I was going to suggest modding the motherboard to allow 16x cards.

not exactly an option for this board. I assume pci-e risers are not an option?

luckybob wrote:

I was going to suggest modding the motherboard to allow 16x cards.

not exactly an option for this board. I assume pci-e risers are not an option?

I am open to options if they are cheap. I've looked at risers for other things but never considered them for video cards.

Are you referring to something like this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/181390710992?

Yep. Video card will work just fine.

Anyone aware of builds that feature one of these riser cards? Any benchmarks of the same card in an 8x slot vs a 16x slot?

EDIT: Almost immediately after I posted this I found this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJuj16gRoBI

Indicates a GTX 1080 in a slot that is physically 16x but 8x electrically has less then 1% of performance variance then having it in a slot that is also electrically 16x.

In theory you can shave a cards edge connector to 8x just be very careful doing it

Yes, I've done the PCIe shaving. Basically, use an exacto knife and start cutting the end of the PCIe 8x mechanical connector. Stop until the entire video card fits without issue, obviously without messing up anything else. Video card will link at 8x instead of 16x, which is trivial in most circumstances.

I would not try with some super heavy GPU's, though. Gravity will win eventually.