Is not the first time ive read ppl cutting off the end of pci-e x1 slots in mini-itx mbs to place a VGA on them, for some reason this works with the most mini-itx mbs on the market.
After reading this http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sli-coming,927-4.html article i decided to try myselft, taping the lanes on my 4670 to see if it works at lower pci-e speed link.
I never tryied x2, but the last working speed is x4, at x1 the card will not longer boot.
This is strange, since all cards are made to work on any pci-e link speed, the MB itselt should detect the speed based on the number of lanes being used.
Not happy enoght with this result ive decided to try out cutting off the back end of one of my pci-e x1 ports since my mb (Asus M3N78-PRO) is not longer in warranty.
The result was the same, my card cant boot on x1 pci-e port. The tomshardware article points out that the problem are the MB bios, and not the VGA cards.
There is ANY tecnical reason for vga cards not working at x1 link? or any diference in a "official" PCI-E x1 card of a PCI-E x16 card with taped lanes?
Ive some friend who tryied this and got the same results, only one of my friends who has a mini-itx mb in its HTPC, a Intel DG45FC made it work in it, he cutted off the back end of the pci-e x1 slot and placed a 9600GSO of his main pc on it, and work perfectly.
I wonder if this can be made to work modding the bios. Since DFI gaved a bios fix to tomhardware in two hours, something say me that this is trivial.
After reading this http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sli-coming,927-4.html article i decided to try myselft, taping the lanes on my 4670 to see if it works at lower pci-e speed link.
I never tryied x2, but the last working speed is x4, at x1 the card will not longer boot.
This is strange, since all cards are made to work on any pci-e link speed, the MB itselt should detect the speed based on the number of lanes being used.
Not happy enoght with this result ive decided to try out cutting off the back end of one of my pci-e x1 ports since my mb (Asus M3N78-PRO) is not longer in warranty.
The result was the same, my card cant boot on x1 pci-e port. The tomshardware article points out that the problem are the MB bios, and not the VGA cards.
There is ANY tecnical reason for vga cards not working at x1 link? or any diference in a "official" PCI-E x1 card of a PCI-E x16 card with taped lanes?
Ive some friend who tryied this and got the same results, only one of my friends who has a mini-itx mb in its HTPC, a Intel DG45FC made it work in it, he cutted off the back end of the pci-e x1 slot and placed a 9600GSO of his main pc on it, and work perfectly.
I wonder if this can be made to work modding the bios. Since DFI gaved a bios fix to tomhardware in two hours, something say me that this is trivial.