# PCI Express Extender Cables Benchmarked



## Legonut

Although you didn't get much variation it's still very useful information!
+rep


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## Cavey00

Very surprising and helpful results. +1 rep. Love the build too.


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## drnilly007

Not the results I expected but good to know. If you can do one think in the results chart below the graph, bold the best results in each test to help see it better as its tough to read through the numbers. Thanx!


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## AlphaC

I suspect the only difference is EMI shielding then ?

Or are the cables 30 AWG silver?

Silver resistance is1.59 X10−8 Ω·m @ 20°C
Copper resistance is 1.68 X10−8 Ω·m @ 20°C

There's not much difference

I think some manufacturers make flat cable EMI shields such as "Parker Chomerics CHO-JAC® CJ-021 Flat Cable EMI Shield "
Site: http://www.chomerics.com/products/emi/cableconnector/cable/foil/cho-jac/index.html
DATA: http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet.aspx?matguid=f4df0722c58a48d986944987334b1f47&ckck=1

and this one from SPC , not for flat cables
http://www.newark.com/pro-power-formerly-from-spc/spc5086/heat-shrink-tubing-kit-emi-shield/dp/50N161


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## OrangeClockwerk

Thanks for this thread. Im going to be using a riser cable for my build to mount a graphics card vertically in my case. I already bought a 12" riser cable off ebay, its one thats soldiered with bus cables like the ones you daisy chained. I only plan on using one GPU in my build, just one bad ass card most likely getting a 790 gtx when they drop. I hope using one will work, if not ill buy the 100$ cable. thanks for the information and the post.

Awesome build by the way, very unique


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## Jwilliams01207

+rep.
Just the information I was looking for!









I bought some of the generic risers without the shielding on eBay for less than $10 each.
My plan was to use them to move an SLI configuration to a location with better airflow.
After testing the configuration with the risers, I decided that the risers were garbage and trashed them.
I'm really glad to know that it may have just been the fact that I had an unshielded riser resting on another unshielded riser.


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## nz3777

So iam just curious why would one use these extender cables? Just when you would wanna mount your gpu out of site or something along those lines? Ive never seen these before,Interesting!


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## Cavey00

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nz3777*
> 
> So iam just curious why would one use these extender cables? Just when you would wanna mount your gpu out of site or something along those lines? Ive never seen these before,Interesting!


You should check out the OP's build. That will explain it perfectly. There are some of us who think outside the box.


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## nz3777

We need inovators like that, I think I saw the wall-Monunted pc,Is that the one you guys are talking about? Its good to know theres no performance hit using these guys, I thought on account of the Length itself we might see a hit, but thats really good for future refrence.


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## Cavey00

That wall mount he did was indeed a piece of art. Seriously, that would be hanging in my living room if I had the time, tools and money to do it. The risers are really the biggest unknown and the OP was genius to find a good solution.


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## dullers

Power is your biggest enemy with these extender/risers. We're actually in the middle of designing our own, and it's a struggle to get all 75w from the board to the card without "burning up" wires. Typically the ribbons are 28-32 awg, which can handle about 0.142 A each. Depending on the vendor/manufacturer/designer of the riser, there are 1-5 power leads.
Assuming they use all 5 leads - doing the quick math...

12 V - 5wires X 0.142 A = ~0.71 A = ~ 9 watts
3.3 V - 5wires X 0.142 A = ~0.71 A = ~ 2.5 watts

Keep in mind these are "open air" and very conservative estimates. But a good rule of thumb








Active cooling will help with overhead. Decent, indoor (cooler) temperatures will also help.

This is why you'll see a lot of those risers come with Molex, P4, mini-fit Jr, etc, power connectors to supplement. Often times if your card has external power (like most PoE or Video cards do) you'll be fine.

This thread was very valuable for our research during the design process. Great reassurance that we won't have to worry as much about throughput & interference with longer cables. Regardless, we plan to shield with foil tape, just to be safe ;-)
Cheers!


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## Danisumi

Just a question, would you mind doing another benchmark, while using all extenders in serial configuration? I would love to know if it's any worse when you really want to extend the cards over a longer distance.


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## vrydstrbd

Great info!
I looked into these a couple years back but was very skittish due to the mixed reviews of the products that were available.
I thought my wall hung rig was epic but now... I bow to the new king! Yours is awesome! I am currently gathering parts for my new upgraded wall hung rig which I am sorry to say... is gonna be black/red like yours.
Here is my rig without the use of extenders, the new one should be done in a couple months but I may not go the extender route...or maybe i will..





This rig
2700k
P8Z77-V PRO (had to replace the P8Z68-V PRO)
16GB Vengeance
2 - Gigabyte gtx670 OC
sammy 830 series with a Seagate 3TB underneath
Ultra x3 1000 watt


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## GunnzAkimbo

Thats a nifty setup.

