Question How to fit full length 16X Nvidia T-600 into a 4X Slot ?

[dan99t]

Hi,
I am buying a New Dell workstation 3660 . Dell will install two Nvidia T-600 graphics cards which will run 8 monitors.

I have 12 Monitors ( 1920x1200 Resolution )

Now there is only one 4X slot left where another 16X card will not fit which can run 4 leftover monitors.

Is there a way to run 3rd full length 16X graphics card Nvidia T-600 which will run 4 more monitors ?

This workstation does have latest USB 3.2 Type C ports & two Display Ports.

Can I use a 4X to 16X Riser card & place 3rd graphics card there ? Would the bandwidth be enough from 4X slot ?

Has anyone tried anything that works ?

Any other ideas ?

Thank You

 

[Stuka87]

Here is ther configuration choice for all GPUs they offfer & clearly show you can choose Dual GPUs.

Precision 3660 Tower Workstation : Computer Workstations | Dell USA

Learn more about the Dell Precision 3660 Tower Workstation and see all Computer Workstations at Dell.com. Get ultimate power without sacrificing your budget.

www.dell.com

View attachment 62236

When I went there myself it didn't show any of the dual options. There must be another config that makes them unavailable that was selected.

 

[dan99t]

I have no idea why he picked a Dell workstation 3660. There are many wrong reasons for doing so and a few good reasons as well. Unless he actually has one of those good reasons, I would suggest cancelling that order and getting something more fit for purpose.

You are so right.

The good reasons for 3660 are :

It allows me to have 3 x 512GB NVMe on Motherboard, one for OS & 2 for back Ups & data.
It allows me to have 3 X 4 TB Sata 5400m rpm for data.

My problem is how to drive 4 more Monitors.

3660 has 2 Display ports & 3 USB 3.2 Type C ports.

So the question is, can I use them for last 4 monitors & if yes, how ?

 

[Aapje]

The good reasons for 3660 are :

It allows me to have 3 x 512GB NVMe on Motherboard, one for OS & 2 for back Ups & data.
It allows me to have 3 X 4 TB Sata 5400m rpm for data.

That's not actually a very good reason to choose it over a custom build, since you can get something like a ASUS ROG Strix Z590-F Gaming WIFI with 4 M2 slots and 6 SATA connectors, plus 3 full length PCIe slots with good spacing.

Your choice is a machine that fits your demand for storage, but fails at providing room for the video cards you need. My suggestion offers both.

 

[DeathReborn]

If all you need is 4 more monitors then one of the ASUS GT 710/730 PCIe x1 cards would suffice (have to run GeForce drivers for all cards) as they both have 4x HDMI 1.4a ports on them.

 

[sdifox]

I am convinced this is not a good machine for what you want to fit in there

 

[PingSpike]

You can conceivably make this work provided the spacing issues can be resolved with your card selection, but switching to a big case would make your life a lot easier.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

It allows me to have 3 x 512GB NVMe on Motherboard, one for OS & 2 for back Ups & data.
It allows me to have 3 X 4 TB Sata 5400m rpm for data.

Backups? I'd really look into an external solution for that, because if your PSU fries one M.2 drive, the rest are probably toast as well. If they're accessible to the OS, you're not protected against malware/ransomware or accidental deletion either.

You can get an external SSD, or an external case and DIY it. The external SSDs on the market are more then fast enough for backups.

If all you need is 4 more monitors then one of the ASUS GT 710/730 PCIe x1 cards would suffice (have to run GeForce drivers for all cards) as they both have 4x HDMI 1.4a ports on them.

You're right. I'd forgotten about those.

 

[lakedude]

 

[dan99t]

Under the Features Section there is a blowout shot of the system and you can see 3x PCIe slots, white at the bottom which is open ended (1 slot width), the 16x in the middle (2 slot width) and another 4x but closed above that (1 slot width). The side on shot covering cooling a little lower down shows the top 4x slot as closed, hence a riser for that slot.

Please excuse my ignorance but which blowout are you talking? In the link you provided, I searched & searched but I do not see those 3 slots.
Can you kindly post that blowout & mark with arrows showing 3 slots please ?

 

[dan99t]

An alternative would be to use a displayport MST hub if the objective is to have enough ports to drive the displays.

This system has latest ports.
Rear :
Two Display ports 1.4 ( HBR2 )
Two USB 3.2 Type -C ports Gen 2( 10 Gbps )
Two USB 3.2 Gen 2.
Front :
One USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2
One USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2x2 ( 20 Gbps )

Can you use any of those to Drive 4 Monitors?
I do need to Run different applications or News Videos OR surf websites on each of them.

Any ideas ?

 

[DeathReborn]

Please excuse my ignorance but which blowout are you talking? In the link you provided, I searched & searched but I do not see those 3 slots.
Can you kindly post that blowout & mark with arrows showing 3 slots please ?

