CPU While others","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":70.6,"end_s":77.68,"text":"connect to your motherboard's chipset the CPU direct ones are generally going","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":75.32,"end_s":82.64,"text":"to provide the smoothest experience since they're not going to be shared","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":79.28,"end_s":85.759,"text":"with any other devices the issue is that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":82.64,"end_s":88.56,"text":"the PCIe lanes the data paths that feed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":85.759,"end_s":94.399,"text":"these slots add a lot of cost and complexity to the CPU U that's where","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":91.32,"end_s":97.479,"text":"chipset Lanes come in in PC terms the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":94.399,"end_s":99.56,"text":"chipset is a chip or well set of them if","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":97.479,"end_s":104.52,"text":"you will that lives on your motherboard and handles a great deal of your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":101.159,"end_s":107.079,"text":"computer's input and output or IO SATA","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":104.52,"end_s":112.92,"text":"ports USB ports and network ports are commonly connected to the chipset and on","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":109.799,"end_s":116.719,"text":"Modern platforms that requires a lot of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":112.92,"end_s":120.079,"text":"PCIe lanes Intel z790 chipset for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":116.719,"end_s":123.52,"text":"example supports up to 28 additional","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":120.079,"end_s":124.96,"text":"PCIe Lanes but this presents a problem","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":123.52,"end_s":130.319,"text":"which we'll tell you about right after we thank our sponsor Shopify Shopify is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":128.479,"end_s":134.84,"text":"a powerful Commerce platform that will help you start grow and manage your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":132.72,"end_s":140.92,"text":"business actually our merch store over at LTD store.com is powered by Shopify","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":138.16,"end_s":144.879,"text":"and since 2019 we've processed hundreds of thousands of orders thanks to their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":142.519,"end_s":148.64,"text":"amazing tools and features like a simple drag and drop store Editor to build a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":146.56,"end_s":152.959,"text":"fully functional website from scratch and Integrations with our favorite","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":150.319,"end_s":157.4,"text":"social media platforms they also provide simple but effective marketing tools and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":155.4,"end_s":163.28,"text":"realtime insights into customer shopping behaviors with Shopify live view so","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":159.959,"end_s":165.239,"text":"don't wait go to shopify.com tequ and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":163.28,"end_s":169.56,"text":"join the millions of people from all around the world that use Shopify as the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":167.4,"end_s":174.56,"text":"foundation for their business the problem is that the chipset itself has","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":171.76,"end_s":180.64,"text":"to have some kind of link to your CPU and this link usually takes the form of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":177.08,"end_s":182.48,"text":"you guessed it PCI El Lanes now as you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":180.64,"end_s":187.4,"text":"can imagine there wouldn't be much cost savings if this link had the same number","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":184.64,"end_s":192.76,"text":"of lanes as the downstream chipset so typical desktop systems cut that link","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":190.159,"end_s":198.68,"text":"all the way down to just eight or even four lanes now in most cases that's not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":196.2,"end_s":203.159,"text":"a huge deal and to illustrate why let's think of our system kind of like a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":200.239,"end_s":207.959,"text":"restaurant the CPU can be the kitchen and the connected devices can be our","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":205.239,"end_s":213.36,"text":"customers our GPU is going to sit at the 16-seater VIP table over here every","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":211.239,"end_s":217.599,"text":"guest gets a dedicated Chef so no one ever goes hungry and the same goes for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":215.439,"end_s":222.959,"text":"the four-seater family and friends table where our boot SSD hangs out as for the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":220.319,"end_s":226.92,"text":"rest of the dining room well hey as long as their orders are staggered Nobody","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":224.72,"end_s":231.64,"text":"ends up waiting too long for their meal and in the real world that's usually how","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":229.04,"end_s":237.56,"text":"things go down expansion cards like Wi-Fi sound or USB and SATA cards even","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":234.799,"end_s":242.28,"text":"capture cards are very unlikely to all be operating at Peak capacity at the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":240.0,"end_s":246.64,"text":"same time and even if they did they wouldn't come close to saturating that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":244.439,"end_s":251.36,"text":"link back