Bitcoin Forum

I already have a 5830 in my comp - which used up my sole x16 PCIE port. I have another PCIE port that is 1x and my new 5830 is coming with a 1x to 16x extender cable. I havent done any measurements or anything, but i think i might be able to put the second 5830 on the back of my computer case - id just have to make a "slot" for it. My following setup looks like this:

And i figure it will look something like this:

Anyone have any ideas on why this wouldnt work, or have any other ideas on where to put my second 5830?

Unless you got some special extra long x1-x16 cable coming it's not going to reach for what you want there. Your best bet is to get a couple pieces of dowelling/wood/whatever and use it to support the card like a bridge over the current one.

Personally I'd move the whole thing out of the case. But I think where to put the card is only one of your problems. Once you do this you'll have heat issues in the case, and judging by the blurry photo I'm wondering what you have for power in there. If it's a typical power unit then two cards aren't going to fly. You'll need a power supply rated at 500W+ and a good one, not the junk they often put in your average cases. Many power supplies have, say 450W, ratings on them and just can't run over 50% of their rating for long.

Your two cards and cpu will draw around 360W or more. I'd guess more as that big fan on the cpu hints that it's not an AMD Sempron sipping less then 40W like mine. Not sure what cpu you have but my guess, along with 2 HDs, is more than 400W load.

i just lay my case on its side have one card in the comp and 2 cards laying on top
https://i.imgur.com/NpeDg.jpg
seems eziest alternative other than open case

The PSU that i have in that picture fried a few days ago with 1 card in the computer. I ordered a 680 watt power supply and 2 88CFM 120mm fans for the case. I have a quad-core 90 watt AMD Phenom as the CPU. I also just added another 1TB hard drive. The position of where the 1x port is is the reason why i think i might be able to put it on the back - unless its less than 6 inches long.

I've seen both 12cm and 15cm x1 extenders advertised. There may even be longer ones but I'd say 12cm is typical. You can use an x1-x1 + x1-x16 double extender combination to get more length. Some users have done that here. I suspect it would be a problem for gaming as higher data rates are used but according to reports it works ok for mining.

12cm = 4.7 inches.
15cm = 5.9 inches.

Another thing you may look at is using a "standoff" where the card screws to the case to extend it up higher and let it float above the mainboard. That would take some rigging up but it may be better than hacking up the case.

You're probably not going to load that Phenom much so my guess is you'll pull about 400W total depending on how much O/C you use and how efficient your PSU is. Cheaper PSUs cost you more in the long run with mining due to low efficiency ratings. Getting one rated 80Plus with PFC is a good idea and if you can afford it a 80+ Gold is ideal as it gets about 90% efficiency.

What i got is this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148022 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148022)

According to newegg, its efficiency is >70%

Has your order gone through yet?  The reason I ask is that PSU is pure junk.  I had bought one 4 years ago before I knew anything about computers and failed to realize that it's ~500w at best.  It's not rated at 680w continuous, has horrible ripple, lacks Active PFC, the list goes on.  If you need a cheap, yet reliable PSU I would recommend this PC Power & Cooling 500w (http://www.directron.com/ppcs500b.html).

I hope that works for you. I have no idea if it's a solid brand but the specs point towards not being so good. >70% is typical of lower end units and not having PFC is another indicator. I know it would hurt to send it back but if it can't handle the workload you will end up doing that anyway in the end and maybe more than once.

A solid low end unit is the Corsair CX600 (which I use for 2x 5830s), at about the same price, or better still the Corsair TX650 which is a bit more money but a very solid series used by many miners. With the Corsair you get 3 or 5 years warranty and they have proven themselves over and over for miners as able to handle full load 24/7. Plus they don't really cost much more.

CX600 with $10 coupon and free shpg = $53 vs. $49.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028&Tpk=corsair%20cx600

TX650 @ $85 inc shpg., $70 with mail in rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028&Tpk=corsair%20cx600

The CX600 is 80plus which means you probably save about 13% on electricity costs. At estimated 400W and 10 cents/kWh that is about 70kWh*24*30*.10 = $5 per month savings. The TX series would save about 5% more, so $5.60/month. Plus TX has 5 years warranty. If your eclectric costs more than 10 cents kWh then you save even more.

It makes little sense to do mining with less than a 80Plus certified PSU.

If you think you may add 2 more 5830 later then don't go with less than a TX850 or TX950.

That is only 500 watts - and ive already had this discussion once:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=40665.0

Basically, i bought this because it has the PCIE, SATA, and molex requirements. My order has already went though and will be here Tuesday. Im just using it until i buy a decent one and return this one.


When i start looking for another PSU, ill take those into consideration. Anyways, can we get back to the subject of where the video card is supposed to go?

Where you put the card is of little consequence. Hang it off any place that doesn't contact metal and short it out. If you think you can close the case and run two cards without heat problems then you will be in for a shock. There is a reason most miners favour open air rigs.

You would be much better served to take the advice on the PSU. I just noticed that the one you chose also has two rails at 22A and 24A. If one of those is routed to the ATX connector then it's entirely possible you can only run one card off the PCIe connectors, even if two of them. It depends on how the rails are wired. Given the total rating of 680W those values make little sense as well. You'll be drawing roughly 12A off each PCIe and I'd bet money you can't put 100% load 24/7 on either of those 12V rails.

yea you really shouldnt have bought that garbage psu you should always plan ahead for the future.
i got this one and it works like a champ but it was on sale for 50  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182191 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182191)
good brands are antec and corsair also try to stay away from mail in rebates they are a wast of time

yeah, well i was on a budget (was trying to spend less than $45 and spent $55, and i needed > 4 SATA, > 2 PCIE, and something > 600 watt. This was the only one i found. Like i said, ill probably use this for a week or so, and return it for a better one once i get more money.

nice how does your Standard PCI slots with converters perform

Nice, i might end up opening up my case and using my PCI slots for another card - there was actually a thread on here where someone was asking if there was anyone who used there PCI slot for mining - i think it was in the "Hardware" forum.

Do you have a link for the seller on ebay as I thought these were going for $25 even on ebay. I'd pick up a few at $8-10 though. Always some old PCI boards kicking around here with diddly to do.

So i put in my new "junk" power supply - everything is running fine, my GPU temp is lowered 10ºC. So until this goes out or until i feel like its about to go out, i think im going to stick with this one, but everything might change because im getting a second 5830 in a few days - will repost then.