Are there any kind of extension boards that can sit next to the motherboard.
My case has 10 pci slots and would like to install some more cards but only have 1 slot left (soon to be filled with a raid card).

Was thinking there could be a way to plug the cards into the extension board, then slot the cards in and fasten, then run the cable from the extension card to the pcie slot.

* Actually, all i need is a tiny 1x pcie cable to sneak under a GFX card and then plug into the pcie connector on the sound card.


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## Syntaxvgm

Hey thanks for doing this I was wondering this myself As I'm planning a low profile mod that will require one of these.


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## rygaroo

This test system runs on PCIe 1.0 (2.5GHz), correct? I see your awesome wall mounted rig is running great with the extenders via PCIe 2.0 (5 GHz). I was curious if there was any testing available w/ extenders on PCIe 3.0 to see if the jump from 5GHz to 8GHz has any affect on stability and/or performance. Do you know if this info is available? At higher frequencies, I expect the transmission error rates would increase, causing more packet replay requests and adversely affecting performance


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## dollesterdy

that right, I hope using one will work, if not ill buy the 100$ cable. thanks for the information and the post.thanks


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## Sk8rSeth

I think the jump to pcie 3.0 is much harder. I have a gtx770ti and Asus maximus formula mobo that I have never once been able to get working with an extender cable. Tried 3 cables and two sizes. Checked every cable and went through powered and unpowered with no luck. The card and the pcie slot work fine cuz they work without the riser cable. Thoughts? What am I missing?


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## cinnamonrollz

How did you get 3m to send you samples?


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## b16984901

I have a good cable is about 16 $

GPU R9-270X

MB B75-ITX

PCI-E Riser cable 300mm


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## Brian18741

Thanks for taking the time + rep!


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## Eddie666

HI; I'm making a modding of a case, and since I have to move the vga I'll need to use one of these cables: the same would be run along the back of the motherboard (where it will be placed two 2.5" hd, one ssd and one mechanical hd), I would understand if I could have some issues with the vga


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## b16984901

What direction ?
What size?

There is a referencehttp://www.overclock.net/t/1493261/pci-express-3-0-extender-cables#post_22359031


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## Eddie666

the video card would be positioned vertically respect to the mobo, so the cable should be bent to 90° (and placed under the mobo itself); the length should be about 250mm


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## b16984901

Like this
This amount is probably 220mm with a ruler


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## Eddie666

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *b16984901*
> 
> Like this
> This amount is probably 220mm with a ruler


yes. which cable is that? is it shielded, right?


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## b16984901

This is PCIE3.0 cable
This cable has a patent


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## Eddie666

Just a little experiment:

[http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/1caf725bcb4b9f8c313c55e27badbb00.jpg
http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/b514406c87d2c8a27f0d0ab0dacf4644.jpg

EVGA GTX 750 SC 2gb "powered" by celeron j1900, on PCIE 1X

http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/8520c3a17cc397ec8e9095025b0057e2.jpg

http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2596827

http://www.3dmark.com/sd/2295682


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## b16984901

Great an experiment

Your CPU is PCIE2.0 not PCIE3.0
Therefore, this cable is also OK
But would not run in PCIE3.0
You can use the GPZ it can know if you are running 3.0 or 2.0
http://ark.intel.com/zh-tw/products/78867/Intel-Celeron-Processor-J1900-2M-Cache-up-to-2_42-GHz


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## Eddie666

Hi. My mobo has only pcie 2.0http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Q1900-ITX/
And I set pcie 2.0 from BIOS,and gpuz confirm


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## b16984901

If you are using PCIE3.0 settings
You need PCIE3.0 cable
2.0 cable can not be used


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## Eddie666

the vga is pcie 3.0, but the motherboard not; from bios I can set pcie 1.0 or 2.0 only


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## b16984901

I know
I mean
If your CPU MB GPU are PCIE3.0
The cable would need PCIE3.0


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## Eddie666

Ah,yes you have right. For my main project i will use a 3.0 mobo with a 3.0 VGA,so I will need a cable as you described before


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## irek83

Hi, I have a problem with pcie x16 riser in my build. When I start any game I get a crash. Riser don't have a molex power controller. Somebody have any idea what is the problem?


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## Eddie666

Which vga you have?

length of the riser?


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## irek83

Mobo- p8Z77-I deluxe, gpu- gtx 770, psu- silverstone sfx 450 W gold +, riser - 15cm pcie x16 pci express flexible extender. Gpu works fine without riser.