Untitled hosted at ImgBB

Image Untitled hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[dan99t]

I have no idea why he picked a Dell workstation 3660. There are many wrong reasons for doing so and a few good reasons as well. Unless he actually has one of those good reasons, I would suggest cancelling that order and getting something more fit for purpose.

I have many good reasons so this should clarify all your concerns.
(1) I am no hardware expert so if anything goes wrong I just call Dell & they are at my place next day with parts. I have been with them for 10 years. So peace of mind the major factor.
(2) I have been using their age old T-7500 workstation for 10 years & in 2012 I chose their T-7500 which had two X16 Full length, one X16 wired as 8 & one X16 wired as 4.
I bought & ( this should make you laugh ) 3 AMD FirePro 2460 512 MB cards which has no fan & but had 4 MiniDP Ports each & I am still running 12 Monitors while I am writing this to you.
(3) Now I need a new one & Choices are two :
(A) Age old Dell 5820 workstation which has two X16 , one X16 wired as 8 & one X16 wired as 4. That will be more than enough to drive 12 monitors with Nvidia T-600.
Downside to that is, it uses old Xeon CPUs, has USB 2 & USB 3.1 ports & Choice of Max two M.2 NVMe. All with Premium Prices.
(B) Dell 3660 workstation is their newest (2022) has latest CPUs i-9 12th generation. 3 M.2 NVMe. 3, 3.5 inch HDDs for storage, Latest ports like 2 DPs, 4 USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2, Two USB 3.2 Gen 1. Only drawback is GPU slots. One x16, Gen5, One X4 Gen4 & one X4 Gen3
Dell is willing to factory install Two Nvidia T-600. So obviously they are putting one card in X4 slot. So why not one more with you guys expertise & all those latest slots ? I am sure some of you will find a way.
Oh, it is smaller & Cheaper.
I am using the system for Running stock market applications but no games at all.
Feel free if you need more info.

 

[sdifox]

When the vendor doesn't sell what you need, it is time to switch vendor.

Video card with six ports

ASRock Radeon RX 5700 XT Taichi X 8G OC+

<b>GPU Clock:</b>, Boost Clock (Tweak / Default): Up to 2040 / 2025 MHz, Game Clock (Tweak / Default): Up to 2000 / 1935 MHz, Base Clock (Tweak / Default): 1885 / 1810 MHz<br /><b>Memory Clock</b>: 14 Gbps<br /><b>Key Specification</b>, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT Graphics, 2nd Gen 7nm GPU, 8GB...

www.asrock.com

https://www.amazon.com/VisionTek-Radeon-7750-GDDR5-MiniDP/dp/B00C7EPSVS?ref_=ast_sto_dp

So you just need to find a computer with 2 16x slots.


Also, there is nothing wrong with your firepro cards. If they are still working, just clean them up (blow the dust away) and keep using them. You just need a video card, not like you are gaming.


You can also try dual hdmi/dp type c hubs, hook two of those up and you get four more video output.

 

[zebrax2]

Assuming the other 8 displays are driven by dGPUs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091397B2V?psc=1

You can use that on one of the displayports available in the motherboard (powered by iGPU) and then you'll have enough ports to drive the remaining 4 display. According to Intel the i7-12700 iGPU can support up to 4 displays and that every iGPU from Intel core 4th gen and above should support MST and daisychains of up to 3 display.
Which Intel® Core™ Processors and/or Intel® HD Graphics Controllers Support Multi-Stream Transport (MST)?
Intel Ark Intel® Core™ i7-12700 Processor

 

[dan99t]

Untitled hosted at ImgBB

Image Untitled hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

Thank You. Really appreciate it. This takes a Real expert to notice in what they have posted is a jungle.

 

[dan99t]

You can also try dual hdmi/dp type c hubs, hook two of those up and you get four more video output.

Can you please put a link where I can see them. I am confused because there are two DP ports in 3660 & two USB 3.2 Type C. Won't they run 4 more monitors ?

 

[sdifox]

Can you please put a link where I can see them. I am confused because there are two DP ports in 3660 & two USB 3.2 Type C. Won't they run 4 more monitors ?

yeah you can just try that first.

example, not recommendation

https://www.amazon.com/Displayport-Ethernet-Multiport-Different-Displays/dp/B082KMKQQX/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3Q2D1Z1B0RODB&keywords=type+c+hub+with+2+hdmi&qid=1653920159&sprefix=type+c+hub+with+2+hdmi%2Caps%2C73&sr=8-3

this is the mb pix from the manual I linked earlier, it's got very few usable PCIE slots

Precision 3660 Tower Service Manual | Dell Deutschland

dell website is absolutely garbage. I could not configure a machine properly in Firefox... the special offer pane blocks all the other options other than the cpu choice for a dell tower

 

[Leeea]

Hi,
I am buying a New Dell workstation 3660 . Dell will install two Nvidia T-600 graphics cards which will run 8 monitors.

