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View Full Version : Can you use a PCI Express 16x2 card on a 16x1 motherboard

ravaneli
03-22-09, 01:24 PM
Hey guys,

Is PCI E 16x2 and 16x1 the same platform but with different bandwidth? I have a gigabyte mobo that supports only 16x1 and I was wondering if it will support a low end 16x2 card like 9600GT or ATI's 4850.

Input much appreciated.

Thanks!
rainless
03-22-09, 01:43 PM
yes.
zbo
03-22-09, 01:59 PM
Yes you can, I'm doing it right now.
gian84
03-23-09, 05:36 AM
Yup you can. pcie 2.0 cards can work with pcie 1.0/1.1 mobos.

The new cards, even if they say they are pcie 2.0, cannot really saturate the whole bandwidth of pcie 1.1, so you won't experience performance loss because of not having a pcie 2.0 mobo either. At least for the single gpu cards like 9600gt/4850, don't know about dual gpu cards...