Z800 PCIe NvME + lsi megaraid what slots ?

[taccess]

Hi I have a z800 with a nvme 256gb Samsung pro950 as the main win 10 drive currently booting and working . 

I also have lsi megaraid PCIe card with 12tb raid 0. Yes I back it up manually . 

my question is to someone who knows :

1) what is the best PCIe slots for these to communicate and work the best together .?

2)Also are there settings in bios or windows that can help tie these to drives together better ? 

3)what is the best memory settings in the bios  ? 

iam using it as a daw so my operating system and plugins are all on the 950 pro and my samples are all on the lsi mega raid 

i have 96gb 1333mhz memory 12x8 , dual 5960x , rme babyface 

[taccess]

Anyone ! I am really interested to hear what PCI e slots I should be using compared to where I have them currently ???

[Z440Roger]

Anyone ! I am really interested to hear what PCI e slots I should be using compared to where I have them currently ???

You newer wrote wich PCIe slots you use today so that one is hard to comment. 🙂

However, start here with great info about PCIe for the Z800: http://h20331.www2.hp.com/Hpsub/downloads/Optimizing_PCI-Express_on_Z800_3-18-09.pdf

Regarding memory settings i have found that the defaults is best. I once changed setting to match the specifications for using Avid Media Composer but got some frequent chrashes and no performance boost. Setting everythig back to the default solved the issues and i have never looked back. For question number two see the document i linked to abowe.

[taccess]

Thanks for the reply

I didn't mention the slots I choose because I want to hear what 2 Pcie slots you would choose and why without being influenced by the current slots I have chosen . I will tell you what they are in and why I chose them after someone does .

I will read your link now thanks

[taccess]

Haha that is the chart I made my decision on , now could you please tell me which slots you would choose . I will tell u that from that chart I was influenced by the latency and speed when choosing the 2 slots .

For a audio workstation and that chart what Pcie slots would you pick for :
A) NvME 950 pro / win 10+ plugins
B) LSI megaraid 6x2tb 7200rpm hdds / sample library

Also I have 2 nvidia  gpu's  a) GT625 + b)GT520 I had these and decided to use them because they use very Low power and  I needed 4 monitors . 

c) what remaining PCIe slots would you put these into .

 I am curious to know what someone would choose. Thanks 

I will post a picture of my PCIe slots as soon as you tell me what 4 slots you would allocate each to ! 

[Z440Roger · Accepted solution]

• Graphic card always goes to Slot 2 and Slot 5.
• LSI Megaraid = Consult it´s manual and place it in a matching PCIe slot. (Preferably Slot 7 over Slot 4)
• Windows 10 goes to Slot 4

And, go into the BIOS and disable the onboard SAS Controller. A side effect of this is much faster booting times. Win win.

[taccess]

ok well as promised here is a photo and as you can see i put :

1) lsi megaraid in slot 1

2) nvme into slot 2

3) both nvidia into 4+5 slots

My config works but i believe that your suggestion and the chart = superior slot config , so by the time you read this i will change it around , i dont know what i was thinking at the time but along the line aof maybee win 10 will work better on a gpu slot , but thats just not true and it is definatly not as good as your recomendation .

1) 2 + 5 graphics cards

2) slot 4 win 10

7) lsi

[taccess]

Now that you have helped point out a superior slot config , i am wondering if you would mind having a look at my Bios settings to see if there is anything that is incorrect. ( I have renamed the pictures to help )

These settings Below  i have no idea about and really need as much help or a link to, because the manual doesnt give enough detail and what imapct these have on a DAW and i have not been able to make a decison on what these should be :

1) Bios > Advanced Processors> Limit cupid max Value to 3 ( No Idea ? )

2) Bios> storage > device config > sata defaults ( although i am not using any sata so i believe this is irrelevant ? )

3)  Bios >Advanced>Chipset/Memory PCI SERR#  Generation >DISABLED ( i believe this is correct ?)

3a )Bios >Advanced>Chipset /Memory PCI VGA Palette Snooping DISABLED ( i believe this is correct ?)

4) Most important i would need help with is : Bios> Advanced > Onboard Devices >

" Select the Legacy Device's IRQ, DMA, I/O Range, or Disable. The Settings may not take effect for all operating systems. To hide a device from the OS, see Security /Device Security"

Bios> Advanced > Onboard Devices >Serial Port > What setting do u think is best :

4 x Available settings are :

a) 3E8-3EF, IRQ 4

b) 3F8-3FF, IRQ 4

c) 2F8-2FF, IRQ 4

d) Disable................................(currently selected )

Bios> Advanced > Onboard Devices >Diskette Controller > What setting do u think is best :

2 x Available settings are :

a) 3F0-3F7, IRQ 6, DMA 2

b) Disable................................(currently selected )

> I have a microsft wireless mouse 2000 /keyboard 1000

> usb elicencer

> RME Babyface

see below for Refenernce Bios  photo's

Thanks for your help !

[taccess]

[Z440Roger]

...because the manual doesnt give enough detail and what imapct these have on a DAW and i have not been able to make a decison on what these should be:

My take on it is:

If you don´t know what a setting in the BIOS does, just leave it alone. Doing changes there without knowing what they do or why you do them is a great recepie for a non-working machine or a semi-working machine. 🙂

I edit video and have had no problems with the default settings in BIOS. The only settings i changed was the Boot Order, enabled Hyper Threading and disabled the internal SAS Controller. Video files are large and rendering can max out all processor cores for hours on the Z800 without no problems so a DAW should not be a problem since the files are smaller and i guess that all 12 cores wont be maxed out when using the audio application/exporting out from the audio application.

And, i don´t know all BIOS settings so am cannot really be helpful when it comes to different settings. 😉