PCI-E x16 Graphics Card to Fit a PCI-E slot.

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone here has tried this, I have a spare monitor and wondering what you think about doing this. I have an OLD ATI Graphics card (fits PCIE of course) and I know it will work but wondering if it's worth the effort. My 560ti has only a 2 monitor capability and just 1 other PCIE x1 slot is free just above the card. :)

So anyone here tried this? (I know this works if you do it right.)

(N.B. I have read the websites about how to do this, I am looking for personal, first hand experience.)

bobkn said:

Haven't tried it.

I'm confused, though. Are you trying to fit a PCI-E X16 card in an X1 slot? I don't think it's possible.

You can certainly try an X1 card in an X16 slot. I've never seen an X1 graphics card, although I know that they exist.

(I've got an X1 soundcard running in a slot that is X16 mechanical, X4 electrically.)

Thanks for the reply, I went and did it and yes I can confirm it works like a treat.

You have two options, extend the slot or trim the graphics card. I trimmed the card as it isn't a big deal if it ruins the card. Physically the slots appear to be the same from an X1 to an X16 (of course with more connectors). What you have to do is count 7 pins after the gap. Cut it on the 8th pin, remove all the other pins and file it down. There you go, that really is it and its stable no crashes except one but I reset my PCIE clock and its fine.

I wouldn't recommend it on most circumstances as it ruins the card and holds a risk of shorting the board or the component itself. Only try when you're certain it works, I ran it on the Dell for a few hours before my main rig. Also keep in mind fans may need extra power or at least to be soldered to the pins again, I was lucky and had no need because mine runs fine with a heatsink alone.

"When I said that it was impossible, I wasn't including the option of doing major surgery on the card.

In my ignorance (I have no idea about PCI-E pinouts), I'm astonished that it worked."

Well, at the risk of breaking the card that is the only major draw back if it has been done properly. (Pushing aside that the resale value is £0, the card looks odd and massive performance reduction)

It was worth it, the card was lying around. It would of been more effort that the cards worth to sell it really, as it's old.

Some PCI Express x1 slots have their back removed by the manufacture, not always common, that allows longer cards to be placed in them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express

...

The PCIe link between two devices can consist of anywhere from 1 to 32 lanes. In a multi-lane link, the packet data is striped across lanes, and peak data-throughput scales with the overall link width. The lane count is automatically negotiated during device initialization, and can be restricted by either endpoint. For example, a single-lane PCIe (×1) card can be inserted into a multi-lane slot (×4, ×8, etc.), and the initialization cycle auto-negotiates the highest mutually supported lane count. The link can dynamically down-configure the link to use fewer lanes....

....

A PCIe card fits into a slot of its physical size or larger (maximum ×16), but may not fit into a smaller PCIe slot (e.g.,a ×16 card in a ×8 slot). Some slots use open-ended sockets to permit physically longer cards and negotiate the best available electrical connection. The number of lanes actually connected to a slot may also be less than the number supported by the physical slot size.