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## b16984901

Because the problem of PCI-E cable
Your CPU GPM MB are PCI-E3.0
So the cable you use must be PCI-E3.0 cable
Otherwise there will be problems

Please refer to
http://www.overclock.net/t/1493261/pci-e-flexible-gen-3-0-riser-card-vs-pci-e-flexible-gen-2-0-riser-card


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## irek83

So my riser is a pcie 2.0?


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## b16984901

General Cable can not be used in PCIE3.0 environment
Some can not boot some
Because the signal cable will be unstable
And there are a lot of problems
Just like you

So use PCIE3.0 of cable


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## Eddie666

yes, it's like b16984901 said


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## irek83

Pc work fine, just games and benchmark give me a crash, actually sky drive benchmark pass yesterday without issue but fire strike give me a crash as well. Can you send me some link with exactly model I need? I build really small pc so I need short riser.Thank you for your help.


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## RnRollie

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *irek83*
> 
> Pc work fine, just games and benchmark give me a crash, actually sky drive benchmark pass yesterday without issue but fire strike give me a crash as well. Can you send me some link with exactly model I need? I build really small pc so I need short riser.Thank you for your help.


Try to find one of your liking on the 3M site, then check where to buy or enter the partnumber in google to arrive at mouser or aliexpress or the like









Note that besides the ribbons there are actually (angled) card extenders also, which could be useful if you only need 1" or so

But if you are suffering from BSoDs, then you must go for quality shielded cables/ribbons/extenders, hence the 3M reference

http://www2.mouser.com/Wire-Cable/Cable-Assemblies/_/N-bkre6?Keyword=pci+express+ribbon&FS=True


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## cptnighthawk666

so basically 3m is overpricing their risers by about 80%


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## RnRollie

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cptnighthawk666*
> 
> so basically 3m is overpricing their risers by about 80%


Depends on how you look at it....

The 3M risers/cables are quality shielded, not some cheap chinese with tinfoil wrapped around it
If you are sure you wont be affected by crosstalk & other EMI interference, then yes, they are overpriced ...
...just like Pirelli tyres are.. you can put cheap no-name radial retreads on a Corvette/Viper also.

However, if you want peace of mind (and stay on the road at the next corner), they buy quality.

Up to you, just remember, you get what you pay for.


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## b16984901

Maybe you can get 3M PCI-E cable
Use support PCI-E 3.0 devices
And test him

I see PCI Express Extender Cables Benchmarked
Uses

Test Systems
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (stock @ 2.4GHz's) (PCI-E 2.0)
GPU: AMD Sapphire HD5870 1GB (stock @ 850 / 1250MHz a) (PCI-E 2.0)
Motherboard: Asus Commando (PCI-E 2.0)

I tested is
Processor: Intel Core I5-3470 (PCI-E 3.0)
GPU: PowerColor R9-270X (PCI-E 3.0)
Motherboard: JW B75-ITX (PCI-E 3.0)

The 3M risers/cables are quality shielded is very well

But you need is through the PCI-E 3.0 cable testing
Currently 3M cable and have not been tested on the PCI-E 3.0

In fact China how cheap and can not be used in cable
It's true
But this kind of cheap cable with cable completely different
The test can take a look here
http://www.overclock.net/t/1493261/pci-e-flexible-gen-3-0-riser-card-vs-pci-e-flexible-gen-2-0-riser-card


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## veryrarium

Is there really such a thing as a "PCI-e 3.0 ready" riser cable? If there is, what distinguishes such an extender from all the existing riser cables sold that don't say anything about 1.1, 2.0 or 3.0?


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## BBEG

Good info, +rep to the OP. I've had similar results testing my 680s on my small test riser cable and being plugged directly into the motherboard (no measurable difference). I'll be needing two riser cables in the very near future so it's nice to see any option's as good as the other.


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## b16984901

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *veryrarium*
> 
> Is there really such a thing as a "PCI-e 3.0 ready" riser cable? If there is, what distinguishes such an extender from all the existing riser cables sold that don't say anything about 1.1, 2.0 or 3.0?


PCI-E Technical logic:
Because PCI-E signal is Ghz, not Mhz, I put the anti-ferromagnetic metal into the sandwich, and then use enon-woven conductive fabric wrapped up, so the physical characteristics of Cable's, there are three major changes:
(1) Solution contains a radio, etc., a variety of wave resonance effect, and the problem of leakage (SATA the same and so the USB Cable, can not be used by PCI-E)!
(2) eliminate the signal line and the power line interaction working together; (so the majority of high-speed Cable, has this had marked),
(3) maintain the synchronization signal; (like using USB Cable, in order to (1) + (2) factors, packets isolate the wire, it is not used to transmit signals PCI-E),


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## veryrarium

Thanks for the reply b16984901, I don't really understand those technicalities, but basically you're saying that a better measure has to be taken to protect the signal from some kind of electromagnetic interference and leakage in case of PCI-E v3.0 as larger bandwidth is more susceptible to intereference or leakage?


