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PCIe slots and adapters

Understanding the technical rules for PCIe adapters helps you correctly install and configure PCIe adapters in the system.

PCIe adapters supported for different models​

Table 1. Rear PCIe adapters supported and their locations.
Note
Server rear viewSupported types and slot locationNumber of processors


Riser 1 assembly

1 Slot 1: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

2 Slot 2: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

1 or 2

Riser 2 assembly

3 Slot 3: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

2


Riser 1 assembly

1Slot 1: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

1 or 2

Riser 2 assembly

2 Slot 3: PCIe x16 (x8, x4), full-height

2


Riser 1 assembly

1 Slot 1: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

2 Slot 2: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), full-height

Note
One rear wall bracket must be installed next to the two PCIe slots.
1 or 2


Riser 1 assembly

1 Slot 1: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

2 Slot 2: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

1 or 2


Riser 1 assembly

1 Slot 1: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

1 or 2


Riser 1 assembly

1 Slot 1: PCIe x16 (x8, x4, x1), low-profile

1 or 2
Table 2. Front PCIe adapters supported and their locations.
Note
Server front viewSupported types and slot locationNumber of processors


Riser 3 assembly

1 Slot 4: PCIe x8, low-profile Note 1，2

Riser 4 assembly

2 Slot 5: PCIe x16 (x16, x8), full-height		2
Note

  1. When Gen 4 front PCIe risers are installed, the thermal design power of slot 4 is limited to 25W or lower.

  2. When Gen 5 front PCIe risers are installed, the thermal design power of slot 4 is limited to 75W or lower.

PCIe adapter installation rules and order​

When installing different types of PCIe adapters, refer to the following suggested installation priority:

Table 3. Recommended installation priority for different types of PCIe adapters
Installation priority
1. OCP card2. Custom form factor (CFF) internal HBA/RAID adapter
3. Standard form factor (SFF) RAID adapter, M.2/7mm RAID adapter4. Non-raid controller
5. Re-timer adapter6. GPU adapter
7. InfiniBand adapter8. Fiber channel adapter
9. Network adapter10. External storage adapter
11. COM port bracket 

When installing a specific PCIe adapter, refer to the following suggested slot installation priority:

Table 4. Recommended slot installation priority for PCIe adapters
Recommended slot installation priorityPCIe adaptersMaximum supported number
Must be installed in slot 1

  • SFF RAID/HBA adapter

  • Non-raid controller

  • Re-timer adapter

1
Must be installed in slot 2

  • SFF RAID/HBA adapter

  • Network adapter

1

  • M.2/7mm RAID adapter

2
Slot 1 > Slot 2 > Slot 3

  • Network adapter

3
Slot 1 > Slot 3

  • InfiniBand adapter

  • GPU adapter

2
Slot 1 > Slot 3 > Slot 2
This rule is applicable to performance heat sink configuration.

  • InfiniBand adapter

  • Network adapter (size ＞ 100 GB)

  • GPU adapter

3
Slot 2 > Slot 3 > Slot 1

This rule is applicable to liquid cooling configuration.

  • Network adapter

  • COM port bracket

1
Slot 5 > Slot 1> Slot 2> Slot 3

  • GPU adapter

  • InfiniBand adapter

  • Network adapter

4
Slot 5 > Slot 4> Slot 1 > Slot 2> Slot 3

  • Fiber channel adapter

  • Network adapter

  • External storage adapter

5
Slot 5 > Slot 1 > Slot 3
The following network adapters:

  • ThinkSystem NVIDIA ConnectX-7 NDR400 OSFP 1-port PCIe Gen5 Adapter

  • ThinkSystem Nvidia ConnectX-7 NDR200/HDR QSFP112 2-port PCIe Gen5 x16 InfiniBand Adapter

3
Slot 5 > Slot 3
The following GPU adapter:

  • ThinkSystem Nvidia L4 24GB PCIe Gen4 Passive GPU

2
Note

  • ThinkSystem NVIDIA L4 24GB PCIe Gen4 Passive GPU can only be installed in ThinkSystem V3 1U x16 PCIe Gen5 Riser2 or ThinkSystem V3 1U 1X16 FHFL Front PCIe G5 Riser.

  • RAID 940 series or 9350 series adapters require a RAID flash power module.

  • Mixing of RAID/HBA 4350/5350/9350 adapters (Gen 3) and RAID/HBA 440/540/940 adapters (Gen 4) in the same system is not allowed.

  • RAID/HBA adapters belonged to the same generation (Gen 3 or Gen 4) are allowed to be mixed in the same system.

  • Most adapters support one or two processors. However, two processors should be installed when using the following adapters:

    • ThinkSystem Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR IB/200GbE Single Port x16 PCIe Adapter

    • ThinkSystem Mellanox HDR/200GbE 2x PCIe Aux Kit

  • The following adapter cannot be installed into slot 4 or slot 5:

    • ThinkSystem Broadcom 57454 10GBASE-T 4-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

  • The following adapters cannot be installed into rear LP-FH riser cage:

    • ThinkSystem NetXtreme/I350-T4 PCIe 1Gb 4-Port RJ45 Ethernet Adapter

    • ThinkSystem QLogic QL41134 PCIe 10Gb 4-Port Base-T Ethernet Adapter

    • ThinkSystem Intel I350-T4 ML2 1Gb 4-Port RJ45 Ethernet Adapter

    • ThinkSystem Broadcom 57454 10GBASE-T 4-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

    • ThinkSystem Intel I710-T4L 1G 4-Port RJ45 PCIe Ethernet Adapter

    • ThinkSystem Intel X710-T4L 10GBase-T 4-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

  • The following adapter can only be installed into FH riser cage:

    • ThinkSystem Broadcom 57454 10/25GbE SFP28 4-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

    • ThinkSystem Broadcom 57504 10/25GbE SFP28 4-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

    • ThinkSystem Intel E810-DA4 10/25GbE SFP28 4-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

  • Only one adapter can be supported for the following InfiniBand adapter:

    • ThinkSystem Mellanox HDR/200GbE 2x PCIe Aux Kit