PCI express to PCI converters are available

[Steve]

Yup, use a PCI device in a 1 lane PCIe slot. The Inquirer can't work out why you'd want to, though.

This is an adapter that will fit into your motherboard’s spare PCIe x1 slot, the one that’s often right next to your graphics card, so you can’t plug anything into it, and give you an additional PCI slot… at the wrong height.

Yep – stick a sound card into one of these and you’ll be unable to shut your case, or secure the card as far as we can tell!

[The Inquirer]

So, putting on my smart arse hat, I have a couple of reasons:

1. Use a low profile PCI card, that'll fit with the device in place.
2. This could be adapted as a riser for HTPCs, where the uATX motherboard slot arrangement makes it impossible to use a regular PCI riser.

OK, so one solution requires you actually have a low profile device that absolutely must go into that slot, and the other has a very limited market, but still, at least I came up with something to justify the damn thing.

Still, they're right, other than that it seems like a pretty pointless product.

[Funkstar]

it does look like it was designed for your first point in mind. Notice the small notch in the backing plate which would extend your low profile card to being full height.

[Netvyper]

I dont know if its the same for modern Cards... but I seem to recall with older graphics cards, if you screw the monitor in too tight, when you unscrew it & take the mountings with it, the metal plate at the back falls off

If the PCI/PCI-E Converter was supplied with a reduced height backing plate (which i doubt :s), this could easily be used for most cards, which arent always full height, especially devices like sound & tv cards, and wifi cards.

I think its a decent idea, because im yet to see too many PCI-E Variants of these cards... yet systems like shuttles only ship with 1 PCI-E 1x, 1 PCI-E 16x... lacking a PCI Slot.

[chuckskull]

Somewhere one person thinks this is really useful, but he's the only one.

[Funkstar]

if they made this a right angle adapter it wouldbe very useful for when VIA move to PCIE. Means the onboard slot is taking up a lot less room and you can still use current/cheap PCI cards in your SFF case.

[mineolut]

Hello,

If that helps my company do supply that adapter from Japan.
It is a PCI-E 1x to 4 x PCI slots Expansion Box.
See pictures and link below:

Nope, doesn't help, spammy git. --Steve

[chrestomanci]

That actually looks like a potentially usefull bit of Kit. I know most people won't use one, but for some people it will be a godsend.

Link and picture for other hexus readers:

Few comments:

Firstly, do you need drivers? and if so, are there quality open source linux ones available?

Secondly, have you considered making a laptop version, with a express card interface. As you can see from this thread ASUS have got an express card interface working to run an external PCI-express graphics card. If you did produce a laptop version, I dare say it would sell better than a desktop version, as I know plenty of engineers who need to run specialised PCI cards for hardware debugging or the like, but would prefer a laptop to take to meetings.

Finally, I think it is a shame that you have purposed a DVI connector to provide the interface between the external box and the PC. I hate it when manufactures do that, as it causes confusion, and potentially expensive mistakes if something gets plugged into the wrong connector.

[SiM]

Its probably cheaper to get a new motherboard rather than having to use a converter...

Nope, doesn't help, spammy git. --Steve

Bit harsh... its not like he covertly tryed to advertise...

[Steve B]

harsh?
here comes that copter again
rofl

[SiM]

I am sure if scan posted the same thing, the reaction would have been different...

There is plenty of interest for these things but no one has a clue where to get hold of these.

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=102322

[Steve]

I am sure if scan posted the same thing, the reaction would have been different...

Point is, you don't rock up as a complete stranger and start advertising stuff for your own company.

[chrestomanci]

Its probably cheaper to get a new motherboard rather than having to use a converter...

That depends.

Boards with 4 PCI slots are getting rare these days, boards with 12 are almost unheard of (remember, there is nothing stopping you hooking up more than one of these). In any case, all this assumes the user does not have anything else limiting their choice of board. If they need to use a laptop or SFF system, then something like this will provide expansion that would otherwise be impossible.

I don't think this sort of thing will ever be a mainstream choice, but there will be plenty of unusual situations where this is an ideal solution.

Point is, you don't rock up as a complete stranger and start advertising stuff for your own company.

I think we are being to hard on the guy. The posting was not off-topic, spammy, fraudelent or anything like that. Cut the guy some slack

[SiM]

Why would you need 12 PCI slots? Doesn't everything PCI come in a PCI-E flavor too now? (except sound)

[Funkstar]

Not even close.

For the average PC user then you are probably right, but then a lot of people have expensive PCI cards they will be not want to replace.

Once you get into more exotic IO systems, there is a huge amount of very expensive cards that are not available in PCI-E and probably won't be available for quite some time.

[OilSheikh]

They sell similar things in Maplin.

Get 2 PCI slots from 1 PCI slot ..

[Funkstar]

They are not similar to this at all. All they do is share the bus between two cards. This device is converting one bus type to another.