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## b16984901

Because more than 2.5Ghz bidirectional signal must be transmitted together and drive power
There will be more interference Ghz radio waves and magnetic fields of transport barriers


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## veryrarium

@b16984901 Thanks again!


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## Cakewalk_S

With my new interest in air cooling and the looks of the new geforce gtx 970 I might just be in the neighborhood for a pci extender to flip my card facing out so the design of the card can actually be seen in the case...
Great work OP! Well deserved rep!


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## donarthur

+1 rep!~


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## wirk

Please enlighten me in this: How to split PCIE 3.0 x16 slot into two PCIE 3.0 x8 slots? I would like to use two graphics cards with this slot. There are riser cards

http://www.supermicro.com/a_images/products/Accessories/RSC-R2UF-2E8GR.jpg

available but will this work with any motherboard or one needs e.g. special support in BIOS??? From the riser card I would use 2 extender cables to graphics cards.

Would appreciate any additional info and hints about such configuration.


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## wirk

OK, so I reply to myself reporting results of deeper investigation of the problem. It turns out that splitting of a PCI-E slot relies on the motherboard support for PCI-E _bifurcation_. Bifurcation means in general redirecting PCI-E lanes to specific slots and apparently it is implemented in the PCI-E chips but likely it needs software support (in BIOS?) for activation. There are some motherboards which officially support bifurcation, among them server boards /e.g. Supermicro/ or some mini-ITX boards which use riser cards to save space. Thus, to use _passive_ PCI-E splitter the bifurcation support is required in the motherboard. There is no information if standard motherboards have bifurcation support, probably not. BUT, there are also _active_ PCI-E expanders and they apparently work with any motherboard. I am not aware if using them requires instlallation of a special software in the motherboard or do they work right of the bat when connecting to the PCI-E slot.


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## s7Design

Hi guys,

i'm planing my new build and im looking to have 4 way crossfire with R9 290 but all the cards will have to be on its own 50 cm riser. Dose anyone know if the M3 riser will do the trick and would the 4 cards be able to be in crossfire, as they communicate via PCIE and no longer over a dedicated crossfire bridge?


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## tasteelingus

Hey OP, sorry for resurrecting a year-old thread, but I was looking at doing a build that will similarly require PCIe x16 risers for my vid cards, and was wondering if you'd done any testing with the 3M risers with a PCIe 3.0 card/mobo? Product data I've found for the risers says they're compatible with both 2.0 and 3.0, but if you have it available, it'd be nice to have some data proving that there's no performance drop in 3.0. Thanks!


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## b16984901

Like this test it?


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## Cowski

This is great info & the graphs & pics are a bonus!! Thanks.

Question.

I've been searching the 'net for the better part of 2-3 days for 200mm and 300mm PCIe 16x riser ribbons and all I'm finding so far all I'm finding are 190mm cables. Does anyone have a link to these 200mm and 300mm riser ribbons? Once I get my wall mounted PC up & running and save a few $$$ I'll probably opt for the more expensiv PCie 16x ribbon.

Thanks!


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## s7Design

Hey guys,

just wanted to give a little update to the thread, i know Show4Pro gave a real good test with results, but there was still a question bothering me about the 3M cables. Every one has posted results and test either with PCI-e 2.0 GPU's or PCI-e 2.0 mother boards, i found no test showing that the cables run at PCI-e 3.0, despite that on the 3M web site it said it supports it. Also the other thing i did not find is if 2 R9 290/X would work in crossfire over the 3M cables. As the R9 290/X don't need a crossfire bridge to work I wondered that the risers may interfere with the communication between the 2 cards, but in the end when i got the cables it all worked like a charm all in PCIE 3.0 and crossfire worked with no problems over the 3M cables.

as you can see on the bellow pictures, i updated my rig from a 7950 to a R9 290X and a R9 290, as i am now preparing now a new version of the S7 desk ( this is my first desk build http://www.overclock.net/t/1521831/build-log-the-s7-desk-build-my-first-desk-build) i need to test out that the cards worked in crossfire before i started to design and build my new desk.





so in a bit coin mining rig way i setup my pc and the first cable and card the R9 290X






so you can see the results from the R9 290X all at 100% and at PCIE 3.0 at 16X


Time to bring in his little brother the R9 290




Here you can see that the cards work perfectly in crossfire PCIE 3.0 both cards at 8X, don't mind the PCIE 3.0x16 @ x1 1.1 on the GPU-Z as i had to take a separate shot of the GPU-Z graphic test, as if you want a crossfire test the test is done in full screen and then had to take the print screen of the crossfire enabled status when the card was idling.



referring to performance tests i ran 3Dmark when the cards were in the case direct in the PCIE slots and i got this result, all run on stock speed no OC done not on the CPU not on the GPU's http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/4848322

When i ran the test via the 3M cables ( to be honest ran only 1 test) the result for one card was cca 30 points less then when i ran one card on the motherboard but on crossfire i got actually a slightly higher score on the cables







. As it is said in the beginning of this thread the performance losses are insignificant.

