Dell optiplex sff 340 with tbs card?.

[butchyboy]

Hi guys not sure where to post this,but I was given a nice small form factor dell optiplex 3040 PC,but trouble is there's no pci slots and I have a tbs 6981 card is there anyway possible to use the tbs card on this PC with a special cable that would go from tbs card to the PC esata or USB for the tbs card to work on it??.

Any help or advice would be kindly appreciated.........

 

[ozumo]

If I remember these usually have two half-height PCIe slots? You can get PCIe extension cables which may allow the card to be mounted externally but I don't know how well they work.

 

[moonbase]

'ere, cop for the motherboard layout for that Optiplex 3040

https://www.hardware-corner.net/wp-content/uploads/compare/Dell_OptiPlex_3040_SFF_motherboard.jpg

The board layout shows two PCIe slots, one is x1, t'other one is x16.
Are they both populated with cards?

There are both onboard HDMI and DisplayPort outputs which suggests it can use onboard graphics.
If there is a discreet GPU in the x16 slot you might be able to remove it and use Intel CPU graphics via the onboard HDMI or DisplayPort outputs, that could possibly free up a PCIe slot?

A TBS card only needs an x1 slot, it can go into an x1, x4, x8 or x16 slot and work OK

 

[butchyboy]

Your looking at the wrong motherboard there are 3 versions of the dell optiplex 3040 check out this link as it's the one I have.

OptiPlex 3040 Pentium G4400T 2,9Ghz - SSD 240 GB - 8GB | Back Market

Refurbished Desktops Dell OptiPlex 3040 Pentium G4400T 2,9Ghz - SSD 240 GB - 8GB ✌ Up to 70% cheaper than new! ✅ Fast, free delivery ✅ Cheap OptiPlex 3040 ✅ 12 month warranty ✅ 30-day returns

www.backmarket.ie

 

[moonbase]

Your looking at the wrong motherboard there are 3 versions of the dell optiplex 3040 check out this link as it's the one I have.

OptiPlex 3040 Pentium G4400T 2,9Ghz - SSD 240 GB - 8GB | Back Market

Refurbished Desktops Dell OptiPlex 3040 Pentium G4400T 2,9Ghz - SSD 240 GB - 8GB ✌ Up to 70% cheaper than new! ✅ Fast, free delivery ✅ Cheap OptiPlex 3040 ✅ 12 month warranty ✅ 30-day returns

www.backmarket.ie

Good luck with that...

 

[butchyboy]

Good luck with that...

I take it no way of connecting the tbs card externally,no??

 

[ozumo]

I take it no way of connecting the tbs card externally,no??

It's not possible.

 

[moonbase]

I take it no way of connecting the tbs card externally,no??

Aye, if you had a TBS 5925 or a TBS 5927 they connect externally via USB.
There might be other models as well but a TBS 6981 is not one of them.

Also, what O/S are you gonna run on it, probably needs Windows 7 or 8 for that card to work properly in a PCIe slot, there aint a Windows 10 driver for it.

 

[butchyboy]

I have a dell optiplex 980 here with pci slots so can use that,but this 980 is on windows 10

 

[butchyboy]

I have a dell optiplex 980 here with pci slots so can use that,but this 980 is on windows 10

I'm on windows 11 on my optiplex 980

 

[butchyboy]

Aye, if you had a TBS 5925 or a TBS 5927 they connect externally via USB.
There might be other models as well but a TBS 6981 is not one of them.

Also, what O/S are you gonna run on it, probably needs Windows 7 or 8 for that card to work properly in a PCIe slot, there aint a Windows 10 driver for it.

This looks interesting

Download and install TBS TBS 6981 DVB-S/S2 DUAL BDA - driver id 780624

How to download and install TBS TBS 6981 DVB-S/S2 DUAL BDA driver (driver id 780624). Download and update to version 2.0.1.7 now and improve your PCs performance!

www.drivermax.com

 

[moonbase]

This looks interesting

Download and install TBS TBS 6981 DVB-S/S2 DUAL BDA - driver id 780624

How to download and install TBS TBS 6981 DVB-S/S2 DUAL BDA driver (driver id 780624). Download and update to version 2.0.1.7 now and improve your PCs performance!

www.drivermax.com

The driver they are offering was released in 2013, Windows 10 was not released until 2015 and Windows 11 in 2021.
You could try it, see if it works OK.

 

[deeptho]

It's not possible.

Actually it is possible: there exist so-called "pci express riser" cables. They are not very long but long enough. In this case you probably have to connect the card outside of the pc and perhaps need to make some box to prevent accidental short circuits.

There also exists a device like this

_DeLOCK Riser Card PCI Express x1 > 4 x PCIe x16 met USB-kabel
It allows you to connect multiple cards. It is meant for bitcoin miners, but you can also do useful stuff with them...

I have used both solutions and they work.

 

[ozumo]

Actually it is possible: there exist so-called "pci express riser" cables. They are not very long but long enough. In this case you probably have to connect the card outside of the pc and perhaps need to make some box to prevent accidental short circuits.

There also exists a device like this
View attachment 141886
_DeLOCK Riser Card PCI Express x1 > 4 x PCIe x16 met USB-kabel
It allows you to connect multiple cards. It is meant for bitcoin miners, but you can also do useful stuff with them...

I have used both solutions and they work.

I think both of those solutions require the motherboard to have a PCIe slot?

 

[butchyboy]

I think both of those solutions require the motherboard to have a PCIe slot?

anybody know for definate ?.

 

[satesco]

For PCs without a PCIe slot, probably the expander would work, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially for Dell PCs. Rather use a USB tuner, like 5927 or 5925.
There is also the solution of a PCI express expander but if you have only one card, I would be more reluctant. You always have to be careful not to hit it.
I've read over the years that there are some drivers' problems with DVB cards on Dell computers, especially not bios update, and if it doesn't have a slot for these cards, I wouldn't buy it.

 

[butchyboy]

For PCs without a PCIe slot, probably the expander would work, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially for Dell PCs. Rather use a USB tuner, like 5927 or 5925.
There is also the solution of a PCI express expander but if you have only one card, I would be more reluctant. You always have to be careful not to hit it.
I've read over the years that there are some drivers' problems with DVB cards on Dell computers, especially not bios update, and if it doesn't have a slot for these cards, I wouldn't buy it.

good job i got the dell optiplex 3040 for free,fine specs on it for a pc thats only 5-6 yrs old and free
i will use the tbs 6981 on my dell optiplex 980 which has pci slots.

 

[satesco]

If you got the pc for free, I don't know what else to tell you. But for DVB cards you really need a PCIe slot or use a graphics card slot. You can disassemble the long metal part in front of the card and replace it with a short one (there is such a thing. I think TBS has something like that, or look online), and then mount it in the graphic slot.

 

[satesco]

here is what such a short adapter looks like to mount the card on the computer

 

[butchyboy]

If you got the pc for free, I don't know what else to tell you. But for DVB cards you really need a PCIe slot or use a graphics card slot. You can disassemble the long metal part in front of the card and replace it with a short one (there is such a thing. I think TBS has something like that, or look online), and then mount it in the graphic slot.

yes i will use the tbs card in my dell optiplex 980 see here for specs it has the required pcle slot

Dell Optiplex 980 Motherboard Specs

www.findlaptopdriver.com