to your CPU because of their relatively low data","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":248.36,"end_s":253.319,"text":"rates however where you can run into","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":251.36,"end_s":258.239,"text":"problems is if you're using your chipset lanes for high-speed storage let's say","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":256.479,"end_s":262.68,"text":"for example you work with large amounts of highresolution video footage you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":260.6,"end_s":267.759,"text":"could overwhelm the link between the chipset and the CPU in multiple ways for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":265.28,"end_s":272.56,"text":"example by transferring footage from an external drive that uses the fastest","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":269.84,"end_s":277.199,"text":"versions of USB or Thunderbolt to a high-speed PCIe drive that's also","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":275.199,"end_s":282.12,"text":"running off the chipset this could result in lower than expected speeds and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":279.72,"end_s":286.28,"text":"even slow down anything else that is connected to the chipset imagine for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":284.36,"end_s":290.919,"text":"instance a capture card that starts dropping frames whenever you do a file","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":288.4,"end_s":297.4,"text":"transfer another thing to watch out for especially you Gamers is that many CPUs","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":293.8,"end_s":300.56,"text":"allow the 16 Lane GPU slot to be split","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":297.4,"end_s":302.4,"text":"into two eight Lane slots this is good","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":300.56,"end_s":307.84,"text":"because it gives users the flexibility to install two gpus for machine learning","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":305.16,"end_s":314.199,"text":"or a GPU and another high performance accelerator but it comes at the cost of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":310.759,"end_s":316.36,"text":"reducing the bandwidth to your main GPU","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":314.199,"end_s":320.479,"text":"making matters worse the way the lanes are split up is not always easy to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":318.56,"end_s":325.919,"text":"control you might consult your motherboard manual good idea by the way","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":322.919,"end_s":328.759,"text":"and think oh okay these two slots can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":325.919,"end_s":334.88,"text":"share 16 Lanes but I only really need one lane for this Wi-Fi card that leaves","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":331.479,"end_s":337.24,"text":"15 lanes for my GPU but it doesn't work","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":334.88,"end_s":342.24,"text":"like that the mere Act of installing another card any card in that slot will","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":339.84,"end_s":347.56,"text":"more than likely cut your GPU bandwidth in half fortunately your gaming","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":345.16,"end_s":352.72,"text":"performance won't drop that much but there are cases where these fine details","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":350.0,"end_s":358.68,"text":"can make a big difference this high-speed network card for example uses","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":355.24,"end_s":361.199,"text":"16 lanes that run at Gen 4 speeds if we","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":358.68,"end_s":366.56,"text":"put it into a gen three motherboard that's okay it'll work but it will run","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":363.479,"end_s":368.639,"text":"at half the bandwidth but then if the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":366.56,"end_s":373.68,"text":"slot on that motherboard were to only get eight Lanes now we've cut the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":371.0,"end_s":379.88,"text":"overall bandwidth in half again to just one quarter of what the card expected","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":377.36,"end_s":383.599,"text":"oops don't get too freaked out though you don't have a network card like that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":381.36,"end_s":387.599,"text":"at home and unless you're moving around large amounts of data regularly you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":385.44,"end_s":391.24,"text":"likely won't notice slowdowns just from having all of your slots filled if you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":389.599,"end_s":396.0,"text":"you do need more Lanes though the good news is there are solutions workstation","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":393.96,"end_s":401.56,"text":"and Enterprise platforms like AMD's Threadripper and epic or Intel Xeon are","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":398.96,"end_s":405.919,"text":"built with a huge number of PCIe lanes connected directly to the CPU the only","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":404.479,"end_s":410.24,"text":"problem is that if you need one of those you're going to have to figure out how to get one of your kidneys out as","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":408.8,"end_s":413.84,"text":"painlessly as possible thanks for watching if you guys","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":412.28,"end_s":419.08,"text":"liked this video check out our other video on PCI Express gen 7","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"so many of us only ever end up using one slot on our motherboard usually for a GPU but what would happen if you filled all of them it's not that unrealistic let's say you're a gamer you got to have your GPU