The AIO only uses 1 PCIe lane and follows the PCIe 1.1 standard, so you can use each of the PCIe sockets of your mainboard.

At least for my server board there are sockets with PCIe lanes which come directly from the CPU, some come from the chipset.
I prefer those which come directly from the CPU. Not sure how it is with your board, as I didnt find a block diagram in the manual of your board.

You need to be careful with the sockets for multi GPU support, not that you plug it to a x16 socket and then finally the lanes are logically reconfigured and your main GPU then works with only x8 instead of 16 PCIe lanes.

You also need to look which CPU you take, some CPU come with 28 and some with 40 PCIe lanes.
Your 5820K CPU comes with 28 PCIe lanes.

If you look at the beginning of your handbook then you find information about the number of PCIe lanes for the different sockets depending on whether you have a 40 or 28 PCIe lanes CPU. So you need to look for the description for 28 Lanes CPU.

The sockets 16_1, 16_3 and 16_4 are for GPUs, these I would not touch. You will get x16, x16/x8 or x8/x8/x8 Lane distribution on these sockets depending on whether you use 1 or 2 or 3 of these sockets in parallel, no matter whether its a graphics card or something else.

There you find also additional information that sockets 16_2 shares bandwidth with USB3.1 and socket 1_2.
So I would not use sockets 16_2 and 1_2 to have all lanes fully available for USB 3.1 if you use that.

In this case I would say its best to use the PCIEX1_1 socket on your mainboard for the AIO.
Shall there be unexpected errors then you can also try all other sockets.
Even if you would use the 16_3 socket your graphic card would still operate with x16.

If you have only one GPU, then the next best choices are 16_3 and 16_4.

Only with the 3 GPU slots in use the 16_1 GPU socket would switch from x16 to x8.
You can check this with GPU-Z.

And most likely the 8 lanes for 16_3 are from CPU.

Samsung Magician 5 has still the rapid mode. But I don't like the new version. Switched back to 4.9.7.
What I dislike:
- The startup time is significantly longer to scan for drives, so I see no merit to use this 5.0 version.
- The design / menues have been changed, I dont like it this way.

And even if it should not work, you can safely try each of the others as well.

You can even plug a x1 socket card into a x16 PCIe socket.

to A)
yes its still common practice to deactivate every device in the BIOS which you do not require.

As the driver simply generate interrupts. Interrupts issue running low level routines, which can not be interrupted by the process scheduler. There is only a "programming convention" that a driver should exit working to give CPU resources free after a certain amount of time. If badly written driver run together on a CPU core, where also audio related processes run, then the likelyness increases, that the CPU is blocked for too long and audio data can not be processed in time, which leads to interrupterion. Thus ... disable all potential hardware on your mainboard which you do not require / intend to use.

Especially internal sound, wireless, blutoot (in the past: serial, parallel interfaces) ....

Internal sound you do not require anyway, because
1) you can use in a DAW only one ASIO driver at a time, so there is only the RME driver which can be used
(lets not talk about workaround solutions like ASIO4ALL for people working with USB microphones)
2) Its not required because you can enable WDM devices in the RME Driver settings dialog, so that Windows and applications can use inputs and outputs of your card (so to say for the windows sound system and applications)

to B)
RME card is not a "consumer soundcard" with the typical plugs to support the Audio connectors of a PC.
This is also not the quality of connectors you want to work with anyway and there is no support for symmetric connectors.

So better get an RME interface which satisfies all of your demands and disable internal sound, thats it.

If you need something cheap for gaming (i.e. for a PC headset) then I would recommend to get a
bluetooth headset and plug an Bluetooth USB adapter on demand.
I have a "Plantronics Voyager Focus UC B825-M" (-M stands for Microsoft version)
and use it with a "Belkin mini Bluetooth v4.0 Adapter".

Then you can install a very handy application called Audio Switcher
http://audioswit.ch/er?utm_source=clien … _1_7_0_117

Which easily enables your BluTooth headset as default device, if you turn it on.
And turns it off automatically when you power it off. By this you save the tedious work to change the Windows default communication device to default device when listening music, etc ...

EDIT: the Plantronics comes with a special Bluetooth Adapter of its own, but I use the other one as well, because I need one, which also works with other devices like smartphone to be able to synchronize i.e. contacts and appointments with Outlook using MyPhoneExplorer.

For what its worth... I run Win7 Pro 64bit with 64Gb of RAM and I didn't configure any virtual memory.  I run Reaper and use Cyberlink's PowerDirector for video editing and have had no issues.  I've also run Davinci Resolve.

I don't use large sample libraries... I only have Superior Drummer and Trilian.

I am using the RME HDSPe MADI card.

