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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. For the type of expansion slots, refer to Technical specifications. To locate the PCIe slots, see Rear view
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. For the type of expansion slots, refer to Technical specifications. To locate the PCIe slots, see Front view
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