Beginner's Guide to PCIe Risers
If you want to expand the number of PCIe slots that you can use with your computer, you might want to use a PCIe riser. eBay is the easiest place to find the new or used PCIe risers that you need, and you should review these answers to frequently asked category questions to determine which type of PCIe riser is right for you.
Can you use these risers to mine cryptocurrency?Cryptocurrency miners generally use Graphics Processing Units (GPU) to increase the coin-mining power of their rigs. However, most PCs are only equipped with a few PCIe slots at most, which makes it necessary to split these slots if you want to increase your rig's mining power. Many cryptocurrency miners use PCIe risers as a cost-effective way to increase the number of GPUs that they can connect to a single motherboard.
What are the components of a PCIe riser?PCIe risers consist of two components:
- PCIe X1 USB Adapters - These parts connect to each of the PCIe slots on your computer's motherboard. They provide a USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or USB 3.1 connection that then runs to the X16 GPU adapter.
- PCIe X16 GPU Adapter - These parts allow you to split the signal going to the PCIe slot on the motherboard into multiple different signals.
PCIe risers add connection points that allow you to connect more PCIe accessories to your motherboard than the manufacturer originally intended. Once your PCIe riser is installed, you can connect two, three, four, or more GPUs to the same PCIe slot, and you'll then need to determine how to store these GPUs. Many PCIe riser users end up using cages that store all of their GPUs next to each other. These cages are easy to place on your desk or another surface, and they provide plenty of airflow to keep your GPUs cool.
How do you pick the right PCIe riser?When it comes to PCIe risers, the main salient difference between different models is the type of USB connection that is used. If you use a PCIe riser that is only compatible with USB 2.0, the processing speeds of your GPUs will be decreased. If you use USB 3.0 risers, however, your GPUs will be able to run much faster, and the USB 3.1 technology is even faster than USB 3.0, which means that USB 3.1 is the technology you want to use if you want the best-possible GPU speeds.