66MHz PCI on GA-6BXDx?

I have both 6BXDS and 6BXDU motherboards, each of which has an elongated PCI
slot adjacent to the AGP slot.

The description of each board lists only the 4 33MHz PCI slots. In the
graphic depiction of the boards all the PCI slots look the same. However,
there is a tantalizing hint. The sparse doc on these boards suggests that
foregoing an AGP video card will allow me to use the slot next to it as a
32-bit/66MHz PCI slot. Hmm....

I would love to make use of a 32-bit/66MHz slot, but I'm a little skeptical.
The reference to this is very oblique in the manuals and I have never read
of anyone actually using this alternative to AGP. My intent, if possible,
is to use the 32/66 slot for Gbit Ethernet.

So.... can anyone confirm that these boards actually will run a 32-bit PCI
card at 66MHz?

Thanks.

--
Please respond to the group, not by e-mail.

Page 5 of the manual, under section 1.6 "What is AGP" says:

"The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is a new port on the Host-To-PCI bridge

device that supports an AGP port. The main purpose of the AGP port is to

provide fast access to system memory.

The AGP port can be used either as fast PCI port (32-bits at 66MHz vs.
32-bits

at 33MHz) or as an AGP port which supports 2x data-rate, a read queue, and

side band addressing. When the 2x-data rate is used the port can transmit
data

at 533MB/sec (66.6*2*4). The read-queue can be used to pipeline reads -

removing the effects of the reads-latency. Side band addressing can be used
to

transmit the data address on a separate line in order to speed up the

transaction."



SO, yes. If you wanted to, you could put a 32bit, 66Mhz card in there. Do
you have such a card? The only devices that make sense to use are disk
controllers, host bus adapters (fibrechannel HBA's), SCSI controllers, etc,
or gigabit eithernet cards. Do you have any pressing need for a 66Mhz card?
SCSI raid? ATA Raid ? you are looking at a max transfer rate of 266MB a
second, if you use it as a PCI slot.

- NuTs


"Spam Averse" wrote in message
news:O3cZc.95035$Fg5.7180@attbi_s53...
I have both 6BXDS and 6BXDU motherboards, each of which has an elongated
PCI
slot adjacent to the AGP slot.

The description of each board lists only the 4 33MHz PCI slots. In the
graphic depiction of the boards all the PCI slots look the same. However,
there is a tantalizing hint. The sparse doc on these boards suggests that
foregoing an AGP video card will allow me to use the slot next to it as a
32-bit/66MHz PCI slot. Hmm....

I would love to make use of a 32-bit/66MHz slot, but I'm a little
skeptical.
The reference to this is very oblique in the manuals and I have never read
of anyone actually using this alternative to AGP. My intent, if possible,
is to use the 32/66 slot for Gbit Ethernet.

So.... can anyone confirm that these boards actually will run a 32-bit PCI
card at 66MHz?

Thanks.

--
Please respond to the group, not by e-mail.

I tried it but could get it physically fit.

I attempted to install a Gbit Ethernet card (Intel PRO/1000 XT Server
Adapter, supports 32-bit/64-bit and 33MHz/66MHz PCI) into that slot. You
know how on that slot there are actually 2 physical connectors, positioned
end-to-end? Well, that "hump" where the 2 connectors meet was too wide for
the gap in the card.

It tooked like it should work. I tried applying moderate force to get it
in, but it just wouldn't fit. I put the card into a 64-bit/66MHz PCI slot
in a contemporary machine. It took no effort at all to get it installed in
the slot of the newer machine.

Too bad. Given the slower processors in the 6BXDS machine it would have
been nice to get the extra I/O throughput on the Gbit card.

Thanks for the response.


NuTCrAcKeR wrote:
Page 5 of the manual, under section 1.6 "What is AGP" says:

"The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is a new port on the Host-To-PCI
bridge
device that supports an AGP port. The main purpose of the AGP port is to
provide fast access to system memory.

The AGP port can be used either as fast PCI port (32-bits at 66MHz vs.
32-bits
at 33MHz) or as an AGP port which supports 2x data-rate, a read queue, and
side band addressing. When the 2x-data rate is used the port can transmit
data
at 533MB/sec (66.6*2*4). The read-queue can be used to pipeline reads -
removing the effects of the reads-latency. Side band addressing can be
used to
transmit the data address on a separate line in order to speed up the
transaction."

SO, yes. If you wanted to, you could put a 32bit, 66Mhz card in there. Do
you have such a card? The only devices that make sense to use are disk
controllers, host bus adapters (fibrechannel HBA's), SCSI controllers,
etc, or gigabit eithernet cards. Do you have any pressing need for a 66Mhz
card? SCSI raid? ATA Raid ? you are looking at a max transfer rate of
266MB a second, if you use it as a PCI slot.

- NuTs


"Spam Averse" wrote in message
news:O3cZc.95035$Fg5.7180@attbi_s53...
I have both 6BXDS and 6BXDU motherboards, each of which has an elongated
PCI
slot adjacent to the AGP slot.

The description of each board lists only the 4 33MHz PCI slots. In the
graphic depiction of the boards all the PCI slots look the same.
However,
there is a tantalizing hint. The sparse doc on these boards suggests
that foregoing an AGP video card will allow me to use the slot next to it
as a
32-bit/66MHz PCI slot. Hmm....

I would love to make use of a 32-bit/66MHz slot, but I'm a little
skeptical.
The reference to this is very oblique in the manuals and I have never
read
of anyone actually using this alternative to AGP. My intent, if
possible, is to use the 32/66 slot for Gbit Ethernet.

So.... can anyone confirm that these boards actually will run a 32-bit
PCI card at 66MHz?

Thanks.

--
Please respond to the group, not by e-mail.


--
Please respond to the group, not by e-mail.