So i'm very happy with the results that I got in this test and started the design of the new desk, shortly i will also start a build log for it


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## s7Design

Have added also 2 videos on you tube from the test

Single R9 290X test:





and

Crossfire R9 290X + R9 290 test:


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## Barefooter

^ Great post! Nice to know


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## b16984901

Great test


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## s7Design

Thanks guys


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## Darkness Sakura

Out of curiosity, and I only saw one post _, mention the use of powered risers versus non-powered. If using all PCIe x16 slots is it required or just recommended to use powered versions? I know in [email protected] my bus communication is almost nearly 0% at any given time, occasionally it'll hit 1% or so but other than that it doesn't do anything otherwise. So would it be safe to say that standard, non-powered x16 risers would be okay?_


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## Ultracarpet

Feel free to call me dumb for asking this, but is there any impact to latency with a ribbon?


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## WiSK

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ultracarpet*
> 
> Feel free to call me dumb for asking this, but is there any impact to latency with a ribbon?


When you say latency, you mean frame rate latency rather than network latency. Not a dumb question, but the answer is already in the first page. Performance of various risers compared to having the GPU in slot is not noticeably affected. So there is unlikely to be any new frame rate latency introduced where there wasn't some already.


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## Ultracarpet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WiSK*
> 
> When you say latency, you mean frame rate latency rather than network latency. Not a dumb question, but the answer is already in the first page. Performance of various risers compared to having the GPU in slot is not noticeably affected. So there is unlikely to be any new frame rate latency introduced where there wasn't some already.


Thanks. Looking to use these in my next build.


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## cennis

I am looking to connect one R9 290 card to my a ASUS Z77i Deluxe mini-itx motherboard, I am going to need around 30cm. I am looking for the most cost efficient way.

I am wondering if anyone had any experience with risers and have any recommendations/cautions?
I was looking at the following
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hot-1pcs-PCI-Express-PCI-E-16x-to-16x-Extender-Cable-Riser-Card-30cm-PCIE-08/1690547754.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/30cm-0-3m-PCI-E-PCIE-to-PCI-Express-16x-Slot-Riser-Card-Extender-Cable-For/1411580494.html

The generic unshielded should be sufficient? I can wrap it in aluminum tape by myself if need be, most EMI issues are from crosstalk when multiple risers are stacked it seems.

Should I use a powered or non-powered? I am only using one card so it should not exceed the limits of the mobo's pcie power.


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## b16984901

Hey guys,

500mm test


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## gr1mm18

What about using the shielded 500mm, and combine it with the 250mm version also available from 3M? I'm wanting to do a SLI setup on the wall.


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## Angelicjack

This is amazing! I just ordered 2 PCI Express 16x risers but now here is my question:

One of my cables is unpowered and one is powered!
Is it possible to connect them! And if so where does the powered need to go?

And what if i buy 2 powered risers. Do i need to power them both? or can i just power one of them. If so wich one?


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## s7Design

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Angelicjack*
> 
> This is amazing! I just ordered 2 PCI Express 16x risers but now here is my question:
> 
> One of my cables is unpowered and one is powered!
> Is it possible to connect them! And if so where does the powered need to go?
> 
> And what if i buy 2 powered risers. Do i need to power them both? or can i just power one of them. If so wich one?


Both of mine were un powered. i have only tried these, so can not say about the powered ones


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## s7Design

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gr1mm18*
> 
> What about using the shielded 500mm, and combine it with the 250mm version also available from 3M? I'm wanting to do a SLI setup on the wall.


they should stack up as also show by the thread starter


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## Artah

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wirk*
> 
> OK, so I reply to myself reporting results of deeper investigation of the problem. It turns out that splitting of a PCI-E slot relies on the motherboard support for PCI-E _bifurcation_. Bifurcation means in general redirecting PCI-E lanes to specific slots and apparently it is implemented in the PCI-E chips but likely it needs software support (in BIOS?) for activation. There are some motherboards which officially support bifurcation, among them server boards /e.g. Supermicro/ or some mini-ITX boards which use riser cards to save space. Thus, to use _passive_ PCI-E splitter the bifurcation support is required in the motherboard. There is no information if standard motherboards have bifurcation support, probably not. BUT, there are also _active_ PCI-E expanders and they apparently work with any motherboard. I am not aware if using them requires instlallation of a special software in the motherboard or do they work right of the bat when connecting to the PCI-E slot.


