newbie question

[Novercalis]

Alright can someone enlightening me on on PCI-e...

basically:

pci-e x16 is used for Video Card.
if there is 2 of them, it supports most likely SLI, if not, 2 video cards in non-SLI mode.
Can anything else enter in a pci-e x16? (I assume not, but im a newbie)

that I understood.. however:

what is PCI-e x1 used for? What goes into that and what is the benefit of it?

Same goes to PCI-e x4.

Since im currently building a new rig.. LINK is HERE
I do intent to OC in the near future with the build I have and want to go DFI however I choosen MSI stricly on:

1pci-e x16 and 3 pci slot.

I intent to have:

network card
Sound card
Video card
Possible, from what I read, I believe a HSF or something requires a pci or pci-e slot.

for me to choose the best optimal mobo, I need to understand what x1 and x4 usage is for .Dont want to get a mobo and realize I needed more slots.

 

[danklumpp]

Don't worry about PCI-E x1, that will be for the future, I think the PCI-E x4 is for faster network communications. I don't know what type of card you could plug into that motherboard, the MSI site might tell you.

 

[ElTorrente]

My RAID card goes into the other PCIex16 slot, but if I had wanted to, I could have put it in the x4 slot (possibly at slightly reduced performance). The thing is, the x4 slot is physically smaller- BUT, I could still use it anyway if I physically cut the end of the slot with an exacto blade (some mobos come open-ended like this), and half of my card would hang over the edge. Sounds crazy, but PCIE will still work (even video cards) like this- they'll just use the bandwidth that is available to them.

I don't know of any cards that use the x1 slots- they are pretty small.

 

[papaHesch]

Originally posted by: ElTorrente
My RAID card goes into the other PCIex16 slot, but if I had wanted to, I could have put it in the x4 slot (possibly at slightly reduced performance). The thing is, the x4 slot is physically smaller- BUT, I could still use it anyway if I physically cut the end of the slot with an exacto blade (some mobos come open-ended like this), and half of my card would hang over the edge. Sounds crazy, but PCIE will still work (even video cards) like this- they'll just use the bandwidth that is available to them.

I don't know of any cards that use the x1 slots- they are pretty small.

El Torrente,

I am trying to use a LSI 320-2e (Dual Channel U320 PCI-E 8x raid card) in the second PCIe - 16x slot on my Asus A8n-SLI motherboard and can not seem to get it to work. What steps did you take to get this configuration to work? Unplug the EZ connector; BIOS configuration etc. I have tried everything and the card will not post.

Thanks,
Papa

 

[ElTorrente]

Originally posted by: papaHesch

Originally posted by: ElTorrente
My RAID card goes into the other PCIex16 slot, but if I had wanted to, I could have put it in the x4 slot (possibly at slightly reduced performance). The thing is, the x4 slot is physically smaller- BUT, I could still use it anyway if I physically cut the end of the slot with an exacto blade (some mobos come open-ended like this), and half of my card would hang over the edge. Sounds crazy, but PCIE will still work (even video cards) like this- they'll just use the bandwidth that is available to them.

I don't know of any cards that use the x1 slots- they are pretty small.

El Torrente,

I am trying to use a LSI 320-2e (Dual Channel U320 PCI-E 8x raid card) in the second PCIe - 16x slot on my Asus A8n-SLI motherboard and can not seem to get it to work. What steps did you take to get this configuration to work? Unplug the EZ connector; BIOS configuration etc. I have tried everything and the card will not post.

Thanks,
Papa

I used to have an ASUS a8n-sli premium, and had my RAID card working on it.

First of all, make sure every single power connecter is plugged in on your mobo- including that 4-pin molex connecter by one of the pcie slots.

On the Premium board, I had to enable SLI mode, or dual video card mode- or whatever it's called- in the BIOS before it recognized the RAID card. There were a few options in the bios relating to SLI, and I enabled all of them. This will make both slots run at x8.

With my current DFI mobo, the only way I could get the mobo working (and to even POST) while in "sli mode" (set by the jumpers on the mobo), I had to switch PCIe slots- so right now my RAID card is in the slot closest to the CPU, instead of the vid card. If I were to switch it back to "normal" mode, I would have to switch slots again because that makes only one slot (by the cpu) x16.

Another thing with my ASUS premium that was a stumbling block- and very annoying- is that when I would boot up (either turning it on, or rebooting), it wouldn't even see my RAID card usually the first time. I had to carefully watch the BIOS screens go by, and if my RAID card bios didn't show up, I would have to cntrl-alt-delete and reboot.. then on the second try it would always see it.

