How do I fit a network card with a physical x4 slot into an x1 slot?
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An x1 slot is an x1 slot, the PCIe version will downgrade but there will still only be one lane because that's all the slot physically has connections for. It will effectively be a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot.
Technically the slot is PCIe Gen 4 x1, but I understand. TBH PCIe gen 3 X1 is fine too, that's more than 6 port Gigabit cards can saturate anyway.
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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
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.
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File a small slit in the end of the slot so the card fits into it, but runs past the back. The card will run at Gen 3 x1 speed, but otherwise work properly.
Many motherboards even come with the end of the PCIe slots open for this exact purpose.
I'll likely go for a 4 or 6 gigabit port card, so PCIe gen 3 x1 is not a problem. Am I correct in understanding that the card will run at PCIe gen 3 X1 if I do this?
What can I do if the card is PCIe gen 2 x8? These cards from Silicom are really cheap on ebay
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If your card has an x4 pinout, then it probably needs the additional bandwidth. Plugging it into an x1 slot (if it was possible) would slow down the network traffic. Get a better motherboard with an x4 slot on it so you can use the hardware you want. or find something else that will fit your computer.
Honestly even the 1Gb quad port card I have requires an x4 slot, although I saw some dual-port 2.5Gb x1 cards on ebay. Maybe you could just use two of those?
It doesn't need that kind of bandwidth. 6 gigabit ports cannot saturate pcie gen 3 x1 in terms of bandwidth anyway.
What do I do if the card is PCIe gen 2 x8 though?
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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.
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?
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If you don't want to risk modifying the slot, try one of the cheap PCIe risers on amazon and send it back if it doesn't work. You will need a case with a couple of extra slots under the motherboard in order to fit the riser in there though.
It will run slower, but that probably won't be an issue unless you plan to max out all 4 ports simultaneously.
I cannot see any decent PCIE X1 to X16 risers on amazon. Everything is USB based which I don't want
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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?
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.
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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.
PCIe to USB and back to PCIe like what the miners use? Isn't that unreliable long-term?
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I cannot see any decent PCIE X1 to X16 risers on amazon. Everything is USB based which I don't want
They are not USB based, they just happen to use a USB 3 cable to carry the PCIe signals.
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I cannot see any decent PCIE X1 to X16 risers on amazon. Everything is USB based which I don't want
USB the protocol, or just uses a USB cable? If it's not using the protocol, the cables are a cheap way of getting cables of a certain spec.
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They are not USB based, they just happen to use a USB 3 cable to carry the PCIe signals.
Oh. I thought they were using USB. Thanks
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USB the protocol, or just uses a USB cable? If it's not using the protocol, the cables are a cheap way of getting cables of a certain spec.
I thought they were using the USB protocol. Thanks
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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
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.
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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.
I see. Thanks
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File a small slit in the end of the slot so the card fits into it, but runs past the back. The card will run at Gen 3 x1 speed, but otherwise work properly.
Many motherboards even come with the end of the PCIe slots open for this exact purpose.
A word of caution for anyone cutting out the slot: make sure there aren't other instructions, like capacitors, ICs, and NVMe drives in the way of where the PCIe card will be.
The manufacturers that have the slot pre-cut will have already reserved the space, but even then, it's on you to check that it's suitable for a x16 if they only reserved space for a x8 card.
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PCIe to USB and back to PCIe like what the miners use? Isn't that unreliable long-term?
No, just a USB network adapter.
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I'll likely go for a 4 or 6 gigabit port card, so PCIe gen 3 x1 is not a problem. Am I correct in understanding that the card will run at PCIe gen 3 X1 if I do this?
What can I do if the card is PCIe gen 2 x8? These cards from Silicom are really cheap on ebay
Am I correct in understanding that the card will run at PCIe gen 3 X1 if I do this?
Correct. The situation you described in the original post would result in Gen 3 x1 speeds.
The interface will always default to the fastest standard that both sides can support. If one is gen 2 and the other is gen 4, gen 2 is the highest that can be supported. If one side is x8 and the other is x4, x4 is the highest that can be supported. In this specific case, if you put a Gen 2 x8 in a Gen 4 x1 slot, you will get a Gen 2 x1 link.
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Am I correct in understanding that the card will run at PCIe gen 3 X1 if I do this?
Correct. The situation you described in the original post would result in Gen 3 x1 speeds.
The interface will always default to the fastest standard that both sides can support. If one is gen 2 and the other is gen 4, gen 2 is the highest that can be supported. If one side is x8 and the other is x4, x4 is the highest that can be supported. In this specific case, if you put a Gen 2 x8 in a Gen 4 x1 slot, you will get a Gen 2 x1 link.
Alright thanks
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No, just a USB network adapter.
Yeah, going along these lines. There is probably a USB header on the motherboard. These have pretty darn good speeds. You can get an adapter that lets you turn those into a USB-C port and then use a standard USB-C to Ethernet adapter. Something like this.
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It doesn't need that kind of bandwidth. 6 gigabit ports cannot saturate pcie gen 3 x1 in terms of bandwidth anyway.
What do I do if the card is PCIe gen 2 x8 though?
Potentially the same thing, assuming PCIe 2 x1 provides enough bandwidth.