I know I'm replying to your ancient post but when I was looking around to split a x16 into two x8s I found this thread but didn't know where to look to buy the stuff. I can confirm that your motherboard BIOS will require bifurcation support for this to work. Also need to make sure that the bifurcation cable is compatible with your motherboard so you don't fry your expensive parts. Here is a good quality maker of bifurcation/riser parts. I got one from them to split my single mini ITX x16 into x8 but I checked with them and they confirmed that my Asrock server board was supported by the product that I intended to buy. A little in the pricey side but the build quality is definitely there including the shielding of the ribbon cable. If someone wants to see a pic of it I can post just PM me, I would have already posted but the pictures is on my camera at home.

Here is the link, hope you find what you are looking for quickly. http://www.ameri-rack.com/ you can only order after you confirm with them on which motherboard you want to use the product on to make sure it's compatible. Kind of like not letting someone order a SAS controller for their SATA hard drive







I was glad and appreciate that they did that but that was after I got irritated that there was no "Order Now!" button.


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## wirk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Artah*
> 
> I know I'm replying to your ancient post but when I was looking around to split a x16 into two x8s I found this thread but didn't know where to look to buy the stuff. I can confirm that your motherboard BIOS will require bifurcation support for this to work. Also need to make sure that the bifurcation cable is compatible with your motherboard so you don't fry your expensive parts. Here is a good quality maker of bifurcation/riser parts. I got one from them to split my single mini ITX x16 into x8 but I checked with them and they confirmed that my Asrock server board was supported by the product that I intended to buy. A little in the pricey side but the build quality is definitely there including the shielding of the ribbon cable. If someone wants to see a pic of it I can post just PM me, I would have already posted but the pictures is on my camera at home.
> 
> Here is the link, hope you find what you are looking for quickly. http://www.ameri-rack.com/ you can only order after you confirm with them on which motherboard you want to use the product on to make sure it's compatible. Kind of like not letting someone order a SAS controller for their SATA hard drive
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was glad and appreciate that they did that but that was after I got irritated that there was no "Order Now!" button.


Thank you for your reply which is quite useful. I understand now that passive PCIe splitter requires bifurcation support. How about an active PCIe splitter like the one from Supermicro?


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## Lady Fitzgerald

subbed


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## Artah

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wirk*
> 
> Thank you for your reply which is quite useful. I understand now that passive PCIe splitter requires bifurcation support. How about an active PCIe splitter like the one from Supermicro?


I think I saw a disclaimer somewhere where it only works on supermicro boards and nothing will get fried but that looks like a PLX chip, looks like it does split 1x16 into 2x16. I'd check with them even if you have a supermicro because it might not work for your particular board.


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## waaouli87

hello guys .
i have a z170x Gaming G1 , and im using a riser on my core P5 , im using the 3rd PCIE port on my mobo (16x V3.0) and i have a lot of issue on my motherboard, i cant get to bios (it work sometimes only but when i put XMP on , i got bios failure, and when i change CPU freq also). my pc is only stable with stock settings . you think that the waves interfrences is the reason of this .?
sorry for my bad english !! thank you


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## Artah

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *waaouli87*
> 
> hello guys .
> i have a z170x Gaming G1 , and im using a riser on my core P5 , im using the 3rd PCIE port on my mobo (16x V3.0) and i have a lot of issue on my motherboard, i cant get to bios (it work sometimes only but when i put XMP on , i got bios failure, and when i change CPU freq also). my pc is only stable with stock settings . you think that the waves interfrences is the reason of this .?
> sorry for my bad english !! thank you


Can you test it while it is plugged in directly to eliminate the possibility?


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## waaouli87

i can try because i use hard tubing loop, so hard to change position . but after some test , i think the motherboard is faulty.


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## RnRollie

PCIE Extender cable on PCIE-3 port/slot *must* be a PCIE-3 certified cable/riser

Also, are you using ONLY the 3rd slot, or are the other slots also in use? Because in that case you have probably exhausted the "lanes" available and the PCIE-3 x16 will probably have fallen back to x4 (if not x2 or x1). There are just not that many lanes available on Z170/i5. If you want lots of lanes, you need X99 + 1k USD Extreme Processor

while lotsa Z170 boards come with 4x PCIE-3 x16, they break down as follows (AsRock example)

- 4 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2/PCIE4/PCIE6: single at x16 (PCIE2 preferred);
dual at x8 (PCIE2) / x8 (PCIE4);
triple at x8 (PCIE2) / x4 (PCIE4) / x4 (PCIE6).
PCIE3: x4 mode ...... which means , as soon as more as one card is used, the PCIE3 slot will default to x4. Only when no other slots are used *can* PCIE3 slot run at 16x

And thats AsRock... some other brands just disable one slot (PCIE-3 or PCIE-5) completely when the other slots are in use.
Just like when some onboard SATA ports get disabled when using M.2 'ssd' or eSATA , or disabling internal USB ports whne external are used.

