Hi all I am considering having a go at a scratch build and was considering mounting the graphics card below the motherboard with the connector pointing downwards. I have been having a look at extension cables and I have come across two issues that will kill off my case idea before I even begin: 1. None of the extensions look long enough. I havent measured but it would need to go from the pci-e slot down the rest of the length of my p67 pro then the width of the gpu to reach the connector that will now be at the bottom. I think this is around 30cm. 2. This is going to be visible and they are all butt ugly. Does anyone know of any extenders that are long enough and look good enough to be on display? Thanks
Have a look at the Bitfenix extenders from Specialtech They're decent quality and sleeved with a paracord type material. I make up my own custom length cables but you need to invest in a decent crimping tool.
Wrong end of the stick (or gpu) its the motherboard connection I need an extension for. Like below just longer and prettier!
Have a look at the Bitfenix Extension cables or pm me if you want a custom length cable. Edit, sorry, completely misinterpreted what you were looking for.
Thats the type, just need one that looks good enough to be on show or that could be easily hidden / routed behind the motherboard tray and out below!
I remember seeing something similar to this in a mod a while ago - I'll have a search... EDIT: Not quite a mod but this seems to suggest that those cables are somewhat unreliable (prone to interference...)
Dammit I was hoping to build a very tall but thin case with gpu, sound card, psu and drives rotated 90 degrees. Looks like that idea is out!
Was it by any chance the mod where it was a full pc hanging from a wall (like a picture or a painting) with all the components arranged beside each other on standoffs with blue LED lighting behind.....?
I seemed to remember a wall mounted pc myself and was hunting for it but couldnt find it. The only wall mounted one I could find was a shoddy youtube video with no gpu.
If you're mounting the GPU that way, make sure you're careful to allow at least some airflow to the rear of the card, it's not just the front that heats up!
As far as I know the maximum length of a PCI-e extender is 15-20 cm's so you are well outside the specifications if you even manage to find a 30cm long one.
Well......before i open a new thread i just write it here. I also want to use an pci-e extension cable for my scratch build. Have I to "fear" that the card will lose some power compared to direct attachment to the mainboard. I am not the type of gamer who needs to play the latest games on extreme settings with 100+ fps, but games like Battlefield 3 with good/high graphic settings with smooth fps. Hope you can follow my thoughts somehow ^^
It's extremely unlikely an extension will cause a voltage drop unless both the extension and the current PCI-E cable are very long or possibly if the PSU is low quality. I've made an extension (EPS/CPU) nearly a metre in length with no problem.
Do you mean a PSU extension cable (which are fine) or an actual pci-e extension cable (that connects the graphics card to the motherboard)?
Mean the cable connecting card to mainboard. Well..... i thought about it during the day and my result was, that there shouldnt be a critical performance lost. Because electric signals are moving nearly with lightspeed.....well it was late last night and my brain quitted work for that day
Yup. PCI-E signals are very sensitive. Any extensions you can get are poorly shielded. I've only heard bad things about them. I've never heard of anyone getting one to actually work.
I think you must be thinking about something else. Loads of people use PCI-E extension cables without problems. They only supply 12V and Ground.
