what can you do with a PCI Express x4 slot?

-1nf1n1ty- · Apr 4, 2009, 02:54 AM

the only thing I found interesting was that there was a PCI Express x4 to PCI Express x16 adapter I could use but the card will run at x4 so I dont think thats worth it...

JrRacinFan · Apr 4, 2009, 03:09 AM

As most X4 slots are found on Intel chipsets, you could mod the slot slightly and use it for a CrossfireX setup. Wouldn't be the greatest for performance but would get the job done.

EDIT:

Oh and then of course you do have the ability to run 1x cards in them also.

LittleLizard · Apr 4, 2009, 03:14 AM

raid cards, ssd drives

Steevo · Apr 4, 2009, 03:14 AM

Most cards don't truly need a X16 slot. We just fool ourselves into believing that we do.

Yukikaze · Apr 4, 2009, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -1nf1n1ty-

the only thing I found interesting was that there was a PCI Express x4 to PCI Express x16 adapter I could use but the card will run at x4 so I dont think thats worth it...

Except for the most powerful of video cards ? You can do pretty much everything with an x4 slot, and without any adapters, as well.

Plenty of boards with x4 slots have them open ended, so a x16 card will fit just fine (and work at x4). So HDTV tuners, RAID controllers, cards for PhysX, video cards to drive more monitors, sound cards, 10Gbit Ethernet (don't ask me why, though...lol)....

And when a card doesn't fit....well, there's the violent way described in my sig

-1nf1n1ty- · Apr 4, 2009, 07:40 AM

interesting.......i wouldnt mind a sound card but.....i have on board sound so i may sell my xfi sound card just so i have room to crossfire maybe use the money i get from it to invest in the pcie x1 creative sound card ha!

francis511 · Apr 4, 2009, 11:11 AM

An x1 card will work just fine, like an x-fi card for example ?

DrPepper · Apr 4, 2009, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steevo

Most cards don't truly need a X16 slot. We just fool ourselves into believing that we do.

Yeah they do, My GTX260 in the 4x slot was incredibly slow compared to x16.

Error 404 · Apr 4, 2009, 11:47 AM

It depends; is your PCI-E 4x slot version 1.1 or version 2.0? If its version 2.0 then you should be able to run anything up to a 9600 GT in it without any bottlenecking, as thats about as good as a PCI-E x8 1.1 slot. You could use it for a PhysX card, but first I'd upgrade your 8800 GTS if you ever decide to do that.

DanTheBanjoman · Apr 4, 2009, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steevo

Most cards don't truly need a X16 slot. We just fool ourselves into believing that we do.

A 8800 is severely bottlenecked at x4. Toms hardware tested that like 2 years ago.

Yukikaze · Apr 4, 2009, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanTheBanjoman

A 8800 is severely bottlenecked at x4. Toms hardware tested that like 2 years ago.

From Tom's testing on PCI-E 2.0 scaling it is clear that PCI-E x8 (or PCI-E 2.0 x4) is quite sufficient (depending on the title) for something like the HD3850. So the HD4670 and 9600GT would also run decent on that. Same testing also showed that the 9800GX2 could run at PCI-E 2.0 x4, and in their testing only games which already produced very high framerates (above 60 fps) and Flight Simulator X were severely affected at that bandwidth. In the end it really comes down to the application running, but plenty of cards, especially the ones most common out there (after all, the average video card is far below a GTX260), would run just fine on a PCI-E 2.0 x4 slot.

DanTheBanjoman · Apr 4, 2009, 01:25 PM

Most x4 slots are 1.1, not 2.0. Besides, I wouldn't settle for "quite sufficient".

Yukikaze · Apr 4, 2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanTheBanjoman

Most x4 slots are 1.1, not 2.0. Besides, I wouldn't settle for "quite sufficient".

Oh, agreed on the settling part (I wouldn't settle for the HD3850, 9600GT or the HD4670 for gaming in the first place), just adding some input.

francis511 · Apr 4, 2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

EDIT:

Oh and then of course you do have the ability to run 1x cards in them also.

Thanxx for the tip. Switched my xfi over to an x4 slot and freed up some breathing room on my gfx cooler.

