poweredge servers + PCIE graphics cards

Question

Is it possible to plug a pcie graphics card (and get it to work ) in the PCIe slots of the poweredge servers? The the PCIe graphics cards are x16, whereas the PCIe slots are x8, however on SLI boards when using 2 graphics cards the PCIe slots work at x8. Is there any techinical reason why the graphics cards wont work?

bjirgens · Answer

A PCIE card is upwards compatible eg: a PCIE 1X card will fit in a 4X slot. However - a 16X card will not fit in an 8X slot. Check the connectors and the slots - no go.

foobar530 · Answer

actually from what i found out (after posting here) is that it should work no problem there was an article on tomshardware about the effects of the increased xput of pcie they would mask part of the bus and test it, and things worked (you essentiallly didnt lose any performance all the way down to x4)   also there was another posting (along with a pretty extended thread) about putting a pcie graphics card in the dell sc420 (or something) the sc420 only has x8 enabled on the mobo but it has a full length x16 (the latter x8 are disabled) plus dell added a piece of plastic to block x16 cards anyhow you can cut the plastic and the graphics card will work at x8   there is also a bunch of pcie adapters you could use that turn the physical connector from x16 to x8 (or x4 etc.) and i guess you could also modify the x16 card to fit, just by cuttingthe connecters   im starting to like pcie alread;-)

sheltonn · Answer

The adapters are about $300 each. Not very cost effective.

Here is the thread of cards that have worked in the SC420 and some in the SC1420.

The gist is to stay away from the Nvidia 6600 and use the Ati X700 instead.

Please remember that Dell does not support these puppies as workstations. YMMV.

CharlesMoo · Answer

This thread discusses modifying the PCI-e slot for 16x cards for the SC420. They also discuss the same mod on the SC1420.   The jist of the discussion involves removing plastic divider(s) with a dremel tool or hot knife.   Most report success with the ATI Radeo X700. Others report having problems with other cards.     http://aaltonen.us/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1999&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

bjirgens · Answer

Why do you want to put a PCIE graphics card in the server anyway? We are talking about cutting bits off the card / modifying the PCIE slots etc - which can be expensive if it goes wrong and will not be supported anyway.

If you are doing this because the box is certified under Windows server - why would you not just do it on a desktop - not have the sw certification - (neither would the PowerEdge with a PCI graphics card), and not have to muck around with modifying hardware?

CharlesMoo · Answer

The SC1420 has quite high end specs for the price ($499). One can do a simple mod, add a video and sound card for an additional $150 and have quite a nice gaming system.   And for some of us the 100Mhz PCI-X slots are the reason for purchasing the SC1420. One can do high defintion video capture with the SC1420...not possible with even expensive high end  desktop computers.   Trying to build a similarly featured computer from scratch with XEON CPU, 800Mhz FSB and PCI-X slots would cost well over $1000.      So really its all about the money.

CharlesMoo · Answer

Price comparison:   Dell SC1420 server  (e-value code 02630-s20205f)   $549 + $150 (video and sound card)   TOTAL = $699       Home built server with similar specs:   Supermicro X6DA8-G2 MOBO: $525  (has 3 PCI-X  slots and 800Mhz FSB like the DELL. It, unlike the Dell,  has one of those slots running at 133Mhz ) 512MB DDR2 400 RAM: $150 CPU XEON 2.8GHZ: $269 video and sound cards: $150 case: $60 460W EPS power supply: $70 40 GB HDD: $58   TOTAL= $1282   For the home built server I used middle of the road average priced parts from newegg.com. All parts match the specs of the Dell SC1420. You could probably find another  MOBO for $400 in place of the SUPERMICRO that would work as well as the Dell. Price would still be $1157.        Savings = $458 to $583

sheltonn · Answer

I would do this because the mod is fairly reliable (as long as you use the Ati X700). You can't beat the price. You are talking about a fairly decent gaming machine that can also convert video, etc with the best.

All this at a price that is easily half the next option.

PowerEdge Hardware General

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