So in my case I never come close to utilizing all that RAM so no need for virtual memory in my case.  Perhaps yours would be similar?

Initially I disabled page files entirely
- to reduce wear on SSD
- to be sure that any form of "paging" or "swapping" (to stay in Unix terms) does not take place because I had enough RAM

The only drawbacks are:
- you need to be sure not to get out of DRAM or your PC will crash if there is no DRAM left
- you can not create small or complete crash dumps anymore for troubleshooting in the case of a bluescreen.

Especially the latter is bad if a bluescreen only occurrs in rare cases...
- Do you want to wait days until it re-appears ?
- Are you sure that you can trigger it again ?
So better to have the opportunity to analyze a dump immediately, whenever it occurrs.

A small memory dump requires at least 2 MB of pagefile on the boot drive.
A complete memory dump requires at least a pagefile size of "DRAM size + 1 MB"

So IMHO a good compromise is to create only a small pagefile of i.e. 5 MB on the Boot Drive even if its a SSD.
This keeps any kind of wear definitively low.

I created such a pagefile on my Win7 SSD with a fix (!) size of 16 MB,
because a smaller value won't be accepted from Windows.

In system properties -> Start and Rovery you need to define under
- "System Error" (translated from German)
   (x) Add event into system protocol
- Store Debug Information
   ( small memory dump (256 kB) ) from pulldown menue
- The directory for small system dump is
   %SystemRoot%\Minidump (default: C:\Windows\Minidump)
- Better proactively create this directory if its not yet there, otherwise it might be the case, nothing can be written.

Thank you again. Great infos.

In the manual of AIO p.20:
We strongly recommend switching off all system sounds (via >Control Panel /Sounds<). Also
HDSPe should not be the Preferred Device for playback, as this could cause loss of synchronization
and unwanted noises. If you feel you cannot do without system sounds, you should consider
buying a cheap Blaster clone and select this as Preferred Device in >Control Panel
/Multimedia /Audio<.

That made me think to activate the built-in audio chip after all. But that means more cables and drivers and possibly "lost cycles" of the CPU for that chip (which would be the "preferred" device).
Still not sure what to do.

And I don't know how my Mackie MR6 would function with the Balanced XLR from AIO and the unbalanced ...RCA from the native M/B/ chip, simultaneously!

So, I might leave it inactivate at first, and will see from there.

P.S. I started my build, but I'm doing it slowly and carefully. I put so far the PSU, and SSDs, and BluRay-writer, and getting familiar with the (many) cables before I prepare the M/B (CPU, RAM and cooler) to put it in the case. And then GPU and AIO!

P.S.2 I'm going to use Cubase as a DAW.

I thought that as well after 1.5y of stable operation and got weeks ago a bluescreen after playing with new devices.
Now I switched over to enable for minidumps and taking the smallest amount of pagefile possible.

Hi again,
Just finished my build, and I chose initially not to install AIO at all.
So, I put everything but AIO and everything went well!
I installed Windows 7 64bit Enterprise and then the latest NVIDIA drivers for my GTX1070.

Pretty sure that everything is fine, I installed the AIO first in 16_3 slot and when this failed in the 1_2.

In both occasions the system went to BSOD or freeze or rebooted by it self.
(my BIOS settings are default pretty much, and I installed the onboard sound card which worked flawlessly)

I tried "repair" again blue screen.
I can't even get into "Safe mode".

After finishing this message I will try another port (not to many left) but it doesn't look good.
Any help would be appreciated...

Hi again and thank you for all you great advises.

I will describe as brief as I can my Odyssey after my previous post.
After I tested the AIO in slot 16_3 and then 1_2, I decided to take it off completely and start the computer without it once more. As I wrote in my previous post it worked flawlessly for a few hours before I put in the AIO.
To my surprise the system failed to boot and I got a variety of BSOD including "hardware problems". It didn't make sense that AIO cause that and persisted even after I removed it. I considered my assembly correct, yet I started to have "doubts" about it. In the next hours the Memtest that previously showed No Errors, started to show errors and at some point thousands! The system seemed to deteriorate in every go, without actually doing anything to it (I didn't remove DRAM, CPU, GPU).
I left it to go to some business and when I return to try it again it didn't even showed the BIOS screen. Just an q-code that meant failed CPU and then powers off.
At that point I noticed to ASUS site that there was an updated BIOS (1401 vs. 1201 that I had) and I wanted to give it a go, although I was now almost sure that I had defective M/B or PSU...
What I did: I removed the CMOS battery and reset the jumpers that clears it. Magically this revived the computer and my next move was to update to 1401 that according to ASUS "improves stability". (BTW ASUS seems to release a new BIOS every month for "stability issues".)
The new surprise was that I have 8x8 DRAM and the new BIOS reported 6x8!! At that point I didn't care and move to Win7 where started to test it with memtest and "torture" it with AIDA64. The system now seems solid. I even installed "Rise of the Tomb Raider" (a more fun way to test CPU, RAM etc.) and after hours seems OK with no crashes at all. For the missing 64-48=16 RAM I increased the voltage from 1.2 to 1.35V and now the system reports all 64GB!

