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

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dan99t

Member
Nov 29, 2011
99
3
71
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
 

Aapje

Golden Member
Mar 21, 2022
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Good solution except 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 )

You are a bit hard to shop for, since you keep adding new requirements, although this particular requirement isn't too bad. You can just get HDMI to DVI and DP to DVI adapters and cables for quite cheap on Amazon.

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.

Do you actually still have onsite support on your current system then? Because they seem to offer a maximum of 5 years of onsite support, so didn't you run out of support 5 years ago? You seem to be the kind of person that gets a good setup and then just want to keep it the same as long as possible, until you are forced to upgrade. Do you want to be forced to upgrade after 5 years or go without support? Keep in mind that Dell uses a lot of custom components, so you can't just go to another support supplier (unless they somehow have access to Dell components).

There are also companies that specialize in local onsite support for small businesses. Have you looked at those? Then you can probably get support for 10 years or longer.

I don't do gaming. Just stock market charts.

Well, I looked a bit at what other bankers do and they seem to build custom machines that are designed for this use case, not try to shoehorn a Dell workstation into a role it is not designed for, or ready for.

I would still suggest getting a nice case and a motherboard with good spacing. Then put three Quadro T600's in there or something better. Get support from a local computer company and go trade those stocks.
 
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dan99t

Member
Nov 29, 2011
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Yes they are x4 slots, but the one closest to the cpu socket is blocked by the wifi module connector.
I don't need wifi so in that case would it work ?
Also can you put an arrow showing which is wifi modue ?
Motherboard.png
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.

There are 4 USB 3.2 Type-C Ports so do I need above you suggested ?Motherboard.png
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,681
14,934
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It's not a matter of you needing the wifi card, the socket is right behind the first pcie x4 slot. You could potentially stick a 4x card that has no rear retention, assuming the wifi connector is not taller than the pcie socket.

I would just try the USB-C to dvi/vga dongles and dp to dvi cables first.


Ask Dell how they are installing two of those T600, as in which ports. And if you can stick in a third one.


Know that if you stick another video card in there yourself, it is not covered by Dell. Read the terms carefully, don't want to lose the only good reason to buy from Dell. How much is the three year extended warranty anyway?
 
Last edited:

dan99t

Member
Nov 29, 2011
99
3
71
You are a bit hard to shop for, since you keep adding new requirements, although this particular requirement isn't too bad. You can just get HDMI to DVI and DP to DVI adapters and cables for quite cheap on Amazon
Sorry about that. Since T-600 comes with 4 miniDPs & that is what I have in my current workstation, thus I already have 12 miniDP to DVI connectors, I can use them for new 3660.
Do you actually still have onsite support on your current system then? Because they seem to offer a maximum of 5 years of onsite support, so didn't you run out of support 5 years ago?
Yes, I did & shopped around for a new one but some others in my business convinced me that Dell workstations are built to last long upto 10 years so went with their advise & so far no other problem except power supply went down right after 5 years & I couldn't find as you mentioned another that would work & had to wait 3 weeks for Dell to give me a new one. So you are right on all those points. Unfortunately there is no local vendor that will give me a warranty on custom built systems.

I almost went for custom built & spent some time putting a system together & luckily ran into Dell workstation with 5 Full 16X slots so I asked around & in my business then people were using AMD FirePro 2460, 512 MB cards , so I bought 3 of them & took a chance because no one was using more than 3 or 4 monitors & it worked & is still working. So I am trying to repeat that process but 3660 does not have even two 16X slots so I am asking you guys for help.

Other choice is that Dell has 3 years old 5820 with two 16X & one 8X with old USB 3.1 ports & no DP ports & one & half time the price of 3660.

So I hope you understand my position. But I am very glad that this forum has very helpful people so soon I will put together something that works with Dell 3660 because that is the newest Feb 2022 model except crapy slots.
 

Stuka87

Diamond Member
Dec 10, 2010
6,240
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Yep, I think that is a good advice.
Dell is not helpful at all where I am because they are looking for much bigger corps & don't give a damn for individuals. It wasn't like that 5 years ago.

Dell has been like that for ages. Even in the late 2000's they acted the same way.

If anything, this shows yet another reason to not go with a Dell.

In your photo, if you look to the right of the top PCIE port, you will see the wifi module slot. That being there will prevent any card that has more than a 4x connector from plugging in.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,681
14,934
126
Dell has been like that for ages. Even in the late 2000's they acted the same way.

If anything, this shows yet another reason to not go with a Dell.

In your photo, if you look to the right of the top PCIE port, you will see the wifi module slot. That being there will prevent any card that has more than a 4x connector from plugging in.


It's actually NVME

 

Aapje

Golden Member
Mar 21, 2022
1,313
1,773
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Yes, I did & shopped around for a new one but some others in my business convinced me that Dell workstations are built to last long up to 10 years so went with their advise & so far no other problem except power supply went down right after 5 years & I couldn't find as you mentioned another that would work & had to wait 3 weeks for Dell to give me a new one. So you are right on all those points.

All these parts are made in the same factories. Right now there are component shortages, which means that these companies often switch out components for those they can actually get, but without retesting the product. The result is a relatively high failure rate, as the new component isn't exactly the same.