KainXS · Apr 4, 2009, 01:59 PM

I actually got to test PCI-E 4X on a AsRock 4Coredual and a Gigabyte 945GZM vs a standard PCI-E 16X board with the same clocks, some people will say PCI-E 4X is not much a bottleneck but thats not true, PCI-E 4X is comparable to AGP4X not 8X, I tried both a 8800GS@800/2000/2000 and a HD3850@800/2200 and both were massively bottlenecked on both of the 4X boards, the newer the game the bigger the bottleneck and CAD apps performance are just annialited, nearly 70% performance drop on the 8800 cards I used. What I did see however is Nvidia cards get bottlenecked more than ATI cards.

Where as a HD3850@8X on AGP gets no performance hit at all, but at PCI-E4X it gets nearly a 20-30% hit.

Apr 4, 2009, 02:54 AM	#1
-1nf1n1ty- Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Winter Park Posts: 1,562 (0.65/day) Thanks: 247 Thanked 134 Times in 125 Posts System Specs	what can you do with a PCI Express x4 slot? the only thing I found interesting was that there was a PCI Express x4 to PCI Express x16 adapter I could use but the card will run at x4 so I dont think thats worth it...

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Apr 4, 2009, 03:14 AM	#3
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Apr 4, 2009, 03:09 AM	#2
JrRacinFan Served 5k and counting ... Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Youngstown, OH Posts: 16,121 (7.05/day) Thanks: 4,149 Thanked 4,552 Times in 4,027 Posts System Specs	As most X4 slots are found on Intel chipsets, you could mod the slot slightly and use it for a CrossfireX setup. Wouldn't be the greatest for performance but would get the job done. EDIT: Oh and then of course you do have the ability to run 1x cards in them also.

Apr 4, 2009, 03:14 AM	#4
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Apr 4, 2009, 07:40 AM	#6
-1nf1n1ty- Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Winter Park Posts: 1,562 (0.65/day) Thanks: 247 Thanked 134 Times in 125 Posts System Specs	interesting.......i wouldnt mind a sound card but.....i have on board sound so i may sell my xfi sound card just so i have room to crossfire maybe use the money i get from it to invest in the pcie x1 creative sound card ha!

Apr 4, 2009, 11:11 AM	#7
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Apr 4, 2009, 11:47 AM	#9
Error 404 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Australia Posts: 1,330 (0.70/day) Thanks: 166 Thanked 178 Times in 157 Posts System Specs	It depends; is your PCI-E 4x slot version 1.1 or version 2.0? If its version 2.0 then you should be able to run anything up to a 9600 GT in it without any bottlenecking, as thats about as good as a PCI-E x8 1.1 slot. You could use it for a PhysX card, but first I'd upgrade your 8800 GTS if you ever decide to do that. __________________ Third rig: PC Express Invader. C2D E6400 2.13GHz, 4GB DDR2-800, 320GB HDD, Intel 945, Asus 9600GT 512MB, 550W PSU, W7 HP 64-bit. Fourth Rig: Dell Optiplex 170L, P4 Prescott 2.8GHz, 512MB DDR266RAM, 80GB HDD, FX5200PCI 128MB, 250W PSU,XP Pro Fifth rig (Laptop): Dell Inspiron 4000, 14.1", PIII 850MHz, 384MB RAM, 9.3GB, XP Pro. Now with passive cooling! “I could make a better looking computer case with a bucket of Lincoln Logs.” -lemode

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Apr 4, 2009, 01:25 PM	#12
DanTheBanjoman Señor Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Utrecht, Utrecht, The kingdom of the Netherlands Posts: 8,498 (2.56/day) Thanks: 41 Thanked 1,453 Times in 1,077 Posts System Specs	Most x4 slots are 1.1, not 2.0. Besides, I wouldn't settle for "quite sufficient".

Apr 4, 2009, 01:59 PM	#15
KainXS Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4,732 (2.26/day) Thanks: 190 Thanked 473 Times in 389 Posts System Specs	I actually got to test PCI-E 4X on a AsRock 4Coredual and a Gigabyte 945GZM vs a standard PCI-E 16X board with the same clocks, some people will say PCI-E 4X is not much a bottleneck but thats not true, PCI-E 4X is comparable to AGP4X not 8X, I tried both a 8800GS@800/2000/2000 and a HD3850@800/2200 and both were massively bottlenecked on both of the 4X boards, the newer the game the bigger the bottleneck and CAD apps performance are just annialited, nearly 70% performance drop on the 8800 cards I used. What I did see however is Nvidia cards get bottlenecked more than ATI cards. Where as a HD3850@8X on AGP gets no performance hit at all, but at PCI-E4X it gets nearly a 20-30% hit. Last edited by KainXS; Apr 4, 2009 at 02:04 PM.

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