I’m looking at quad port 2.5Gbe Intel PCIe cards. These cards seem to be mostly x4 physically (usually PCIe gen 3) whilst I have a PCIe Gen4 X1 slot, which is more the theoretical bandwidth that the card can support. The card needs at the most PCIE Gen 3 X2 == PCIE Gen 4 X1 in terms of bandwidth.

How do I fit the card into a PCIe x1 slot? Won’t it lose performance if all the pins are not connected to the physical PCIe connector? Is there a PCIe x1 riser that the community likes that is somewhat affordable?

Thanks

      • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
        9·
        4 days ago

        Cut the slot? Or desolder it and replace it with one with an open back.

        • marauding_gibberish142@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
          3·
          4 days ago

          The slot is open. I’m just wondering whether the card will work properly in that slot since all the pins won’t be attached. PCIe Gen 3 X1 bandwidth is more than enough for it

          • Nollij@sopuli.xyzEnglish
            6·
            4 days ago

            They all have to work (at least to an extent) using only x1. It’s part of the PCIe spec.

            Missing pins are actually extremely common. If your board has a slot that’s x16 (electrically x8), which is very common for a second video card, take a closer look. Half the pins in the slot aren’t connected. It has the full slot to make you feel better about it, and it provides some mounting stability, but it’s electrically the same as an x8 that’s open.

          • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
            4·
            4 days ago

            Then plug it in and go to town. Either it’ll work, or it won’t. Some cards get unhappy about missing pins, but it’s really just luck of the draw.

            • marauding_gibberish142@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
              2·
              4 days ago

              There’s another situation. There are older (and cheaper cards) which are PCIe gen 2 x8. Unfortunately, pcie gen 2 x1 is not going to suffice. What would I have to do to get this older kind of card to work? Do you have any reliable PCIe x1 to x16 risers in mind?

              • Cort@lemmy.worldEnglish
                1·
                3 days ago

                I think you’re missing the point of a riser. I’d the motherboard only has a 3.0x1 port, plugging in an x16 riser means it’ll still only be x1 electrically, but it can physically fit larger cards. If the back of the slot is open already there not much point of using a riser since you can physically fit larger cards already.

                • If your board has pcie 3.0x1, you want the pcie 3.0 card. Running at 2.0x1 reduces speed by 50%
              • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
                3·
                4 days ago

                You also just plug it in. But again, no guarantee it’ll work. Even if you get a riser, most of them are just physical adapters. The fancier server ones do have some brain to them, but I don’t know if it would help.

                You could also just sidestep the problem and use some USB adapters.