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I have this mini-itx motherboard with a PCI-E 16 slot. BIOSTAR NM70I-1037U

I also have an old all-in-one PC that I am refurbishing/upgrading with this motherboard. The screen is connected to a PCI graphics card via a ribbon and a special connector and I can't see how to change it but I am happy to use this card.

EDIT: According to this blog it is an S3 Aurora64V videocard +. It wouldn't surprise me if it was propriety though and I'm not sure if you can remove the ribbon from the card. I don't want to force it and rip it out. Compaq 3020 graphics card connectors

However, I now need to go from PCI-E 16 to PCI. It is in a restricted case so some sort of riser cable will be required to make the graphics card parallel to the motherboard.

What are my options without getting too expensive?

This PCI-E Express X1 to Dual PCI Riser Extend Adapter Card is available on eBay for under $25. PCI-E to PCI adapter

EDIT: I have subsequently found more details about it on Newegg

1.Product Name: PCIE To Dual PCI riser card
2.Model: PCE2PCI-P01
3.Using master: Pericom
4.Product Interface: PCI-E PCI

The backplate looks like it would get in the way when being added to the slot though or do I have it back to front and does the smaller slot on the card go into the longer slot on the motherboard?

Are there other PCI-E to PCI adapters/cables in a similar price range?

The only other alternative I have found is this card from Startech Product ID: PEX1PCI1 which will also require a PCI cable such as this for ~$5. This alternative is more than twice as much as the first, however, it is lower profile which is a plus.

To be honest, I was expecting a plethora of cables to be available under $10 since at the time of the PCI to PCI-E changeover there would have been lots of requirements like this and by now the cables and chips required should be cheaper.

However, I can't find anything other than these two options. Part of the problem is that if I search for PCI to PCI-E cable I end up being swamped with PCI-E to PCI-E cables as the search engines aren't intelligent enough to distinguish the keywords. Hence the question here.

opticyclic
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  • Can you list some of these "many possible answers" because this is only solution that I could find after extensive searching. – opticyclic May 04 '16 at 16:05
  • Can you describe the ribbon cable and special connector? How many wires does the cable have? How many pins does the connector have? What is the make and model of the screen? – cybernard May 05 '16 at 02:33
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    The 'ribbon' and special connector might be LVDS. I'm tempted to say you're doing this wrong. There's a reasonable chance the best solution is to forget about PCIe- get a breakout board for the panel from somewhere like NJYtouch - these kits are tailored for the LCD so you can order exactly what you need, and use a modern interface like HDMI to connect to the card. – Journeyman Geek May 05 '16 at 02:52
  • Also, is it just me, or is that using a USB 3.0 cable to break out a PCIe x1? You might just get away with removing the backplate and part of the PCB once you've verified there's nothing important there. – Journeyman Geek May 05 '16 at 02:56
  • @JourneymanGeek This seems like a pretty chintzy approach altogether. While it may look like a USB cable, I wouldn't assume it actually is one or the device uses USB protocols. – T.J.L. May 05 '16 at 12:54
  • I was considering more that its a simple, jerryrigged breakout board so careful trimming might be an option – Journeyman Geek May 05 '16 at 15:10
  • Assuming you a working on Compaq Presario 3020 what you should really do is gut the display and mount a laptop screen on the inside. You can get one with a controller board with HDMI,SVGA, or something modern. While it won't be $20 it will be a really true future proof fix. – cybernard May 05 '16 at 23:47
  • That is an interesting thought. I'm not confident of my case modding skills to make it look good though. – opticyclic May 06 '16 at 00:17
  • @opticyclic hence my suggestion to see if you can just get a controller board. – Journeyman Geek May 06 '16 at 07:10

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