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cutting a pcie x16 card to fit an x1 slot?

M

mnewxcv

[H]F Junkie
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anyone ever try this? I have a mobo with only 1 x16 slot(with my 5750 in it) and a usb to dvi evga adapter, so i drive 4 lcds currently, but i wouldnt mind 2 more dvi ports.

question is, can i cut a x16 card to fit into a x1 slot? I know some mobos u can set x16 slots to x1 speeds, and i think ive read people running video cards at x1, they still work fine(just not for gaming or 3d intensive stuff, but fine for a desktop).

Should I buy the $26 x1 to x16 adapter? I really dont want to spend that kind of money if i dont have to. I have a 8800gt i could cut down, and all the card is doing is gathering dust. pcie x1 cards are like $100 so not going that route either.

opinions? I know you all have one.
 
IF your mobo is out of warranty just cut the back part off the Pci-E X1 slot and the card will fit without seriously messing up the mobo or video card. Its safer and easier to do it that way as well.
 
compudocs said:
IF your mobo is out of warranty just cut the back part off the Pci-E X1 slot and the card will fit without seriously messing up the mobo or video card. Its safer and easier to do it that way as well.
Click to expand...

+1 to this.

Just google "open PCI-E x1 slot" for ways to open up the PCI-E x1 slot to accomadate a PCI-E x16 card. And yes, PCI-E x16 cards will work just fine, although slower, in a PCI-E x1 slot.

However if your mobo is under warranty and you want to keep it that way, get the $26 adapter.
 
compudocs said:
IF your mobo is out of warranty just cut the back part off the Pci-E X1 slot and the card will fit without seriously messing up the mobo or video card. Its safer and easier to do it that way as well.
Click to expand...

that will work
 
Danny Bui said:
+1 to this.

Just google "open PCI-E x1 slot" for ways to open up the PCI-E x1 slot to accomadate a PCI-E x16 card. And yes, PCI-E x16 cards will work just fine, although slower, in a PCI-E x1 slot.

However if your mobo is under warranty and you want to keep it that way, get the $26 adapter.
Click to expand...

i googled that and this thread was the 5th thing down :D alright I will google that some more
 
kuyaglen said:
Yes...

and when your done...may I interest you in a bridge I have for sale in Brooklyn?
Click to expand...

You are aware that cutting an x16 card to be x1 physically actually works, right?

The answer to the OP's question is that yes, it will work. There are, however, "safer" alternatives that accomplish the same thing.
 
compudocs said:
IF your mobo is out of warranty just cut the back part off the Pci-E X1 slot and the card will fit without seriously messing up the mobo or video card. Its safer and easier to do it that way as well.
Click to expand...


^^^^ easiest way to do it and less harmful to either products.. also what card do you plan to use?
 
planning on using the 8800gt since its the only spare i have. im still in warranty for mobo(its a prebuilt hp) till november though, so I'm not sure i want to mod the mobo.... im gonna see if i can find a card thats win 7 compatable that costs less than the riser card and cut that one up.
 
If you have a Frys nearby, you can pickup a 7200gs for free after rebate, or a Geforce 210 for $10 after rebate. It won't play Crysis, but it's certainly cheap.
 
And this is why I miss the x4 slots with an opening in the back like my nForce4 motherboard had.
 
kuyaglen said:
On paper sure...but where are x16 video cards that are only x1 electrically?
Click to expand...
You need to look at the pinout for the PCI-E connector. The (data) contact differences on the different length slots are receiver or transmitter pairs (2 transmit + 2 receive contacts per lane), plus extra grounds (which are all wired together). The power contacts before the first notch are different in the amount of power supplied to the slot. A 70W card lacking an external power connector may damage a x1 slot, for example. The x1 and x16 slots have the same data and power pins (with the caveat mentioned) in the same common positions.

I posted the SC420 mod I did on an x8 slot over 5 years ago. imageshack no longer has the pics, otherwise I'd link the thread.

OP: IIRC, ATI cards do much better with chocked off PCI-E bandwidth than nvidia cards. Your 8800GT may run very slowly in the x1 slot. If you hack off the back of the slot, be careful not to warp the slot or it won't work since the contacts will no longer touch the graphics card.

edit: this is the kind of performance you'll get on that 8800gt in the x1 slot, often a 50% or more drop vs x16: http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=522&pgno=1
 
Last edited:
pxc said:
You need to look at the pinout for the PCI-E connector. The (data) contact differences on the different length slots are receiver or transmitter pairs (2 transmit + 2 receive contacts per lane), plus extra grounds (which are all wired together). The power contacts before the first notch are different in the amount of power supplied to the slot. A 70W card lacking an external power connector may damage a x1 slot, for example. The x1 and x16 slots have the same data and power pins (with the caveat mentioned) in the same common positions.

I posted the SC420 mod I did on an x8 slot over 5 years ago. imageshack no longer has the pics, otherwise I'd link the thread.

OP: IIRC, ATI cards do much better with chocked off PCI-E bandwidth than nvidia cards. Your 8800GT may run very slowly in the x1 slot. If you hack off the back of the slot, be careful not to warp the slot or it won't work since the contacts will no longer touch the graphics card.

edit: this is the kind of performance you'll get on that 8800gt in the x1 slot, often a 50% or more drop vs x16: http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=522&pgno=1
Click to expand...

you said something about a 70w card without power connector may damage an x1 slot, can you expand? I was actually going to sell the 8800gt because i have a friend who is willing to give me a 2600xt for the job.
 
mnewxcv said:
you said something about a 70w card without power connector may damage an x1 slot, can you expand? I was actually going to sell the 8800gt because i have a friend who is willing to give me a 2600xt for the job.
Click to expand...
The x1 slot does not provide 75W (or more) like an x16 slot. The x1 slot only provides around 10W (or 25W, no way to tell just by looking at it until the magic smoke stage... "so it doesn't support 25W cards" :p).

Different 2600XT cards may or may not use an external 6 pin power connector. Since that card uses 48W under load, you would want a version that has an external power connector. Any card that does not stay within the power limit that the slot can provide may cause some crispy power traces or components around the slot.
 
pxc said:
The x1 slot does not provide 75W (or more) like an x16 slot. The x1 slot only provides around 10W (or 25W, no way to tell just by looking at it until the magic smoke stage... "so it doesn't support 25W cards" :p).

Different 2600XT cards may or may not use an external 6 pin power connector. Since that card uses 48W under load, you would want a version that has an external power connector. Any card that does not stay within the power limit that the slot can provide may cause some crispy power traces or components around the slot.
Click to expand...

yeah this one doesnt have an external power plug... crap. Guess I will search for something else. :rolleyes: if a card has an external power plug, is that a safe bet that it isnt going to draw more than 25w from the slot?
 
Yeah, but not guaranteed. Inspect the +12v traces on the card. It's often only used to power the fan on cards that have external power connectors... unless you use Charlie or Fuad math, then it always uses 75W from the slot regardless of where those power traces go. :p
 
mnewxcv said:
yeah this one doesnt have an external power plug... crap. Guess I will search for something else. :rolleyes: if a card has an external power plug, is that a safe bet that it isnt going to draw more than 25w from the slot?
Click to expand...

Well, if you're not gaming on it you could try it anyway. If it doesn't get enough power its just going to beep at you, not fry your board.
 
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