but you also need to connect your desktop to Wi-Fi so you throw in a wireless card You Stream So you need a capture card and you've got a pretty big game Library so you're out of m.2 slots so you add some more storage with one of these babies then there's the fact that you've got this natural attraction to PCS with lots of USB ports so you throw in one of these and that's five cards which happens to be the same or more than most modern motherboards can accept will this overload your system in some way well as is the case with so many things in PC land the answer depends on what kind of CPU and motherboard you have what cards you're using and exactly what it is you're trying to do further complicating matters is that even PCI Express slots that look identical can operate at very different speeds let's break it down some slots connect directly to your CPU While others connect to your motherboard's chipset the CPU direct ones are generally going to provide the smoothest experience since they're not going to be shared with any other devices the issue is that the PCIe lanes the data paths that feed these slots add a lot of cost and complexity to the CPU U that's where chipset Lanes come in in PC terms the chipset is a chip or well set of them if you will that lives on your motherboard and handles a great deal of your computer's input and output or IO SATA ports USB ports and network ports are commonly connected to the chipset and on Modern platforms that requires a lot of PCIe lanes Intel z790 chipset for example supports up to 28 additional PCIe Lanes but this presents a problem which we'll tell you about right after we thank our sponsor Shopify Shopify is a powerful Commerce platform that will help you start grow and manage your business actually our merch store over at LTD store.com is powered by Shopify and since 2019 we've processed hundreds of thousands of orders thanks to their amazing tools and features like a simple drag and drop store Editor to build a fully functional website from scratch and Integrations with our favorite social media platforms they also provide simple but effective marketing tools and realtime insights into customer shopping behaviors with Shopify live view so don't wait go to shopify.com tequ and join the millions of people from all around the world that use Shopify as the foundation for their business the problem is that the chipset itself has to have some kind of link to your CPU and this link usually takes the form of you guessed it PCI El Lanes now as you can imagine there wouldn't be much cost savings if this link had the same number of lanes as the downstream chipset so typical desktop systems cut that link all the way down to just eight or even four lanes now in most cases that's not a huge deal and to illustrate why let's think of our system kind of like a restaurant the CPU can be the kitchen and the connected devices can be our customers our GPU is going to sit at the 16-seater VIP table over here every guest gets a dedicated Chef so no one ever goes hungry and the same goes for the four-seater family and friends table where our boot SSD hangs out as for the rest of the dining room well hey as long as their orders are staggered Nobody ends up waiting too long for their meal and in the real world that's usually how things go down expansion cards like Wi-Fi sound or USB and SATA cards even capture cards are very unlikely to all be operating at Peak capacity at the same time and even if they did they wouldn't come close to saturating that link back to your CPU because of their relatively low data rates however where you can run into problems is if you're using your chipset lanes for high-speed storage let's say for example you work with large amounts of highresolution video footage you could overwhelm the link between the chipset and the CPU in multiple ways for example by transferring footage from an external drive that uses the fastest versions of USB or Thunderbolt to a high-speed PCIe drive that's also running off the chipset this could result in lower than expected speeds and even slow down anything else that is connected to the chipset imagine for instance a capture card that starts dropping frames whenever you do a file transfer another thing to watch out for especially you Gamers is that many CPUs allow the 16 Lane GPU slot to be split into two eight Lane slots this is good because it gives users the flexibility to install two gpus for machine learning or a GPU and another high performance accelerator but it comes at the cost of reducing the bandwidth to your main GPU making matters worse the way the lanes are split up is not always easy to control you might consult your motherboard manual good idea by the way and think oh okay these two slots can share 16 Lanes but I only really need one lane for this Wi-Fi card that leaves 15 lanes for my GPU but it doesn't work like that the mere Act of installing another card any card in that slot will more than likely cut your GPU bandwidth in half fortunately your gaming performance won't drop that much but there are cases where these fine details can make a big difference this high-speed network card for example uses 16 lanes that run at Gen 4 speeds if we put it into a gen three motherboard that's okay it'll work but it will run at half the bandwidth but then if the slot on that motherboard were to only get eight Lanes now we've cut the overall bandwidth in half again to just one quarter of what the card expected oops don't get too freaked out though you don't have a network card like that at home and unless you're moving around large amounts of data regularly you likely won't notice slowdowns just from having all of your slots filled if you you do need more Lanes though the good news is there are solutions workstation and Enterprise platforms like AMD's Threadripper and epic or Intel Xeon are built with a huge number of PCIe lanes connected directly to the CPU the only problem is that if you need one of those you're going to have to figure out how to get one of your kidneys out as painlessly as possible thanks for watching if you guys liked this video check out our other video on PCI Express gen 7"}