I have 12 Monitors ( 1920x1200 Resolution )

Now there is only one 4X slot left where another 16X card will not fit which can run 4 leftover monitors.

Is there a way to run 3rd full length 16X graphics card Nvidia T-600 which will run 4 more monitors ?

Yes

This workstation does have latest USB 3.2 Type C ports & two Display Ports.

Can I use a 4X to 16X Riser card & place 3rd graphics card there ? Would the bandwidth be enough from 4X slot ?

Yes, and yes

Has anyone tried anything that works ?

Yes

Any other ideas ?

Thank You

This is a poor choice of system to start with. The above system may not have BIOS compatibility for this.


I have done this. Depending on your application it will work. I used risers for mining, and the cards worked just fine. I found video cards will work with x4, or x1 just peachy.

It can be done from any PCIe port, including PCI WiFi risers and NVMe slots.


Now, as far as performance is concerned, I would think PCIe 4.0 x4 is the bare minimum for gaming. That would be PCIe 3.0 x8.


Your biggest problem is going to be DELL. You need support for features like "Above 4G decoding" that dell may not have bothered with.

last note:
if you do not care about performance, and just want extra monitors just get a USB monitor. The frame rate is not exactly high, but the picture quality can be just as good in non-moving scenes. Not the monitors that run display port over USB C, but actual USB monitors that show up as a USB device.

 

[dan99t]

You can use that on one of the displayports available in the motherboard (powered by iGPU) and then you'll have enough ports to drive the remaining 4 display. According to Intel the i7-12700 iGPU can support up to 4 displays and that every iGPU from Intel core 4th gen and above should support MST and daisychains of up to 3 display.

Good solution excepy my monitors don't have DPs. They all have DVI & VGA ports only. My other 8 Cards Nvidia comes with mini DP to DVI Connectors so that works well. I need to find something that will run 4 monitors with DVI or VGA ( 1920x1200 )

 

[dan99t]

dell website is absolutely garbage. I could not configure a machine properly in Firefox... the special offer pane blocks all the other options other than the cpu choice for a dell tower

This is the best image I have seen so far. Correct me but two black slots on either side of 16 are 4x ? One seems open ended. The question is if the space between 16X & other close ended one is enough to insert one more Nvidia T-600 ?

 

[sdifox]

Good solution excepy my monitors don't have DPs. They all have DVI & VGA ports only. My other 8 Cards Nvidia comes with mini DP to DVI Connectors so that works well. I need to find something that will run 4 monitors with DVI or VGA ( 1920x1200 )

Type C to DVI and vga hubs. Make sure they can drive multiple displays simultaneously.

Example, not recommendation

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07L8YXN9D/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_214RBJMBFQN613BJSEZ6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[dan99t]

This is a poor choice of system to start with. The above system may not have BIOS compatibility for this

They are giving two Nvidia T-600 factory installed. So wouldn't a third card work as well on 3rd PCIe 4x Gen 3 ?

I don't do gaming. Just stock market charts. All my 12 monitors have DVI & VGA ports only. Currently they all are running fine for last 10 years with age old ATI FirePro 2468 512 MB Cards.

Being not techy on hardware I chose Dell because of support & Full warranty on everything. If those 3 ,M.2 NVMe or Motherboard fry, they will replace it. So trying to make it work with you guys help which I have found very useful & I am grateful.

Just need a solution to run 4 monitors using either Nvidia T-600 & 4X Slot OR two DP 1.4 OR three USB 3.2 Type-C.

 

[dan99t]

this is the mb pix from the manual I linked earlier, it's got very few usable PCIE slots

Are those two with my arrows, PCIe 4x Slots ?

 

[sdifox]

They are giving two Nvidia T-600 factory installed. So wouldn't a third card work as well on 3rd PCIe 4x Gen 3 ?

I don't do gaming. Just stock market charts. All my 12 monitors have DVI & VGA ports only. Currently they all are running fine for last 10 years with age old ATI FirePro 2468 512 MB Cards.

Being not techy on hardware I chose Dell because of support & Full warranty on everything. If those 3 ,M.2 NVMe or Motherboard fry, they will replace it. So trying to make it work with you guys help which I have found very useful & I am grateful.

Just need a solution to run 4 monitors using either Nvidia T-600 & 4X Slot OR two DP 1.4 OR three USB 3.2 Type-C.

You are not going to be able to add a third card. Not enough space due to first one being blocked by the wifi module connection.

Dell is not the only company that offer service contracts. And I don't see any towers they offer that has the expansion slots you need.

 

[sdifox]

Are those two with my arrows, PCIe 4x Slots ?

View attachment 62358

Yes they are x4 slots, but the one closest to the cpu socket is blocked by the wifi module connector.

If you are set on this machine I would try the type c to video out solution first instead of trying to stick another gpu in there.

You could put this in the first pcie slot and get more type c ports

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B087G7T234/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_7HGSNRR6CD10VB5BSCY7