Using a PCI-E x4 RAID controller in an x8 slot?

C

coolrunnings

Limp Gawd
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Nov 21, 2004
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I'm looking into buying a real RAID card to do a RAID 5 with 5 320gb drives I have. I've got a board with an open PCI-E X16 sized slot but according to the motherboard manual, it's an x8 slot electrically. Can I use a RAID card that's an x4 in that x8 slot or will I blow something? Here's the card in question: https://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=LS-8308ELP
The motherboard is an Asus P5N32-E SLI Plus. Sorry for the newbie question. Just figured it's better to ask before dropping around $330. Side note - Is there a better RAID card for the same money or thereabouts?
 
It'll work fine in any pci-express slot it will physically fit into. x8 electrical in x16 physical, in specific, will work.

Better card for the same money? In a word, no. Jump on this, it's an amazing deal.
 
Express slots are all backwards compatible with lower numbers, IE:
PCI-E X16 supports x8, x4...
PCI-E X8 Supports x4, x2, but NOT x16
 
The_Todd said:
PCI-E X8 Supports x4, x2, but NOT x16
Click to expand...

Unless the slot is open-ended; DFI makes a couple of boards with open x1 and x4 slots. You could plug in an x8 raid controller or even x16 video card to those with no problem. PCI Express devices are required to support x1 electrical slots, and most support something smaller than their designed width. LSI cards, for example, support x8, x4, and x1 IIRC.
 
The one thing you should make sure of is that its a real slot, and not just a 8x8x SLI split - some motherboards have issues with a non video card in the second (SLI) pci-e slot while in 8x8x mode (but they work fine in 16x1x mode). My A8N-SLI Premium is this way at least.
 
D'oh. Right now I have a P5N32-E SLI Plus which has 3 PCI-E X16 size slots but the 3rd one is X8 electrically. I'll be putting the RAID card in that slot I assume. I just am planning on replacing this board though if I can't get the system stable. Any recommended boards for running a RAID controller and a PCI-E video card? I need one that supports Core 2 Duo chips. If you have any suggestions I'm all ears.
 
You might want to just find out to be sure whether the card will work or not, try e-mailing their tech support or something. I'd think that if it had 3 "16x" slots, so long as one of them had at least 4x wiring (and 4x is probably way more than you need anyways, you just need the physical size) and is able to accept non-video cards it'd be fine.
 
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