External video card?

[Mach]

Have you ever seen a mod where the video card(s) are outside the case by way of motherboard header extender? I thinking of a mod where the video cards would be water cooled but externally mounted. I'd love to see someone try this. From what I've read latency isn't much of an issue but power loss is.

Details I was able to google.

http://www.magma.com/products/pciexp...ox1/index.html
http://www.guru3d.com/news/asus-rog-...ard-announced/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FnHg-k8N3Y
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_Quadro_Plex
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCIE#External_PCI_Express

[progbuddy]

Now this is an amazing idea. I would also like to see this done.

[Karbon Killa]

if you have decent soldering skills, i bet you could make something of this. Taking the pcie or AGP slot off the mobo, and just soldering the whole thing wire by wire. Make a custom back plate with a serial connector or something of that sort, and then make a cord that goes from the custom connector to the slot you took off the mobo that you made the connector with. Sounds confusing? Well its sounded right in my head. I would have an idea how to do it, and I might try it on an old agp board. Sounds a little challenging, but a little fun at the same time. Also the awesomeness of the experience of doing it and being able to say "i did that" is a reward in itself (hoping it works of course).

[TheGreatSatan]

Wouldn't that distance slow down the graphics? I have thought about making an inside out case, where all the guts are bolted to the outside of the case.

[Mach]

When looking at the extender vendor websites, supposedly not, up to about 1-2 feet. I haven't seen any tests that back that up though. I've got an older 7950 card that I'll grab an extender for and give it a shot. Any thoughts on how best to test it?

[Bopher]

Install the card and run some benchmarks, 3D or whatever it is, tells you how much I benchmark my systems, then turn off the computer and run the same benchmarks with the card installed on the extender. best way I can figure.