I wouldn't necessarily expect any quality differences unless you get a custom PC with ultra-budget brands. Basically, if the PC works well for a few months, it typically should last a long time. The main failure points are the fans, which are moving parts that wear. You can extend the life of the system by cleaning it once in a while, so the fans don't have to push hard due to all the dust (of course, don't use a vacuum cleaner with a metal tip, as that can result in shorts). Other than that, an air-cooled system is very reliable. You can improve on that by building a system that has good passive cooling, so the fans rarely have to go on.

A custom system can have better longevity due to better upgradability, but in your case I don't think that is a significant factor, since your needs don't seem to change.

Unfortunately there is no local vendor that will give me a warranty on custom built systems.

That's unfortunate. I trust myself more than any builder, but getting and maintaining that expertise does cost effort.

Other choice is that Dell has 3 years old 5820 with two 16X & one 8X with old USB 3.1 ports & no DP ports & one & half time the price of 3660.

That's the issue with these companies generally, if you want to go 'Pro' on one aspect of the system, they often require you to get other more expensive components as well, even if you don't need those. For example, the processor in that machine is very much overkill for your needs (and is actually less reliable than a more modest CPU with less heat output).
 

thecoolnessrune

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2005
9,670
571
126
I'd say this is mostly to do with the way Intel / AMD treat their prosumer lines. Remember Intel only has 16 PCIe 5 lanes and 4 PCIe 4 lanes coming from the Alder Lake CPUs. Without expensive PCIe switches, that means you're pretty much stuck with 2 x8 electrical in x16 slots as the "high end". 20 PCIe 4 lanes in Ryzen 5000 doesn't fare much better. In either case board makers will account for the most likely scenarios, which are 1 x16 physical / x16 electrical, or 2 x16 physical / x8 electrical. You could theoretically make a board with a bunch of open ended x4 physical / electrical slots, or x16 physical, x4 electrical slots, but that is going to be a niche board, and understandably there's not a lot of resources going to that.

So to improve on that you really need to have more PCIe lanes, and to do that AMD and Intel make HEDT lines. For Intel, that's Core-X, and for AMD, that's Threadripper. There's also the Intel Xeon W Series, and the AMD Threadripper PRO line. In the case of Core-X and Threadripper, neither platform has been touched since 2019. For Xeon W, you're still talking 1 generation old. For the latest Threadripper PRO, you're locked behind OEM Workstations from Lenovo and similar. EDIT (Corrected the previous to reflect that Threadripper PRO is the latest and greatest core, but locked behind an OEM). You have to determine what's most important to you.

At 1920x1200, OP can technically run all of his monitors off of one T600 GPU by adding 3 Matrox QuadHead2Go products to break out his ports into multiple display wall ports. But they are very expensive products. Far more expensive than just getting more Quadro GPUs, but OP will have to determine what he values most. Latest and Greatest cores, or expandability. Tale as old as time.
 

Insert_Nickname

Diamond Member
May 6, 2012
4,971
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That's unfortunate. I trust myself more than any builder, but getting and maintaining that expertise does cost effort.

Getting? Sure. Maintaining? I've been assembling custom systems for close on 30 years now. What we do now is not that different from when I started.

If anything, building today is childs play compared to back then. Try configuring an AT board with jumpers and DIP switches and you know what I mean. Make a mistake? Hopefully you didn't just fry thousand of dollars worth of kit. Back then you could also just fry the board by the simple expedient of reversing the power connector. You can't do that with modern one-way ATX connectors.
 
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MrTeal

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2003
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Sorry about that. Since T-600 comes with 4 miniDPs & that is what I have in my current workstation, thus I already have 12 miniDP to DVI connectors, I can use them for new 3660.

Yes, I did & shopped around for a new one but some others in my business convinced me that Dell workstations are built to last long upto 10 years so went with their advise & so far no other problem except power supply went down right after 5 years & I couldn't find as you mentioned another that would work & had to wait 3 weeks for Dell to give me a new one. So you are right on all those points. Unfortunately there is no local vendor that will give me a warranty on custom built systems.

I almost went for custom built & spent some time putting a system together & luckily ran into Dell workstation with 5 Full 16X slots so I asked around & in my business then people were using AMD FirePro 2460, 512 MB cards , so I bought 3 of them & took a chance because no one was using more than 3 or 4 monitors & it worked & is still working. So I am trying to repeat that process but 3660 does not have even two 16X slots so I am asking you guys for help.

Other choice is that Dell has 3 years old 5820 with two 16X & one 8X with old USB 3.1 ports & no DP ports & one & half time the price of 3660.

So I hope you understand my position. But I am very glad that this forum has very helpful people so soon I will put together something that works with Dell 3660 because that is the newest Feb 2022 model except crapy slots.
Unless you're absolutely deadset on Alder Lake, the 5820 might be the better choice. Even the price isn't terrible since the older machines tend to be heavily discounted. You can pick up a machine with a 10900X, 32GB DDR4, dual T1000s and a 512GB NVME drive for $2333 which is cheaper than anything comparable in the 3660. You lose the extra m.2 slots right on the board and have to live with a bigger tower. You can get it even cheaper if you just for with a single 8GB stick of RAM and just buy your own quad channel kit.

Either that, or if you can hold out wait for an update to the 5000/7000 series Precisions.