PERC6 controller PCIe slot issue

Megalomaniac

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 27, 2004
Messages
2,193
Hi guys,
just wanted to ask if anyone had an odd problem. I'm pretty sure it's the motherboard, but who knows. I am doing an RMA on my motherboard, and the new board that arrived, well, the PERC6 card does not want to work in it if it's in the second PCIe slot. It has power (the LED is blinking) but the MB does not detect it. If I install the PERC6 in the third PCIe slot, then it works just fine, no issues what so ever. In the MB that i have, I have it installed in the second slot, also no issues. I tried to see if there could be an IRQ conflict, and I think I disabled all of the devices that would cause it, but that disn't work either.

From what i can tell, without having a PCIe diagnostics card, there is power, but the signal is not coming through.
 
Are we to assume that you are referring to the desktop system in your sig or you actually intending on using the PERC in a server?

Considering you have a PERC6i mentioned in your sig which is not an easy fit as it is NOT designed to fit a normal board and would mean you likely have a PERC6e, either way, both are OLD and limited to PCI-E Gen1. These should be compatible but when you are trying to mix two very different generations and types of hardware, expect issues.

Reading material for you to figure out what PERC you have:
http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/04/campaigns/dell-raid-controllers

Funny BS specs from Asus don't help either:
Multi-GPU Support
  • Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology
  • Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology
  • 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
  • 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black)
  • 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
  • 2 x PCI
Do the math. Quad only possible with dual-GPU cards.


Now for the BINGO shot:
Take note of the PLX chip you have sitting below the PCI-E x16 slot. My money is on this being your issue, desktop board designed for video cards, nothing more.
 
Take a look at this thread: http://www.overclock.net/t/359025/perc-5-i-raid-card-tips-and-benchmarks

That has more info on PERC5 and 6 cards than anywhere else.
Also, it sounds like your issue may be due to needing to cover up one or two of the pins on your PERC card because of the SMBus issue.

These cards are known to have some compatibility issues with Intel chipsets. However, they are known to work with NVIDIA motherboards fine. The issue stems from a System Management Bus (SMBus) conflicting with the motherboard's memory detection. SMBus is simple signal to provide the motherboad some basic device information and control. Symptoms of the conflict includes improperly reported RAM sizes and POST errors.
 
Great assumptions (sorry i should have been more descriptive in my post) It it a Perc 6i card, it's an easy fit actually. I looked on these forums at the time of purchase, others had it working, and even the tape mod was not required for the motherboard i had. (win-win)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T7500-Perc-6-I-SAS-SATA-RAID-Controller-/261364365257?pt=US_Server_Disk_Controllers_RAID_Cards&hash=item3cda87b7c9
(thats the card)

I should say the card works in the original motherboard, in the second PCIe slot. So the new motherboard is an RMA, so it's "supposed" to be the same exact motherboard. It just doesn't make sense to me, why does it work in one "version" of the motherboard, but not the other, if the two motherboards are the "same"... ?

I probably should try to cover up the two pins to see if that works at least, to do my due diligence, but the card does work in the RMA motherboard in the third PCIe slot. (disclaimer, since these cards require some additional cooling at times, i placed a fan underneath it, so i really need it to be in that second PCIe slot. )
 
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So this is the system in your sig?????????????

Why did you swap the first board to another in the first place?

The PERC you have linked to is an E, not I.
A proper I is this: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&sku=341-9959
The I has 256MB cache where the E has either 256 or 512MB cache.
Either of these will do the same job but you wanted to argue and haven't given the whole picture.

Old cards in new system was already pushing luck. You might have been lucky in first place but you might need to put the card into the bottom slot where it should be anyway. Keep the the video card slots for video cards, that's what they were designed for, not all other PCI-E devices.

No mention of revisions and BIOS's either.
 
The motherboard is having a not working RAM slot so i was RMAing it.

Wait, both the link you provided and myself are saying its an I card, or am i missing something???
The card works flawlessly for years (running on 3 years for me), so the card itself isn't a problem.
 
The motherboard is having a not working RAM slot so i was RMAing it.

Wait, both the link you provided and myself are saying its an I card, or am i missing something???
The card works flawlessly for years (running on 3 years for me), so the card itself isn't a problem.
I have two dead PERC's down in my workshop that died for no reason, a PERC5i and PERC6i, they do fail, especially if handled the wrong way.

That aside, the link I provided is to a PERC6-I to show the obvious difference.
The link you provided was to a PERC6-E, the eBay lister listed wrong info. The card has a PCI slot bracket and longer BBU cable to suit the mounting of them.

Put the PERC in the bottom x4 slot and keep it there, that's best spot for it. Test and see if you have a winner. If no-go, put PERC in another system and test, if working then look at different board better suited to the task/role.
 
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