PCI Express x 16 slot for RAID card?

Hello All,

I'm looking to build a server using the GA-M55plus-S3G motherboard that
features on-board video, a PCI-E X 16 slot, and a PCI-E X 1 slot.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/...GA-M55plus-S3G

I intend to put a PCI-E X 8 Hardware RAID card into the PCI-E X 16 slot,
so in theory, it should work.

I have heard however, with some other motherboard, that the PCI-E X 16
slot, is really only designed for graphics card.

My Question is, has anybody tried using the X16 slot for a non-graphics
card? Did it work? I don't want to build a nice server, only to find out
the motherboard tries to boot the RAID as if it's a video card :?

Cheers.

While I've not heard of anyone actually doing something like this (why
not buy a workstation or server class board with an x8?), I don't see
why it wouldn't work. The only difference between a PCIe x1/2/4/8/16
slot is simply the bandwidth you have available for data transfer.

Almost back to the "good old days" of PCI, where it didn't matter what
the card was, just plug it in.

With PCIe, you should be able to do the same. The only place you might
run into possible trouble (not looking at your board in particular)
might be if it is an SLI board, and even then I would think it should
work. Heck, possibly with an SLI board, if you kick it into "SLI" mode,
where it splits one x16 slot so that it provides x8 to two slots, you
could double up on your RAID cards....
;-)


Nole Boaday wrote:
Hello All,

I'm looking to build a server using the GA-M55plus-S3G motherboard that
features on-board video, a PCI-E X 16 slot, and a PCI-E X 1 slot.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/...GA-M55plus-S3G


I intend to put a PCI-E X 8 Hardware RAID card into the PCI-E X 16 slot,
so in theory, it should work.

I have heard however, with some other motherboard, that the PCI-E X 16
slot, is really only designed for graphics card.

My Question is, has anybody tried using the X16 slot for a non-graphics
card? Did it work? I don't want to build a nice server, only to find out
the motherboard tries to boot the RAID as if it's a video card :?

Cheers.


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