Now, to tell you the truth I'm "scared" to put the AIO back in. I'm planning to keep testing the rest for a week or so to be absolutely sure that I haven't got any Hardware issues (I don't think I ever had after the assembly but I will keep heavily testing it for a few days) and then I will give RME AIO another go.
This is a PC for making music. I didn't spend more than 4.000 euros for a gaming machine!

Is it possible for the AIO to cause all that?
Obviously the BIOS had something to do too but still...

I will post again after the heavy test and before I try again, but considering my "Odyssey" any othe precautions I should be having? Like a BIOS Setting or something?

My DRAM is Corsair CMK64GX4M8A2400C14 and I chose it because it is specifically mentioned in the long list of approved RAM for the ASUS X99 A II.

I knew about that and I was careful.
Yet despite the fact that is 2400 it works on 2133. I choose the correct 2400 XMP profile but in Windows I'm still seeing 2133.

I chose all the components with great care, except my PSU that it is brand new but I bought it in 2011.
It is the Coolermaster Silent Pro M700 and if I had any doubt, it was about that because as I found out during the build it had 20+4 and 4+4 for the motherboard and the X99A II has 24 and 8+4.
I managed to fit the 20+4 to the 24 (not as easy as It sounds for the 4 to stay in place) and put the one 4 to the "left" of the 8 in the M/B but to be even more sure (?) I bought a 3€ adaptor from 4 to 8.

When the system failed I thought all sort of things, even bent pins in the CPU/MB. I don't think that I have poor chosen parts and my assembly is fair. If nothing had worked I might started by replacing the PSU. (AIDA show rock steady Volts though, if that matters).

I WILL try to put the AIO after a few days.

P.S. And a good thing, it is amazing how silent the build is even with the side panels out.
The stress AIDA test didn't produce temperature over 56'C after an hour or so (panels closed).
If i haven't got this initial adventure, I would be very happy, about everything.

I'm returning the motherboard.
Many M/B from other manufacturers too seem to have problems when all of the 8 memory slots are used, as I'm reading.

Any recommendations for a M/B for 5820K and 8x8 RAM that works fine and has good ASIO latency with the RME AIO?

Hi vinark and thank you for your answer.

That was a possibility. I thought of that.
The memory (certified for 2400 and in the official M/B compatibility list) never worked in other than 2133 (using XMP or manual). And when you have 6 modules the system runs in triple channel instead of quad.
So instead of 64GB 2400 C14 quad channel RAM I would have 48GB 2133 C15 triple channel.
I don't know the real world implications in the performance but imagine writing music in Cubase with heavy libraries and synths and to hit a ceiling of resources while you are being creative.
"What if" I had my original design and what I paid for? Didn't bought the AIO to have top notch performance and the smallest latency?
Or "What if" after even more hours 6x8 failed too? And realized that when I was working on a project?

Anyway all these signs were pointing to a bad M/B. Dead or problematic slots, multiple different codes of errors etc. The store accept it that and I'm returning it.

So, my (urgent?) question is:
Any recommendations for a M/B for 5820K and 8x8 RAM that works fine and has good ASIO latency with the RME AIO?

(Unfortunately I'm searching high and low and pretty much every M/B I read owners comments (not magazine reviews) are disappointing. Especially from people who tried 8 RAM modules like me.
NewEgg hasn't got a median score larger than 3 out of 5 stars for any X99 board with the exception of an Asrock model Extreme4 that is considered a budget model and maybe wasn't tested enough from the owners.)

Thank you!!
I feel like I need all the luck in the world after my first mishap.

I would also prefered 4x16 (it was cheaper too) but wasn't any combination in the official list of Asus.

Hi Ramses. I'm returning only the motherboard. I'm keeping the 5820K and 8x8RAM and everything else.

Every X99 I looked so far has problems according to the owners. Obviously a dissatisfied owner reaches a forum more easily but still...
I excluded for instance some MSI models that users complain that there are notorious for BSOD in Windows 8.

Anyway the keyword for me at this point is reliability.

Just now checking for this GIGABYTE GA-X99-Ultra Gaming , but I have to be sure and to have a safety net like a 7 days DOA.

Hi again. Just an update about my build, and a couple of questions since I have the AIO up and running.

