DIY PCIe x1 video card...

[eccerr0r]

Anyone try just cutting all the extra pins and card edge of a PCIe x16 card to make a PCIe x1 video card, just to stuff another slot and connect more monitors?

Would this be considered a ghettomod?

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

Would that be possible to do if you were able to do this would be a very low end video card what would the purpose of doing this be

[eccerr0r]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

More monitors, that's about it...

[momaka]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

Yup, it's been done before, even here on BCN:
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=112320

I prefer the alternative method: cut open the end of the x1 slot on the motherboard so that it can fit a full x16 card. Of course this doesn't work on all motherboards, as some have tall components behind the x1 slot and still won't allow for an x16 card to fit... unless you move those components too?

But yeah, it's doable either way.

In fact, here's another tip:
If you have a GPU that doesn't seem to start or give video when inserted into an x16 slot but seems to work OK in a x1 slot, there's a chance one or more PCI-E comm lines between the GPU and 16x edge connector have gone bad. This can be caused either due to negligence (someone broke one or more of the small coupling ceramic caps near the x16 edge connector) or due to a dying GPU. The former can be checked easily - just see if any caps are missing... though sometimes they can also look normal but become shorted if they get hit hard enough to crack. And if it's a dead comm line due to dying GPU, just remove the ceramic caps until you get a working GPU. Sometimes, you get lucky and can get the GPU to work on 8x or 4x instead of 1x and you don't need to remove all of the ceramic caps. But if the faulty lines are on the x1 lines, there's not much else that can be done, aside from a reflow/re-heat the GPU and hope for the best.

[eccerr0r]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

Ah cool.
I'd think that cutting the less valuable component is the smarter choice. Motherboards seem to retain value; low end video cards... not so much.

[stj]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

you can probably get the connectors on ali-express

[momaka]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

I'd think that cutting the less valuable component is the smarter choice. Motherboards seem to retain value; low end video cards... not so much.

Indeed.
Though opening the end of a PCI-E 1x slot on a motherboard is not really that much of an "intrusive" mod. If anything, it's an upgrade, again provided the mobo has space behind the slot to take a full 16x (or at least an 8x) card.

But otherwise I agree - no one should cry over HD5450's/6450 and all those other similar AMD or nVidia cards that you can get on eBay for $5-8 shipped to your door.

What I find funny, however, is that those are the only GPUs that can be consistently abused @ 100% load and still work for many years without dying, provided their fan operates properly. With mid- and high-end GPUs (and especially high-end / high-power GPUs), seems like the average life is 5 years more or less. And with heavy usage and mining, I think most don't even make it to the 5Y mark anymore. So from that perspective, low-end GPUs do have a better value - they are slow, but they are also reliable. What's the saying now, slow and steady wins the race.

you can probably get the connectors on ali-express

You mean those GPU 16x to 1x mining risers with cables? Like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166283822216?

I actually bought one 2 months ago but just haven't had the chance to use it yet. I don't intend to use it for mining but for testing GPUs. My dedicated GPU test machine - an old AsRock 939Dual-SATA2 mobo - has been used to test so many GPUs that its PCI-E 16x slot is definitely starting to get a little "glitchy" at this point. With the riser, I can just change the it when it wears out. That said, I don't really care too much about the AsRock mobo, as it does have issues that seem to originate from the Southbridge (dead audio ports, heavy LAN traffic and SATA ports usage crashes PC, PCI slots get corrupt signals on their data lines.) My guess is a dying Southbridge. Though if I'm careful what I/O I use, the motherboard is 100% stable and even runs great with a 25% OC on the CPU with stock or lowered voltage.

[Uranium-235]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

I cut off a x16 8400gs to x8 with a dremel it did work, but when I tried to load drivers it froze. I think it was a power thing. Should have tried it on a card with a separate power connector

[momaka]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

I cut off a x16 8400gs to x8 with a dremel it did work, but when I tried to load drivers it froze. I think it was a power thing. Should have tried it on a card with a separate power connector

Can't be a power issue from cutting off the connector - power for PCI-E is on that small first section of pins before the divider.

So more than likely, you just had a bad/dying GPU... which considering it was a 8400GS, I can totally see. Most of these came with terribly-undersized coolers and ran too hot for their own good, despite the measly 40W TDP rating. In contrast, the "competing" Radeon HD 2400 / 3450 cards have slightly better coolers and are only 20W TDP... which is why you still see them offered by the bucket load on eBay and hardly any failed ones.

[eccerr0r]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

Lol yeah dont bother with the old crap nvidia cards especially the 8400GS.

And agreed any mid to high end radeon...expect it to fail. Seems any RadeonHD XYZ0 ...
X and Z - doesn't matter what these digits are
Y - if it's 4 or less, it will last forever. If it's 5 or 6, could go either way. If it's 7 or larger, expect it to die in 5 years...