Now- the thing that REALLY sucked, is that if I didn't cntrl-alt-delete on time, it would try and boot from one of my other storage disks- and save that setting in the BIOS - so when I rebooted the next time, it would skip my RAID card and try and boot from the other disk every single time, until I changed the boot order in my bios. I had to sit there literally with my fingers on cntrl-alt-delete and reboot before I passed a crucial section of the bios bootup screens. This problem also applied to when I would go into the bios setup, because if I entered the bios setup without making sure it saw my RAID upon bootup first, it would save the bootup settings based on my other storage disks - hope you understood all of this.

I wouldn't doubt if you are having the same, or similar issues.

 

[papaHesch]

El Torrente,

Did you ever try cutting the end of the PCI 4x slot to allow for a 8x card? I am thinking this would solve some of these problems and make more trouble free. If I does this I agree it should work. Either way I will not use the 4x slot for anything before I get a new motherboard.

Thanks for the info,
Papa

 

[ElTorrente]

I was prepared to do it- but I didn't have to. I got used to it's quirks when booting up, and it worked great once it was up and running.

I don't think it would hurt anything to try it. I am sure that x4 would work just fine and give plenty of bandwidth and performance. I don't know what else I would plug into that slot, anyway.

I think these issues I described had to do with an IRQ issue with the mobo. It was stated somewhere on Areca's online tech support FAQ or somewhere on their website. All I know is that I had to make sure I watched to make sure the raid card bios showed up in the boot up screens before I attempted to install anything, or make settings changes- or boot up, for that matter.

I think you'll get your card working, one way or another. Why not just break out an exact-o and open that x4 slot up.. you can maybe get around these IRQ issues - that may or may not affect your particular RAID card - and you can keep your vid card at x16 for peace of mind (I tested mine at both x8 and x16 and there's no difference- so remember that).

 

[papaHesch]

ElTorrente,

Got the card and tried every possible configuration but the card would never post. Tried SLI with the raid card in slot 1 and video in slot two; tried vice versa; tried both configurations with sli not enabled; tried in the 4x slot; and I am convinced that it is DOA. Never did I see an IRQ assignment on my motherboard for the RAID card (just incase the video card was interfering). DAM...it. I will update you if the new card will work in the 4x slot which should be more than enough bandwidth but I have another question. What SLI boards are out there that have a 4x or 8x PCI-e slot. Only one I could find is DFI and there linup is confusing. What is the difference between yours and the UT nF4 SLI-DR? They look identical to me. Basically I am looking for a board that this card will work with no problems in and SLI would be nice if possible. Otherwise what single pci16x boards would you recommend to get this configuration to work? I can live without SLI and just keep trading up to the nicest Vcard out there.

Thanks,
Papa

 

[ElTorrente]

Sorry to hear that it didn't work. I wonder if your RAID card could be the problem?

My board IS the UT nF4 SLI-DR, I just don't have that in my sig- I don't even know what UT means or stands for.. all I know is that it is a nice motherboard. I can't recommend anything that I haven't tried myself. If I were you I would find a DFI website- there's a couple out there somewhere- and I'm sure there is a message board filled with people who can help you.

Try dfi-street.com - lots of knowledgeable folks there, for all your DFI needs..

 

[papaHesch]

ElTorrente,

Did you have the 320-2e in the second PCIe slot or the first slot closet to the CPU on your A8N-SLI board? I am convinced this card is DOA and need a new one but just want to do exactly what you did to get it to work. I also purchased the card without memory and using 512MB Kingston Value Ram PC2700 ECC unbuffered DDR1 184 pin memory and was wondering if you see an issue with this? It meets the specs on the LSI website and it should not be a problem. That said you never know and was wondering what memory are you using?

 

[ElTorrente]

Originally posted by: papaHesch
ElTorrente,

Did you have the 320-2e in the second PCIe slot or the first slot closet to the CPU on your A8N-SLI board? I am convinced this card is DOA and need a new one but just want to do exactly what you did to get it to work. I also purchased the card without memory and using 512MB Kingston Value Ram PC2700 ECC unbuffered DDR1 184 pin memory and was wondering if you see an issue with this? It meets the specs on the LSI website and it should not be a problem. That said you never know and was wondering what memory are you using?

I'm not using a 320-2e - I have an Areca 1210, so I don't know specifics about that card. On my RAID card, I am just using the 128mb that is installed on the card. I believe it all has to do with some wierd IRQ routing issue. I wish I could help you more than this- but I was able to get mine working on two different mobos. I'm not sure how you can test if your RAID card has gone bad or is dead - but it sorta sounds like something is up with it.

 

[papaHesch]

ElTorrente,

Do you remember if you turned of the PEG Link mode on your asus board to get your raid card to work? I believe there are three options: Link mode, Root Control, and Buffer and was wondering if you disabled or detuned all of them. If have tried two different PCIe Raid cards in my board with no luck. This is the only variable I have left to consider.