I replaced my motherboard with the GIGABYTE GA-X99-Ultra Gaming and I think everything is ok despite the fact that again I came across some weird behavior.
More specifically, testing the build with Memtest86 I came with errors when I use the "normal" CPU profile and no XMP (or XMP1) for the memory, but seems rock solid and without errors when I overclock the CPU to the "perfomance" CPU profile!
So I have errors when the 5820K is at stock frequency of 3300 but I'm error free when I overclocked (using the "Easy" mode") at 4000 in all 13 Memtest86 tests running for 14 hours straight!
That behavior might have something to do with the voltages, but I don't want to spend hours testing different settings in the BIOS. I just want to write some music!

Again I installed the RME drivers 4.17 by double clicking the file. I do have the onboard soundcard enabled too but I will probably disabled it, at least in the windows device manager. (I'm afraid to go again and do it in the BIOS since I have 0 errors and considering my adventure with the previous probably faulty motherboard).

I installed Cubase but not yet my VSTs. Seems to working good with Cubase's ASIO.
I also used DPC latency checker utility and I get around 70μs latency with some rare peaks at 130μs (what ever these numbers mean, but they are green so must be good).

I tested the XLR outs of AIO and seem fine, but I'm now realizing that I could not connect my dynamic mic (Shure SM58) to an XLR input. I get a very low signal in Totalmix, so that means that I need a mic preamplifier? or is there a setting to increase the gain? I'm only going to use 1 mic.

If I need a preamp, I'm not planning to spend a lot of money (I mostly write soundtracks than songs). Is this preamp suitable? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audi … 100-preamp
Although honestly I wish there was a "setting" or a preamp inside the AIO.

Great that it is working. And I would consider this stable too now.
Art makes some preamps in the same price range. They might be a little bit better, but since you are connecting a sm58 and not an expensive condenser I wouldn't worry to much!.

Hi Ramses and thank you again for your detailed answer.

Yes, but not in my country.
Plus I bought the parts from different sources with better deals. For instance my Samsung 850 Evo 2TB has a price of 710€ here and I got it for 510€ from the UK.

Yes.
My memory kit is in the QVL of both Asus and Gigabyte.
I chose that 8x8 kit because it was in Asus tested list. (I personally would have go for a very very similar 4x16 kit but I stayed in Asus recommendation). When the Asus mobo seemed to be faulty I searched specifically for another mobo that has that particular kit in its QVL too. So I got the Gigabyte.

I haven't start with the tuning yet!
Not even the recommended "Background services" instead of "programs" tweak, that helps DAWs in general.
There are dozens of services that I'm planning to disable! And the onboard soundcard, and a 2nd LAN interface by Killer etc.
I might not spend hours testing each RAM module and slot, but I would spend weeks disabling every unnecessary service (and telemetry or user experience) there is, for performance and privacy reasons. (Although I'm not planning to connect it to the Internet yet).
So that 70μs might go down even further.

Windows 7 64 bit Enterprise. Not Ultimate because of many additional "services" and not Win10 because of telemetry (also I don't like the GUI).
I will test it with LatencyMon and get back to you.
I installed Cubase and Kontakt but no libraries yet. The PC is not in my studio yet. I have it to another more spacious room to build it and test it. When it is in my studio I will test it properly (and the AIO) but so far it looks good.

I basically write "soundtracks" and not "songs" so not having preamps in the card is not a deal breaker for me.
The reason I chose the RME AIO is that I wanted the smallest latency available and to be able to use as many VSTIs as possible. I was always for a PCIx card and not a firewire (and getting into another sad conversation like "the built-in fireware of the mobo is not suitable" and "you must buy an internal card with the Texas Instruments chipset" and blah-blah-blah) and certainly not a USB card.
To tell you the truth I was between 3 cards. The RME AIO, the ESI MAXIO32 (a PCIx card with a break out box that I loved, and mic preamps and phantom power for condensed mics) which I couldn't find but only ...one who have bought it in the whole web, and the old obsolete now EMU 1616M (which looks very similar to the ESI). Anyway I went for the AIO for the lowest latency available and the support of the community, that I'm right now enjoying!

You can use this tool to store the state of all services and load either permanently or on demand a stripped down set of services for recording. I have it permanently stripper down as I am using no special network / sharing services at home.

http://royalfool.de/ServicesSuite.html

Repeat the measuring with LatencyMon, look for "kernel timer latency" on an IDLE machine.

You will immediately get better values (less stress on the CPUs) when you disable energy saving.

Take this article as reference .. http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/inde … -X10SRi-F/

Therein you find this overview, how many latency you will get on top when using the different possible sleep states.