Milage may vary... it depends on the MB... always read the MB manual


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## tCoLL

I've got 4 of the thermaltake P5 extenders in the mail right now, but I just saw the amazon reviews for them and am a little concerned. I'll be running 4x 980ti and heard there was some issues with the thermaltakes, have the issues been resolved?


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## ya mother

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tCoLL*
> 
> I've got 4 of the thermaltake P5 extenders in the mail right now, but I just saw the amazon reviews for them and am a little concerned. I'll be running 4x 980ti and heard there was some issues with the thermaltakes, have the issues been resolved?


There are revised cables in the mix, but i think they are only for people who like myself are having problems with the old ones that are supplied with the thermaltake P5 case.

So the chances are that you will be getting the old ones......lots of people are not having problems so you might be ok.


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## tCoLL

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ya mother*
> 
> There are revised cables in the mix, but i think they are only for people who like myself are having problems with the old ones that are supplied with the thermaltake P5 case.
> 
> So the chances are that you will be getting the old ones......lots of people are not having problems so you might be ok.


I received them today, is there a way to tell from the part number? 2 of the bags they came in had paper tags, the other 2 had stickers directly on the bag. 1 of them came with a broken PCIE clip...


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## broken pixel

Hello peeps,

Nice research OP ::*)

Dual GPU & Core P5 case using the GPU plate & various cables= no go with the cables provided by TK & ordering another cable from Amazon TK store.

Original posted in the TK forums regarding the riser cable issues. If you have an issue with the cable provided post in this thread & they will send you a replacement, a shorty cable for single GPU.
http://community.thermaltake.com/index.php?/topic/43213-attn-users-with-core-p5-using-the-riser-cable/page-4

Update:

Two more cables, one from Amazon & one replaced by TK. Both work unless the bend gets too tight at either end, the female or male ends of the riser cable. The riser cable should be longer like the original one that was packed taco style at 8 3/4". The replacement cables offered by Amazon or TK are not long enough if one is trying to utilize more than one GPU & provide the proper bend radius of the male cable to the MB PCIe slot or female PCIe adapter bottom end of the cable.

Reason:

The riser cables should be 8 3/4" or longer so it is able to provide enough distance so a nice curved bend at the base of the PCIe connector & where the cable fits into the PCIe slot on the mainboard are possible.

Testing:

Different bends, curved, tight while trying to get the largest bend on the cabled end of the PCIe slot & PCIe slot located on the mainboard.

Findings:

If there is minimal bend on the cable where it is connected to the PCIe slot my computer will not boot. If I produce a nice bend relieving stress upon the contacts that connect to the PCIe cable & slot I can boot into windows, but not for long as opening a browser or word document will black out the screen. The more bend the longer I am able to stay working in windows opening programs.

Conclusion:

Since I am working with two cables of different lengths, sizes 8 3/4" original cable & the 7 3/4" from Amazon & TK I am unable to get the proper less constrictive bends to utilize the GPU mounting plate. I would like to be able to use the GPU mount plate since my GPUs have rather large heatsinks, three fans & produce very noticeable GPU mounted droop.

Solution:

Buy 3M expensive riser cables http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/3m/8KC3-0726-0250/3M12028-ND/3641402 or TK provides it's customers that are using more than one GPU with the option of purchasing a non taco cable that is 8 3/4" or longer. The cables TK sells on Amazon & on there website are not long enough for users of more than one GPU.

Please chime in if you are a user of the P5 & are using more than one GPU and utilizing the GPU plate with riser cables.

These finding have not been approved by the FDA, FCC, NSA, NASA, AMA, IAEA, ISIS, EPA, CIA, FBI, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Ken Ham or Marianas Web.

::*)


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## broken pixel

Deleted reply as the reply does not exist upon this thread, or does it?


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## Irev

I just ordered a 23cm pcie riser x16 cable.. non powered gonna use it to move my 2nd card in crossfire a bit lower to improve air flow.... will this size be ok??? i was gonna get the 15cm one but shipping was twice as long


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## Mr_Armageddon

Lian-Li has some new riser cables out, and they *look high quality*, similar to the 3M ones (cost almost as much too). The black design is nice to see, much improved over the 3M silver.



I am having issues with the riser cable provided by Thermaltake with my P5 case. Even the 2nd revision of their riser cable causes major issues with my ASUS ROG Maximums Formula VIII and EVGA GTX 1080 SC. If I can't get a working cable from them, may have to try out one of these Lian-Li cables.


