PCI-e x1 card in a X8 Slot? can it be done?

[jrock3144]

Hello,

I want to get a decent TV tuner card. Looks like the way to go these days is PCI-E because PCI cards don't have as good or as many features but the maufacturers seem to be only using the PCI-e x1 interface. In my Dell XPS 410 dessktop I have one PCI-express x8 available and two standard PCI slots available. I do have a x1 But it is directly above the x16 slot where my Radeon HD 5770 graphics card is taking both of those slots so I can't plug anything into the x1 slot. I scaned a couple of other forums and I got the impression that the smaller x1 card will slot in the larger x8 slot but will it work? are the slots designed to be backwards compatible in such manner?

For refrence:

Running Windows 7 ultimate x64
The only PCI-e slot that is actualy being used is the x16 slot.
Looking for a dual hybrid tuner with the MPEG 2 encoder, it has to have NTSC/ATSC/clearQAM formats, FM radio, with Window MC remote and I want to be able to pause/rewind/fastforward/record live TV (timeshift)
I would get a PCI tuner if it had all of those features on it but either the PCI bus isn't fast enough to handle that or they are just moving everything to the PCI-e Bus cause it is the future for mobo slots. either way, i cant find one.

Sugestions, other solutions, any input at all would be helpfull

thanks before hand

 

[Crashman]

Hello,

I want to get a decent TV tuner card. Looks like the way to go these days is PCI-E because PCI cards don't have as good or as many features but the maufacturers seem to be only using the PCI-e x1 interface. In my Dell XPS 410 dessktop I have one PCI-express x8 available and two standard PCI slots available. I do have a x1 But it is directly above the x16 slot where my Radeon HD 5770 graphics card is taking both of those slots so I can't plug anything into the x1 slot. I scaned a couple of other forums and I got the impression that the smaller x1 card will slot in the larger x8 slot but will it work? are the slots designed to be backwards compatible in such manner?

For refrence:

Running Windows 7 ultimate x64
The only PCI-e slot that is actualy being used is the x16 slot.
Looking for a dual hybrid tuner with the MPEG 2 encoder, it has to have NTSC/ATSC/clearQAM formats, FM radio, with Window MC remote and I want to be able to pause/rewind/fastforward/record live TV (timeshift)
I would get a PCI tuner if it had all of those features on it but either the PCI bus isn't fast enough to handle that or they are just moving everything to the PCI-e Bus cause it is the future for mobo slots. either way, i cant find one.

Sugestions, other solutions, any input at all would be helpfull

thanks before hand

An x1 card works perfectly in an x8 slot. And an x16 card will also work in an x8 slot when the end is unblocked. Intel even makes boards that have open-ended x4 slots for installing x16 cards, etc. It's all compatible.

 

[jrock3144]

Best answer selected by jrock3144.

 

[jrock3144]

Thanks for the input man that is so what I wanted to here. I can just get the card I want then. That must be why the make those cards in x1 interface, so you can put them in anyPCI-e slot you need to.I thought that might be the case but I need some exp. imfo before i dish out $100.00 on a card.

Thanks for the rapid responce man. Much appreciated!

 

[4745454b]

This is why I like those new boards coming out that have nothing but 16x slots. If anything will fit and work in the 16x slot, why bother putting 1x or 4x slots in at all? Just make all slots either PCI, or PCIe 16x slots and you won't have this issue.