Thanks,
Papa

 

[ElTorrente]

I left all the PEG link mode settings on AUTO.

 

[papaHesch]

ElTorrente,

I am at my wits end. I received my second LSI 320-2e today and no matter what I do I can not get it to post in an ASUS A8N-SLI Premium board. This is what I have done so far and any help would be greatly appreciated:

1) Connected the ez plug for SLI power
2) Turned on all Bios options to enable SLI to give two 8x lanes. The options I enabled are: Dual Video cards (SLI), aperture broadcast enabled, and ez plug warning.
3) Turned off all onboard devices and I mean everything (USB, Network card, IDE channels and etc). Only the video card posts an IRQ.
4) Turned on and off the PEG Link functionality in the BIOS (BIOS PCIe Overclock)
5) PCI Express clock is set to a 100.
6) Tried both the first and second PCI x16 slots.
7) Tried the 4x slot.
8) With every attempt I made sure to reboot twice just in case it would post the second time.
9) Standard settings for the compute, no overclocking.

No matter what I do it will never post and I can not see an IRQ allocation in the BIOS. Am I forgetting anything?

This is the second card I have received and I am hoping that I did not receive two DOA cards. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated because I have tried everything.

Thanks,
papah

 

[Daddy Pimp]

Try removing the cache memory from your raid card. I have same cache memory then u and cant get mine to boot. If i remove the cache the system will post and stop at an error message telling me that no memory detected on the card.


Please let me know


Daddy

 

[Ender17]

ElTorrente, sounds like the ASUS board is a real pain with this card compared to the DFI
I'm thinking of switching to the new DFI Expert board when it comes out, right now I have the ASUS A8N-SLI Premium

I would like to use the Areca card in the second slot, do you think the DFI would be the best?

 

[ElTorrente]

I would recommend using the DFI board with the Areca, because I know that my current setup works. With my current mobo, I have to have it in "sli mode" and switch my Raid card around with the video card in order for it to post.

For some reason, if you have it set on "sli mode" in the BIOS (which only serves to switch the two slots into x8 mode, instead of x16 on one and x2 on the other), and only have one video card plugged in - the video card has to be in the slot furthest from the CPU or it won't output a signal. So, the Raid card sits in the slot closest to the CPU right now.

This is actually a good thing for people with only one video card and a DFI mobo. The reason is because you can put the video card in the other slot and install a quieter cooling solution on the chipset- instead of that crazy little fan that the video card lays across in it's "normal" slot. There is NO difference - at all - with x8 and x16 in any modern video card.

Anyway- you are getting the "Expert" card and it looks like it'll operate a little better with the two x16 slots.

 

[Ender17]

Anyone have any information on the Promise SuperTrak EX8350?
http://www.promise.com/product/product_...egment=RAID%205%20HBAs&product_id=156#

My main concern is if it will work in my ASUS A8N-SLI Premium, although I see no reason why it wouldn't since it's a PCI-E 4x card and my board has a PCI-E 4x slot.

 

[papaHesch]

Update:

All,

Just got my third 320-2e (non prototype LSI Bios 514L) and I got it to work in both SLI spots (did not have the double boot problem - worked everytime but i have the latest beta bios which could help). I also got the card to work in the 4x slot with no double boot problems. Basically, dremel out the end of the 4x slot (which runs at 2x or 1GBs dublex) and be careful. Then let the end of the card overhang in the 4x slot. Usuing htis config so I can have SLI running and it is a nice option. The asus board works awsome if your raid card is not DOA.

Good Luck,
PapaH

 

[Peter]

Don't pursue the IRQ myth. It's a waste of time on PCI* and totally moot on PCIe**. Time for the last few that still don't get it to put it to rest. Finally. Please.

* PCI having IRQ sharing as a mandatory feature for everything. Perceived "IRQ sharing conflicts" are driver bugs. Support people advising you to "resolve" them are wasting your time.

** PCIe not having IRQ signal lines to begin with. It's all in-band messages.

PS: Yes, even manufacturer's FAQs are still full of that bull, all over the place - dragged along ever since the ISA days.

 

[TechFarmer]

I finally got my system up, but I still have the double-boot issue. I purchased an Asus A8N-SLI Premium and an Areca 1230 PCI-e RAID controller. I upgraded to the latest bios and set it for "SLI" mode to finally get it working. Placing the card in the slot closest to the CPU seemed to cause problems with SLI disabled; didn't try it after SLI was turned on. Seems to me that nVidia focused too much on getting 2 of their video cards working in the x16 slots and didn't worry about anything else (i.e. RAID cards).

I'm not sure what other settings to try to get the "double-boot" issue resolved. Every time I shutdown, I have to reboot once or twice to get the card recognized. At least it is working once I get past the boot process, but it sure is annoying if the system ever needs to reboot.