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## Mr_Armageddon

I am happy to report that I found another PCIe riser cable that is much less expensive than the 3M or Lian-Li options but seems to work just as well. No more boot errors, benchmarks work, and I can even OC without issues using Gen 3 PCIe and x16 speed.



Here is *the Amazon link* if anyone with the Core P5 Case would like to give it a go. It seems a lot higher quality than the one provided by Thermaltake (shorter one on the left), and is shielded well. The only problem is that one of the screw holes doesn't line up exactly with the P5 case mount. I ended up using the screw on the side with the PCIe latch, and a zip tie on the other. Not ideal, but it works, and doesn't wiggle.



One thing I made sure to do this time is not have any drastic bends, and to not bend anything near the connectors. Used a can of Pledge Spray as my guide for nice rounded bends.


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## Jann5s

@Mr_Armageddon: what GPU are you using, do you mind sharing some benchmark results?


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## Bill Owen

Not a fan of the wrinkled sleeving job.

btw, I've had a lot of people asking Mnpctech to develop and retail a vertical GPU mounting plate kit for cases without the vertical PCI slots.


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## Mr_Armageddon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jann5s*
> 
> @Mr_Armageddon: what GPU are you using, do you mind sharing some benchmark results?


Using an EVGA GTX 1080 SC. Here are a few benchmarks to gauge performance with the PCIe riser cable. I have a bunch of other tests listed on *my build log* as well.

Ashes of the Singularity
Setting: Crazy, DX11
Average FPS: 65.5



Shadow of Mordor
Setting: Ultra
Average FPS: 174.45



3DMark FireStrike 1.1
Score: 19499



3DMark Time Spy
Score: 7269


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## TwirlyWhirly555

I ran a 30cm 1X riser cable for my R9 380X to my Pico ITX using the 1X lane on the mini PCIe slot .

I did have to mod the PCIe connector to activate the board as the card detect pin wasn't shorted to ground by the graphics card as it was only a 1X slot I cut the back out of , Ran non stop for about 4 weeks with no problems . I did plant to use a 16X but 1X was fine for boinc .

Brand was amfeltec .


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## Jann5s

Thx,


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## iceman7613

Fantastic demonstration video , but if I wanted to buy the 3m cable 500mm where can I find ? also my need and that attack on the video card is 90 ° .
Thank you


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## MichaelFredley

I got the 3M cable and all of my games keep crashing with it plugged in, I plug my graphics card directly to the board and they all work fine. I need help finding a solution.


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## alondans

I am not sure if it fits here 100%, but what do you think about a solutin with those risers?
http://www.minerdude.com/index.php/product/5-card-riser-pack/

would that work?


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## Ya3my

Is the 3m cable shielded?


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## Meisgoot312

I've been interested in these things for a long time now, but every time I've convinced myself to buy one, the reviews on the amazon page discourage me from doing so. On amazon, for the cheaper extender cables you tested, it was reported that people were frying their motherboards or that the cables could not supply enough power.

I guess my question is this: Would you trust these to run +100W graphics cards?


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## b16984901

your problem
You can see here
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/the-pcie-flexible-riser-card-has-standard-features-from-li-heat-ltd.1534/

There is specification information 7851. PCIe_designGuides.pdf" on pages 19 and 20
https://www.google.com.tw/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjl4vPMuf_RAhVBKZQKHTfEDEIQFgg3MAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fe2e.ti.com%2Fcfs-file%2F__key%2Fcommunityserver-discussions-components-files%2F639%2F7851.PCIe_5F00_designGuides.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFd9YPb_HTgs11MOfoLNQs3QXs5Ug&sig2=fgUd7XRlHBMlznXVvxRJ5w



X16 Minimum starting power 25W (about 2A)
Standard 75W (about 5.5A)

If your PCIE card
No additional power supply Do not use a PCIE cable
Because it is very dangerous

You can refer to this information
What is the power specification of your cable?

Incidentally
3M Cable 12V 2A


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## Ultracarpet

What are your opinions on *this cable*


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## rozjan

I'm having an issue with a riser cable provided in the *DeepCool Tristellar*. If I set PCI GEN speed higher than 1 from BIOS my event Viewer is flooded with this message:

Event 17, WHEA-Logger

[General]
A corrected hardware error has occurred.
Component: PCI Express Root Port Error
Source: Advanced Error Reporting (PCI Express)
Bus: Device:Function: 0x0:0x3:0x0
Vendor ID: Device ID: 0x8086:0x2F08
Class Code: 0x30400

Sometimes the pc can't even boot. I'm not happy. Has anyone the same issue?


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## pseast

If you're using 100w video card you will also need the supplemental power cable to provide enough power even without a riser cable and plugged in directly to the motherboard. These cables are very good quality though if you're interested. The Twinax cable signals, grounding and individual lane way shielding are what are supposed to be so good about them. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07997W7PV


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