I have an NVS310 that might be worth the hack, though dunno how well these survive over time. However I think a low end Radeon will last forever...
Incidentally, is there a decoder ring for nvidia cards and expected lifetime? These days it seems nvidia cards are all "high end" to me and all will fail. Like that poor GTX660 I have *sigh*

[momaka]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

Lol yeah dont bother with the old crap nvidia cards especially the 8400GS.

Only if it's a PCI model. Then it works great in those old (retro?) 32b P4 Dell desktops that don't have AGP slots.

Compared to the onboard i865, this is a significant boost in graphics "power".

And agreed any mid to high end radeon...expect it to fail. Seems any RadeonHD XYZ0 ...
X and Z - doesn't matter what these digits are
Y - if it's 4 or less, it will last forever. If it's 5 or 6, could go either way. If it's 7 or larger, expect it to die in 5 years...

Sounds about right, at least on the desktop side.

I have an NVS310 that might be worth the hack, though dunno how well these survive over time.

Purely going by the TDP (20W) divided by the die surface area (79 mm^2), I think it has a decent chance of lasting... provided the cooler is able to keep it cool. No matter what ATI/AMD and nVidia say, any temperature over 60C IMO is just asking for trouble, even if they did fix the "bumpgate" issues a while back.

I'm currently set with a Quadro K600 in a Dell Precision T1700 and tried some gaming on it last night. Runs shy of 60C ONLY IF I set a custom fan curve with MSI Afterburner. If I don't, it easily goes past 60C and more towards 70C with medium load. Yeah, it's a little louder that way, but I'll happily take it over creating more e-waste. Default fan curves are for losers.

Incidentally, is there a decoder ring for nvidia cards and expected lifetime? These days it seems nvidia cards are all "high end" to me and all will fail. Like that poor GTX660 I have *sigh*

Good question.
I don't think nVidia made too many low-end cards that are worth a damn. Most of the AMD offerings seem better IMO. GT1030 might be the latest / last one (?)... but from what I've seen, those aren't really that more reliable than the low mid-end cards like GTX750, GTX950, and GTX1050.

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

oops looks like we derailed another thread again. this time, its into a modern gpu longevity thread and im also going to add on to the derailment with my next comments.

since low-end gpus seem to last longer due to their reduced tdp, i wonder if the mid and high end gpus can be coaxed to last longer by adding 2d, idle or throttle clocks to them for low power usage or when their high processing power is not needed. i noticed many 3800, 4800 and 5800 series cards and even some of the mid range ones dont seem to have any reduced powerplay clocks for running 2d or idle modes. so i modded the bios of those cards to add reduced powerplay clocks after first by testing it via manual underclocking to see if the gpu and vram can tolerate running at reduced clocks. i did the same with nvidia cards that either dont have any 2d clocks added or they dont downclock the vram at all in 2d mode.

some types of gddr3 vram typically by hynix, cant handle running at too low clocks and cause screen garbling and then screen freezing and finally driver crashes, if u set the mem clock too low. the lowest i tried was 405 mhz which didnt cause issues and running the vram at 405 mhz idle vs the stock 1 to 1.1 ghz at idle still resulted in a 1-3°C temperature reduction in gpu temperatures which was surprising and could help somewhat in prolonging gpu longevity but alas i dont have any valid scientific and empirical evidence to prove how much reducing voltages and clocks at idle helps to improve gpu longevity as i dont run my mid and high end gpus everyday. so its hard to tell how much this is useful at increasing gpu longevity.

also not sure if this might have the opposite effect and worsen gpu longevity instead by making the bga between board and substrate and the solder bumps between substrate and die be subject to more thermal and mechanical stress by increasing the temperature spikes or temperature delta between idle and load and from load to idle.

just throwing these ideas out there on the internet for someone to pick up and prove or disprove my theories for those who have the capability and bravado to test these things out on their mid and high end gpus.

[Uranium-235]

Re: DIY PCIe x1 video card...

Can't be a power issue from cutting off the connector - power for PCI-E is on that small first section of pins before the divider.

So more than likely, you just had a bad/dying GPU... which considering it was a 8400GS, I can totally see. Most of these came with terribly-undersized coolers and ran too hot for their own good, despite the measly 40W TDP rating. In contrast, the "competing" Radeon HD 2400 / 3450 cards have slightly better coolers and are only 20W TDP... which is why you still see them offered by the bucket load on eBay and hardly any failed ones.

That is what I thought. Come to think about it, since it was a server, that slot was likely supposed to be a raid card. Dell might have made the PCI-E bus not to support the full 75w