Sunday, December 22nd 2024
MAXSUN Arc B580 Graphics Card with Two M.2 Slots Pictured in the Flesh
Intel Arc board partner MAXSUN earlier this month announced that it is working on an Arc B580 custom-design graphics card with two M.2 Gen 4 NVMe slots on the card, so you can utilize the unused 8 lanes from the x16 PEG slot to connect a pair of SSDs, since the B580 makes do with a PCIe Gen 4 x8 host interface. In the previous report, we were shown renders of what the card could look like—with two M.2 slots sticking out from the tail of the PCB, with an aluminium heatsink that cools the SSDs under airflow from the second- and third fans. We now have the first picture of this PCB in the flesh.
A Tom's Hardware report reveals the first picture of this contraption, thanks to a leak on Chinese social media. The picture reveals what looks like an 18 cm-long PCB, with two M.2 Gen 4 slots at the tail end. One can make out PCIe interface traces making their way from the x16 PEG interface to the M.2 slots. You can make out the key components of the card, including the "BMG-G21" ASIC, wired to six GDDR6 memory chips, and a 6-phase VRM. The card draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The second 8-pin connector might prove useful in managing the card's power budget, given that the B580 comes with a power limit of 190 W, and the M.2 Gen 4 SSDs each have a peak power draw of around 10 W. This wouldn't be the first time someone decided to put M.2 slots on graphics cards; the ASUS DUAL GeForce RTX 4060 Ti SSD OC introduced this concept, but with just one M.2 slot.
Source:
Tom's Hardware
A Tom's Hardware report reveals the first picture of this contraption, thanks to a leak on Chinese social media. The picture reveals what looks like an 18 cm-long PCB, with two M.2 Gen 4 slots at the tail end. One can make out PCIe interface traces making their way from the x16 PEG interface to the M.2 slots. You can make out the key components of the card, including the "BMG-G21" ASIC, wired to six GDDR6 memory chips, and a 6-phase VRM. The card draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The second 8-pin connector might prove useful in managing the card's power budget, given that the B580 comes with a power limit of 190 W, and the M.2 Gen 4 SSDs each have a peak power draw of around 10 W. This wouldn't be the first time someone decided to put M.2 slots on graphics cards; the ASUS DUAL GeForce RTX 4060 Ti SSD OC introduced this concept, but with just one M.2 slot.
23 Comments on MAXSUN Arc B580 Graphics Card with Two M.2 Slots Pictured in the Flesh
I like the effort, I'd really like to see more of the heat sink and mounting they intend to use for it.
This could be an amazing way for itx builds to gain more M2 slots while having decent performance!!!
People should be aware of that graphic card needs special software to work. Or call it requirements, firmware, uefi settings, .....
I would question the choice of components when you need to buy that particular card. I doubt those two m2 slots on the graphic card will come without a higher price.
A decent mainboard can move those "unused" electrical lanes to another pcie slot or use it for other mainboard peripherals.
but look, you have GPU + M2 + old good power connectors + good price, what you can ask more?
this what we need for years...
you asking £200 = 1440p ? + 2x M2 slots?
b580 its a low range gpu, you can play some games at 1440 but doesn't mean this GPU for 1440..,.,
you should ask Nvidia to drop the price tag.. and get back to the gamers market.. instead of milking it...
A bit of topic but why not use the space for a CXL memory slot to expand the gpu memory? Since nvidia - according to current rumors - will keep vram as low as possible for next generation, it would be a good way to expand. It's not the same a vram but it would be better than using system memory, gpus are already introducing larger caches so a CXL memory tier could fit very well.
I do like the idea in general of having some use for the unoccupied pcie lanes if I’m using an x8 card in an x16 slot. If bifurcation all works right you could do more than just dual m.2. Could be a means of adding in a 10gig nic, high speed usbc controller, etc. some great potential if your sff build has room for a 3d printed bracket and some ribbon cables somewhere. I can live with some jank if I get some benefits.
The only other way to do this is using a PCIE riser and a x8x4x4 bifucration card stuck between the riser and the slot; unfortunately that only works with vertical GPUs (or low profile GPUs, of which there are... two? with more power than an iGPU, anyway).
The graphics card slot is 16 lanes, but the 3D chip only uses 8.
So make the extra 8 useful for something, especially considering PCIe lanes are a scarce resource.
As the article states:
I can see they with CURRENT Gen 5 drives its going to be a pain with the added heat now going into the back plate meaning things like VRMs and Memory modules get held at a slightly higher temp and/or higher fan speeds, but with Gen 4 drives it would be so negligable it would be easy. So now you can get a smaller Gen 5 boot drive with Gen 4 storage drives for games/media while being at LAN.
worst example to explain: Some supermarket computers will have a replaceable capeable cpu but a locked mainboard firmware.All those details are kinda time consuming. It will get complicated to explain someone what lane sharing is and that bifurcation. Those people who will return that graphic card or rma it because those m2 slot does not work. Personally I would RMA that card regardless. When you market it, it has to work on any mainboard, even with 1 electrical lane in a 16 mechanical pcie slot.When you made a bad choice on your components. It should not matter that you waste those 8 lanes on a proper plattform. Or the mainboard uefi firmware can use those 8 unused lanes for something else.
@cerulliber
mechanical 16 pcie lanes slot on the mainboard.
for the hardware only the electrical lanes count.
the first 8 electrical pcie lanes (1-8) are used for the graphic card. the second electrical 8 pcie lanes (9-16) when the mainboard is capable to, when the mainboard can not assign those for something else are unused.
That graphic card, assuming you have the proper software, firmware, requirements can assign the second 8 lanes to two m2 nvme slots.
Note: Note every mechanical 16 pcie lane slot on the mainbard is electrically 16 lanes wide. See the mainbaord manual and the uefi firmware menu of the mainboard