Use of second x16 Slot

[McKenzy]

Hi,

can I use the second x16 slot on a ASUS Maximus Formula (x38 Chipset) for other purposes other than a second graphics card?

I would like to install a Highpoint RocketRaid 3520 card in that slot...

Many thanks.

 

[Peter]

From a pure hardware standpoint, yes of course you can. All PCIE slots are created equal, there are no 'special graphics' slots.

Your board's BIOS may have a different opinion, though.

 

[hans007]

i have a friend who did exactly that on his 975x based intel board. installed the highpoint raid controller which i think is in x4 card.

 

[McKenzy]

Did it work?

 

[hans007]

Originally posted by: McKenzy
Did it work?

yeah it worked fine.


i think his main reason for getting rid of the highpoint was it is not supported in 64-bit vista. so if you have not bought it yet, it may be wise to look into that.

he had it running with 4 160gb raptors in raid5...

 

[McKenzy]

Originally posted by: hans007

Originally posted by: McKenzy
Did it work?

yeah it worked fine.


i think his main reason for getting rid of the highpoint was it is not supported in 64-bit vista. so if you have not bought it yet, it may be wise to look into that.

he had it running with 4 160gb raptors in raid5...

Ok, thanks for the info.

I contacted Highpoint and they said they see no problems with the x16 slot and Vista 64 but should ask Asus to make sure the second x16 slot isn't only reserved for graphic cards.
I will do this today.

 

[MichaelD]

I've been asking this exact question all over the net for a week now.

I want to do the exact same thing; install a SATA RAID card (3Ware 9650, 8-port) in the other other 16x slot.

I've gotten the same general answer, but not much "exact" help. Basically, from a PCI-E architecture standpoint, it should work.

But (there's always a "but") the particular MB in question (Abit/Gigabyte/MSI/whatever) might not like it and the only way to tell for SURE is to try it and see.

Not exactly what you want to do with $1K worth of RAID HBA and HDs.

Just to add to the archive/research value of this thread, I'll add this:

I'm currently debating b/t two MBs. One has two 16x slots (second slot is 4x electrical). The other MB has THREE 16x slots; two are 16x electrical, the third is 4X. <--Abit IX38 Seems to me (assumed by me...) that the third 4x slot is tailor made for another card BESIDES a graphics card. Sounds plausible, at least.

Problem is that the IX38 is brand new on the market. The other boards (IP35-based) have been out awhile and have mature BIOS/lots of updates.

I hate rolling dice.

*edit*
I just found this. Encouraging! Abit IP35 Pro test report of devices tested in PCI-E slots.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Originally posted by: hans007

Originally posted by: McKenzy
Did it work?

yeah it worked fine.


i think his main reason for getting rid of the highpoint was it is not supported in 64-bit vista. so if you have not bought it yet, it may be wise to look into that.

he had it running with 4 160gb raptors in raid5...

You get what you pay for in RAID cards.... Promise SuperTrak for the Win

All kidding aside, Highpoint isn't the best out there. They are cheaper to buy for a reason, and you friend unfortunately found out one of the reasons why.

 

[McKenzy]

Well, I contacted Asus today and they told me that the second x16 slot is not reserved for only graphics cards. They see no problem using the second x16 slot for other cards as long as manufacturer of the card stays within the standard PCIe specifications.

@Fallen Kell
The Highpoint RocketRaid 3520 is not cheap (~450$) and according to reviews,
one of the fastest raid controllers on the market. Vista 64 is also supported.


I ordered my new system today and should have it within 3-4 days. I'll give feedback
on how it worked out.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: McKenzy
Well, I contacted Asus today and they told me that the second x16 slot is not reserved for only graphics cards. They see no problem using the second x16 slot for other cards as long as manufacturer of the card stays within the standard PCIe specifications.

@Fallen Kell
The Highpoint RocketRaid 3520 is not cheap (~450$) and according to reviews,
one of the fastest raid controllers on the market. Vista 64 is also supported.


I ordered my new system today and should have it within 3-4 days. I'll give feedback
on how it worked out.

Hey, that's really encouraging! To hear directly from the MB manuf's customer service and they say that the second slot is NOT only for GPUs. You've got to assume that other brand MBs are the same as well. :thumbsup:

Good luck w/the new build and please do post back here to say how things went. If you want to PM me, that'd be cool too.

 

[Arcanedeath]

Based on the XS thread for this motherboard, the 3ware card should work fine I don't think anyone's tried a highpoint yet and posted about it, but somone had an 8 port 3ware that works also a generic sata card works fine in the 1x pcie slots and the board had some issues w/ Areca raid cards working in either 16x slot w/ eariler bioes not sure if thats resolved or not yet tho. So raid cards do work in the 16x slot but its hit or miss based on the model of raid card thats used, I'd say you have a fairly good shot w/ the Highpoint card working.

 

[Viper GTS]

I have an IX38 that should be here today, and a Dell PERC5/E RAID card. The card runs fine in my current 680i board (in the 4x electrical slot) & I intend to run it in the 4x slot on the IX38.

I'll post back with my results, hopefully sometime this weekend if I find time to do the swap.

Viper GTS

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
I have an IX38 that should be here today, and a Dell PERC5/E RAID card. The card runs fine in my current 680i board (in the 4x electrical slot) & I intend to run it in the 4x slot on the IX38.

I'll post back with my results, hopefully sometime this weekend if I find time to do the swap.

Viper GTS

Yes, PLEASE do post your results! I actually passed on the IX38 and went with an IP35 Pro. Based on things I'd read about 4x slots in general and seeing that Abit actually tested SATA RAID cards on the board (though not a 4x card like my 3Ware) it swayed me enough to not spent the extra $80 on the IX38.

I'm not only hoping that the cards works in the 4x slot; I'm hoping that it has zero impact on the graphics cards' performance. /crosses fingers and toes

My goal w/this new system is to have a dual-purpose box that does video editing and gaming equally well. For the video, a big, fast disk subsystem is a necessity, ergo the RAID HBA.

The card is a 4x card, so I'm assuming that it will work just fine in a 16x physical/4x electrical slot.