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XPS 8930, is the x4 slot open ended?
Is the x4 slot on the XPS 8930 motherboard open ended, meaning a x16 graphics card can be installed in this x4 slot (and run as x4 of course)?
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Is the x4 slot on the XPS 8930 motherboard open ended, meaning a x16 graphics card can be installed in this x4 slot (and run as x4 of course)?
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redxps630
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December 5th, 2021 10:00
Physically the x4 slot is open ended. Whether it can run a x16 card? not certain how much power the x4 slot can supply to the card.
some one said this to “Can I put a 16x graphics card in a 4x slot and it still work?”
“Yes. It will work fine. It won’t run quite as fast as it will in a 16x slot, but the performance penalty isn’t 75 percent (4/16), it’s usually in the range of 5 to 10 percent. Modern graphics cards don’t come close to saturating an x16 PCIe lane, and rarely come close to maxing out x8 even under the maximal load scenario.”
jd45
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December 5th, 2021 11:00
Thanks.
For the video card I have in mind, it will probably supply enough power. I have 2 of these cards in my XPS 8900, where the second x16 slot is wired as x4. But I'm assuming that x16 slot wired as x4 supplies as much power as the x4 slot on the 8930.
Do you know how much power is supplied by the x4 slot on the XPS 8930? The card I have in mind has a 40W max power draw.
redxps630
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December 5th, 2021 12:00
Re: Do you know how much power is supplied by the x4 slot on the XPS 8930? The card I have in mind has a 40W max power draw.
I do not know. Dell does not release such detailed engineering info regularly.
I find the following info on internet for general question.
PCIe x4 and x8 cards can pull as much as 25W from the motherboard's slot while x1 cards are limited to 10W
the PCIe 4x slot used as a graphical interface has a maximum power draw of 25 watts.
when you install a x16 card in an open x4 slot, it effectively draws same current as a x4 card.
speedstep
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December 5th, 2021 17:00
The slot is not designed to run a video card Crossfire or SLI and its NOT open ended.
jd45
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December 5th, 2021 18:00
See the motherboard pic posted earlier in thread. The x4 slot does look open ended.
People often use x4 slots to run low power graphics cards.