Open-Source AMD Fusion E-350 Support Takes A Dive

[chithanh]

Some hardware review sites installed graphics cards into the PCIe x4 slot, but the results are not encouraging.

Zacate systems have 4 PCIe lanes from the CPU and 4 from the southbridge. Most systems already use one SB lane for ethernet and one for USB 3.0.

[JulianW]

Some hardware review sites installed graphics cards into the PCIe x4 slot, but the results are not encouraging.

Zacate systems have 4 PCIe lanes from the CPU and 4 from the southbridge. Most systems already use one SB lane for ethernet and one for USB 3.0.

Some seem to have WLAN as well - probably through a miniPCIe socket. Maybe one of these toys could give you a PCIe 1x socket for that Hauppauge card .

[renkin]

Also, Michael, could you perhaps add an indication to the "Takes A Dive" title to indicate that the issue has been resolved? The title scared me at first, until I read the story and found out it's actually a success story of an issue being discovered one day and fixed the next!

Actually, it was fixed the same day

[Nobu]

I'm not sure about that as the PCIe slots usually found on them is a 16x form factor (but only 4x electrical) and the only real thing that people use in those are video cards.

I'm pretty sure they just do that because sometimes cards use the full length slot even when they don't necessarily need (but can use) the whole x16 bandwidth (buswidth?).

Most of the time, the shorter slots (x1, x4, etc.) don't have an open end, so you can't put a full x16 card in them even if it would work. Those (the shorter slots) are only really necessary when you are short on space, or there's already one or two full length slots and it wouldn't make sense to have another (for whatever reason).

[deanjo]

I'm pretty sure they just do that because sometimes cards use the full length slot even when they don't necessarily need (but can use) the whole x16 bandwidth (buswidth?).

Most of the time, the shorter slots (x1, x4, etc.) don't have an open end, so you can't put a full x16 card in them even if it would work. Those (the shorter slots) are only really necessary when you are short on space, or there's already one or two full length slots and it wouldn't make sense to have another (for whatever reason).

Well keep in mind that a PCI-e x4 V2 slot has the same bandwidth as a x8 PCI-e V1 slot which should be more then sufficient to run a decent video card. Especially when it comes to video playback and basic gaming. It's basically the same bandwidth as a AGP 3.0 slot.

[smitty3268]

Well keep in mind that a PCI-e x4 V2 slot has the same bandwidth as a x8 PCI-e V1 slot which should be more then sufficient to run a decent video card. Especially when it comes to video playback and basic gaming. It's basically the same bandwidth as a AGP 3.0 slot.

Like i said, you don't get much by putting in a fast video card because it's CPU limited anyway. At least, that's what most of the tests I've seen are saying.

[Nobu]

My point was that they likely didn't put a full-length slot just because someone is likely to put a video card in it, but rather because there are cards which would work using less bandwidth but are still full-length. If a video cards happen to fit into that category, then that's just a bonus (but not necessarily useful).

[deanjo]

Well my main reason would be so that I could put a card in that supports vdpau. The thing that I wonder however is if the slot could support the current load of a GT 420 card. I'm not sure if the 4x electrical on those slots could handle it.

[deanjo]

It would be also perfect if AMD made a "Fusion Free" version of these processors. A C50 minus the integrated graphics would be a great htpc processor with a bit of expandability added to it.

[smitty3268]

Well my main reason would be so that I could put a card in that supports vdpau. The thing that I wonder however is if the slot could support the current load of a GT 420 card. I'm not sure if the 4x electrical on those slots could handle it.

Right. I imagine AMD designed these things primarily with Windows in mind where VDPAU isn't such a selling point.

However, I don't think you'd run into any problems. Anandtech ran tests with a 5570 and didn't mention running into any issues other than the lack of performance gains. And i think a 5570 has similar power requirements to a GT420.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4134/the-brazos-review-amds-e350-supplants-ion-for-miniitx/5