The manual has very little information on the PCI slot configuration for SLI. What is the optimal, recommended configuration for 2 cards? Which slots? If I add a sound card, does that deactivate other slots? Thanks.

Good morning,
 
For this motherboard you can use any slot configuration you would like, you just won't be able to use 1x slot for your video cards. With multiple PCI-E cards we do recommend using the 6pin supplemental power connector towards the bottom of the motherboard. Adding in a sound card will not deactivate any slots, but will cause you to run at 8x/8x/8x. While running in SLI with no sound card will yield you 16x/16x performance. Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

This is correct if no sound card is installed your video cards will run at 16x/16x. I have attached a image and put a red square around the 6pin power connector I was referring to. 

Hopper64
And how's the sound with this 6 Channel Creative Sound Core3D on the board?

I have the Z87 stinger, which was the first motherboards we offered this chip in, I think it sounds pretty good. 

I will probably run a coolermaster nepton 280l with 4 fans. I will connect 2 of these fans together with a splitter and connect these to the 2 PWM CPU fan connectors at the top of the board. Where would I connect the pump itself to the motherboard? Thanks.

EVGATech_JoeyC

Hopper64
I will probably run a coolermaster nepton 280l with 4 fans. I will connect 2 of these fans together with a splitter and connect these to the 2 PWM CPU fan connectors at the top of the board. Where would I connect the pump itself to the motherboard? Thanks.

Judging by the pictures it looks it looks like a standard 4pin fan connector. If this is the case one of the four pin fan headers on the motherboard should work just fine. However I would refer to the cpu cooler manufacture for installation instructions and further details. 

Yes, but where on the board? I can't tell from the pictures where the other fan headers on the board are. Is there another one near the CPU? The pump has a 3 pin connector only I think. It will be there to monitor the rpm only. PWM is not necessary for the pump. Just runs at constant speed.

Yes, that's where my 2 fan splitters are going to supply 4 fans on the radiator. Is there another fan header close by? Thanks.

EVGATech_JoeyC
Good morning,
 
 
. With multiple PCI-E cards we do recommend using the 6pin supplemental power connector towards the bottom of the motherboard. . 

There is an option in bios to turn this on.
 
 
Is this either 6 pin and 24 pin, in bios?    or can both be initiated?  
 
 
 

EVGATech_JoeyC

Hopper64
Yes, that's where my 2 fan splitters are going to supply 4 fans on the radiator. Is there another fan header close by? Thanks.

I believe those are the only two four pins on this motherboard. Given how many fans you will be using along with the cooler itself, have you thought about using a separate fan controller? So you may want to look at a fan controller for the nepton 280l, then use the 3/4 pin fan headers on the motherboard for your case fans. 

Yes, I do have a fan controller, but I would like to monitor the pump speed via the motherboard. I guess I will use a fan extension and connect the pump to the mobo on a fan header on the side of the board. Thanks.

EVGATech_JoeyC
This is correct if no sound card is installed your video cards will run at 16x/16x. I have attached a image and put a red square around the 6pin power connector I was referring to. 

Is that a PCIexpress 6 pin connector?

outhouse

Hopper64

EVGATech_JoeyC
This is correct if no sound card is installed your video cards will run at 16x/16x. I have attached a image and put a red square around the 6pin power connector I was referring to. 

Is that a PCIexpress 6 pin connector?

Yes.

Thanks. Appreciate it.

EVGATech_JoeyC
Good morning,
 
For this motherboard you can use any slot configuration you would like, you just won't be able to use 1x slot for your video cards. With multiple PCI-E cards we do recommend using the 6pin supplemental power connector towards the bottom of the motherboard. Adding in a sound card will not deactivate any slots, but will cause you to run at 8x/8x/8x. While running in SLI with no sound card will yield you 16x/16x performance. Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

If you run the first two PCIe 16X slots (for SLI), it will not physically block your PCIe 1x slot. Installing a 1x sound card should not affect the speed of the 16x slots. Or is the 1x shared?

I'm still confused about the slot arrangement for my planned install of 2 780s in SLI based on what I've read in this post.
 
The product manual states:
PCI-E Lane Distribution

PE1 – x16 (x8 if PE2 is used)


PE2 – x16 (x8 if PE3 is used)

PE3 – x8

PE4 – x16 (x8 if PE6 is used)

PE5 – x1

PE6 – x8
 
I'd like to put one card in the top #1 slot (16x), then the second card in the 3rd slot down to allow one slot spacing for cooling. But it looks like the 3rd slot is only 8x instead of 16x. This would also work with my EVGA LED SLI 2-way connector.
 
PE1- 780 (16x)
 
PE2- empty
PE3- 780 (8x)
PE4-empty
PE5-empty
PE6-empty
 
So it looks like if I want cooling between the cards, I'd have to put the second card in the down to the 4th slot (16x) but what kind of SLI connector would I need for that? The 3-way?
 
PE1- 780 (16x)
 
PE2-empty
PE3-empty
PE4- 780 (16x)
PE5-
PE6-
 
Do I have the above correct?
 
Cheers

If your 3-way SLI bridge fits on your cards using slots 1 & 4, then yes, you can use it.

Don't know who else if any are having issues with the PCIe slots running at 16x as supposedly in the specs, but mine is not. I have a 780ti in slot 1 at 16x then I install a second card and it drops to 8x. I install in slot 1 and slot 4 and S1 is 8x and S4 is now 16x. Very frustrating