A PCI-E x16 Graphics card in a 1U Server with an x8 slot?

[shanedude02]

Okay, so I have a DL360 G4 server that I currently have no use for, I was wondering if I could put in a x16 graphics card so I can try light gaming on the system. I have a spare 8800 GTX (freshly baked XD) but it does not physically fit into the slot.

If i were to get a PCIe x1 to x16 riser, (I know there might be a VERY slight bottleneck but oh well), would I need one with a power plug on it?

BTW, power for the graphics card is not an issue, I will have another power supply for it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1X-8X-16X-1X-To-16X-PCI-E-Extension-Cable-PCI-Extender-Riser-Card-Adapter-SYUK-/310902183110?pt=UK_iPad_Tablet_Cases_Covers_Keyboard_Folios&var=&hash=item486336d4c6

So i'm asking, if i were to get one of the risers on the above ebay link, would i need to get the one with the external Molex power adapter or will the unpowered one be fine?

Definitely not my best idea XD

 

[Viking2121]

1x would work with the 8800GTX, but would hurt the cards performance a lot, probably wouldn't be worth it.

You can try 1 of these x8 to x16 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61p3LG-Zu6L._SY355_.jpg , you'll only see less then 2% performance hit

 

[shanedude02]

I was thinking about the x1 because i couldn't find a x8 on ebay. I forgot about amazon! But, if i were to get one of those ones, would it need to have a power connector on it as well? or jst the PCI interface connectors?

 

[Viking2121]

I don't think so, Some do some don't. if they do, its usually only a 4 pin molex.

 

[shanedude02]

Okay, because I saw that some of them had a 4 pin molex, and I wasn't sure whether that was necessary or not. I'll order an x8 to x16 and try it out XD

 

[Viking2121]

Okay, because I saw that some of them had a 4 pin molex, and I wasn't sure whether that was necessary or not. I'll order an x8 to x16 and try it out XD

It should work just fine, I seen a few mods that people have done for bandwidth bottleneck reasons, this 1 guy had a 5850 and was doing tests how how much the PCI-E lanes effect performance. x16 and x8 speeds were nearly the same, maybe 1 - 3% slower on the x8. so less then 3 a FPS drop depending on the game. x16 to x4 was were on some games he seen more then a 15% drop in performance as the x4 lane went threw the southbridge then into the northbridge or CPU (Intel). x16 to x1 he seen more then a 30% drop in performance.

To fit his card into the lane he cut the back of the PCI-E lane with a box cutter, the car dwill work in a 1x, but performance will degrade quite a bit.

Though the 5850 has much more bandwidth then the 8800GTX, so the 8800 may not see any performance drop from the x8 lane at all.

 

[shanedude02]

I have the riser and card and sufficient power, but it doesnt work for me
What happens is that the riser when inserted into the server, doesnt even let it start up at all, usually, when its plugged in to the wall, the fans are going, but with the riser plugged in, even with nothing in it, if i try to start the server, its fans burst to sound like jets, then everything turns off.

 

[widg]

I plugged in a radeon HD 5670 from xfx with no issues and no extra power supply.
I used the PCIX to PCIe riser card from a G5 (I believe its the same card as the upgrade on the G4). It runs at 8X.
Played Battlefield 3, Crisis etc at hi-res settings with no issues. The ddr5 memory on the card seems to be the trick here.
I have since taken off the metal end plate and chopped off all but the card screw support to aid cooling.

Just noticed the ATI FIREPRO V4800 looks like the same card but specifically sold for servers