Can i run either the 8800GT or cards with similiar horsepower on PCI express X1? If i can't, is it possible to upgrade to PCI Express X16?
Pretty sure there arent any PCI-E X1 video cards, sorry. Most X1 slots are for ethernet or other such things. I did however find this http://www.adexelec.com/pexp-sx-la.jpg Havent really read much about them, just Google "PCI Express X1 converter"
Found this. PEXP16-SX-16/1 PCI Express X1 to X16 Adapter pci -e x16 to x1 riser GH-08X16-X1 Orbit Micro As it says on the site i dont think it works with high end cards, but it could use some of them i bet.
Technically, yes. However, there's a slight problem or two. 1.)The PCIe x1 slot will need to have the back end removed. 2.)You're going to be limited to a single PCIe lane's bandwidth. If you don't have a PCIe x16 slot, any upgrade to a full x16 slot with all 16 lanes requires a different motherboard.
It can be done in reality. The PCIe slots have the power that they provide then start adding the lanes. Additionally, a PCIe slot can be configured to have a little as one to the full amount of lanes for said slot because of the semi-dynamic design of PCI Express. The only thing standing in the way is if the slot is closed in the back. When PCIe was just coming out, MSI, for example had a few motherboards with x4 PCIe slots on it that had the back open, allowing for a full x16 slot to be installed. Cards ran fine because they had the juice provided. They were just limited to 2GB/s instead of the full 8GB/s, which still isn't bad, given AGP 8x's bandwidth topped out at 2.1GB/s.
I appreciate all the info. I'm a bit skeptical of the upgrade options, because it's uncertain whether the cards will still work well or not. So, as Big C has said, if i get a new motherboard, will that solve the problem? Or will i have to get additional hardware, such as power supply? I know i could get a good motherboard for less than $200. That's alot cheaper than shelling out nearly a grand for another PC. Will a new motherboard suffice? This for example
I appreciate the help Big C and others, but after opening my case, i've realized that installing a new motherboard and probably a new power supply is too daunting a task for me. I would much rather just buy a new PC to be honest. I'm thinking of buying a PCI graphics card. I have one slot free on my motherboard. Guess i'll do that. This is basically what my motherboard looks like. Just to be sure, the white slots to the far left are PCI slots, right? And the little black slot to the right is PCI E X1, right?
Woah, BTX. If you go with a different motherboard, there's a good chance that your current case will not accept the vast majority of motherboards out there. While there are a few cases that accept BTX and the standard ATX formfactors, most do not. Intel tried to get the BTX movement going, but as it proved detrimental to AMD designs as well as having an uphill battle against ATX in the first place, it's been dropped. While you can get a PCI card, your options are dwindling, especially with ones that might be better than the integrated video it has now. PCIe x1 can work, but as already discussed, you're being bottlenecked from the get go. In the long run, you'll be better off with something different. Yeah, you can upgrade, but to make it worth while, a new motherboard, case (most likely), power supply and video card are going to involve a little bit of work, and it's not nearly as bad as you'd think. However, if you do want something else, a company like Maingear, Velocity Micro, or Puget Systems would work, but you might see what the likes of Scan.co.uk offer you, as I'm not sure if those three companies ship outside North America.
