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What to do with this PCI Express X4 slot?

moudubulbe Posted messages 4745 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   -  
moudubulbe Posted messages 4745 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   -
Hello there.

Here's my little problem.

I am currently putting together a small configuration based on a motherboard that you can find here: https://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00129851.html
with a processor that you can find here: https://www.materiel.net/produit/201207310010.html
So, for now, I probably won't need an additional graphics card to get display on a screen.
But I'm a bit doubtful about the performance of this integrated graphics chipset (HD2500) and I was wondering if adding a graphics card like this one: https://www.materiel.net/carte-graphique/l426/ would not help improve the graphics performance a bit, since this "future" PC will be connected to a TV for multimedia use.

Therefore, my question is, would the addition of this card be justified for multimedia use and maybe some light gaming? (Well, not intense gaming but something not too demanding)
Would this card be (a little? / a lot?) more performant than the Intel integrated chipset?

All your opinions are welcome, and if there is another graphics card that seems more interesting than this one, feel free to make suggestions (Even though apparently PCIe X4 graphics cards are rare, I might have missed something that is worth more).

Thank you in advance, Mou.

Configuration: http://www.rue89.com/files/20070529bigbrother.jpg

https://linuxfr.org/news/qui-cherche-a-controler-linternet-la-video

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4 answers

  1.
    naoned-breizh Posted messages 1478 Status Member 255
     
    Personally, if I were you, I wouldn't even get a graphics card if it's to take a 610.
    You're not going to gain much in performance and the fan on that graphics card will quickly annoy you.

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    I'd rather die than be corrupted.
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    1. moudubulbe Posted messages 4745 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   762
       
      Hello to you, naoned-breizh!

      I suspected that the 610 was not a powerhouse made for heavy gaming, but the main question was: would it be more performant than the integrated HD2500?
      Wouldn't this type of card still provide some advantage just in terms of video playback and small casual games?

      Do you have another model to suggest otherwise?

      By the way, I saw on the internet PCIe X4 to PCIe X16 adapters, so even though I know that a X16 GPU connected to it would run at X4 speed, would it still be worth it or not?
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  2. orschwihrer Posted messages 2869 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   350
     
    Hello,

    If the case you have chosen allows it, you should switch to a mini-ITX motherboard (which is also cheaper) that would offer you more options. For example, this one: https://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00128867.html

    As for video, the i3 should do the job well. However, if you plan to play (games that are not too demanding), you could always add a graphics card, maybe a passive one, for example: https://www.grosbill.com/4-sapphire_ati_radeon_hd6670_ultimate_passif_-155500-informatique-ati

    ...or a more powerful one: https://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00136578.html#aff107
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    1. moudubulbe Posted messages 4745 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   762
       
      Yep, I long wondered about the format for the CM, but I really wanted something as discreet as possible (no tower, no big cube next to the TV, I wanted something the size of a DVD player, so the thin mini ITX was just what I needed.

      Now I repeat that I'm really not looking to game at full detail and all that! I'm just wondering if this HD2500 will really be sufficient to play videos "VERY cleanly" and if, on occasion, small games like Sniper Elite could run without a GPU.

      Edit: I also plan to add a mini PCIe TNT tuner to my setup and so for HD TNT I'd like it to work smoothly as well.
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  3. moudubulbe Posted messages 4745 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   762
     
    Otherwise, any opinion on this kind of adapters: http://www.ebay.fr/itm/New-PCI-E-PCI-Express-x4-To-x16-Adapter-Extender-Cable-Riser-Card-/261170211390?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ccef52a3e

    Knowing full well that a GPU plugged into this kind of thing would be limited to the PCIe X4 bandwidth anyway, wouldn’t it still be more performant than the GPUs that can be found in PCIe X4 format?

    Edit: On second thought, there’s actually no need for an adapter
    Apparently, a PCIe X16 card can fit easily into the PCIe X4 slot (without needing to cut the slot or the GPU :p)
    http://media.bestofmicro.com/S/7/256327/original/pcie.jpg

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    2. Franck7511 Posted messages 14571 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1 121
       
      +1. Given the usage, it's better to go with an APU. This way, you don't have to deal with adding a graphics card...
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    3. moudubulbe Posted messages 4745 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   762
       
      Hi to both of you, and thanks for these suggestions, but the thing is, the configuration mentioned up there, I just set it up, so I’ll stick with this one ;)

      The idea of this topic was to see what I could do with "this" configuration.

      I would have liked to get opinions on, for instance, using a PCIe X4 to X16 adapter
      because actually, contrary to what I said earlier, the X4 port (unlike what can be seen in the picture) is indeed locked and won’t accept the X16 card

      or if I abandoned the idea of a graphics card on this port, do you have any suggestions for what I could do with this PCIe X4 port?

      Thanks again to all of you.
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  4. moudubulbe Posted messages 4745 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   762
     
    Re. I'm just giving a little bump because I'm still undecided about what I could do with this PCIe X4 slot.

    To summarize, I'm leaning towards a PCIe X1 (or even X16) graphics card that would be connected to the X4 on the motherboard via this kind of thing: http://img.dxcdn.com/productimages/sku_139523_1.jpg

    So, I would like to have opinions on this workaround.
    What will the performance be compared to the integrated GPU of the CPU (HD2500)? There must be some possible improvement by doing this, right?

    Thanks in advance. Mou.

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