Skip to main content

PCIe slots and PCIe adapters

This topic provides installation rules for PCIe adapters.

Slot configurations without DWCM​

The following tables list the PCIe slot configurations for each server view without a Direct Water Cooling Module (DWCM).

*E: empty
PCIe slots
Figure 1. Rear view with 8 PCIe slots

Riser 1/2x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)E/x16/x16Riser 3x16/x16 (Gen 4/5)x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)
Slot 1/4PCIe x16PCIe x16EmptySlot 7PCIe x16PCIe x8
Slot 2/5PCIe x8PCIe x16PCIe x16 (Gen 4/5)Slot 8PCIe x16PCIe x8
Slot 3/6PCIe x8EmptyPCIe x16 (Gen 4)   
Figure 2. Rear view with 10 PCIe slots

Riser 1/2x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)E/x16/x16Riser 3/4x16/x8 (Gen 4 for riser 3)x16/x8 (Gen 5 for riser 4)
Slot 1/4PCIe x16PCIe x16EmptySlot 7/9PCIe4 x8PCIe5 x8
Slot 2/5PCIe x8PCIe x16PCIe x16 (Gen 4/5)Slot 8/10PCIe4 x8PCIe5 x8
Slot 3/6PCIe x8EmptyPCIe x16 (Gen 4)   
Figure 3. Rear view with 6 PCIe slots

Riser 1/2x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)E/x16/x16   
Slot 1/4PCIe x16PCIe x16Empty   
Slot 2/5PCIe x8PCIe x16PCIe x16 (Gen 4/5)   
Slot 3/6PCIe x8EmptyPCIe x16 (Gen 4)   
Figure 4. Rear view with 4 PCIe slots

Riser 1x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)E/x16/x16Riser 2x16 (Gen 4) 
Slot 1PCIe x16PCIe x16EmptySlot 6PCIe x16 
Slot 2PCIe x8PCIe x16PCIe x16 (Gen 4/5)   
Slot 3PCIe x8EmptyPCIe x16 (Gen 4)   
Figure 5. Rear view with 2 PCIe slots

Riser 1x16 (Gen 4)Riser 2x16 (Gen 4)   
Slot 3PCIe x16Slot 6PCIe x16   
Figure 6. Front view with 2 PCIe slots

Riser 5x16/x16 (Gen4)     
Slot 11PCIe x16     
Slot 12PCIe x16     

Slot configurations with DWCM​

The following tables list the PCIe slot configurations for each server view with a DWCM.

*E: empty
PCIe slots
Figure 7. Rear view with 9 PCIe slots

Riser 1/2x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)E/x16/x16Riser 3/4x16/x8 (Gen 4 for riser 3)x16/x8 (Gen 5 for riser 4)
Slot 1/4PCIe x16PCIe x16EmptySlot 7/9PCIe4 x8PCIe5 x8
Slot 2/5PCIe x8PCIe x16PCIe x16 (Gen 4/5)Slot 8/10PCIe4 x8PCIe5 x8
Slot 3PCIe x8EmptyPCIe x16 (Gen 4)   
Figure 8. Rear view with 7 PCIe slots

Riser 1/2x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)E/x16/x16Riser 3x16/x16 (Gen 4/5)x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)
Slot 1/4PCIe x16PCIe x16EmptySlot 7PCIe x16PCIe x8
Slot 2/5PCIe x8PCIe x16PCIe x16 (Gen 4/5)Slot 8PCIe x16PCIe x8
Slot 3PCIe x8EmptyPCIe x16 (Gen 4)   
Figure 9. Rear view with 5 PCIe slots

Riser 1/2x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)E/x16/x16   
Slot 1/4PCIe x16PCIe x16Empty   
Slot 2/5PCIe x8PCIe x16PCIe x16 (Gen 4/5)   
Slot 3PCIe x8EmptyPCIe x16 (Gen 4)   
Figure 10. Rear view with 3 PCIe slots

Riser 1x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)E/x16/x16   
Slot 1PCIe x16PCIe x16Empty   
Slot 2PCIe x8PCIe x16PCIe x16 (Gen 4/5)   
Slot 3PCIe x8EmptyPCIe x16 (Gen 4)   
Figure 11. Rear view with 1 PCIe slots

Riser 1x16 (Gen 4)     
Slot 3PCIe x16     
Note

  • Gen 4 riser cards support Gen 5 PCIe adapters (except Gen 5 retimer cards), and Gen 5 riser cards support Gen 4 PCIe adapters. However, it is recommended that the speed of the PCIe adapter match that of the riser card for optimal performance.

  • Slots 2 and 5 on the E/x16/x16 riser card cannot support retimer cards.

  • Riser 3 is not supported on a server equipped with CFF adapter and two or three 8 x 2.5-inch NVMe/AnyBay front drive backplanes.

  • 7mm drive cage installation rules:

    • For server models with 8 PCIe slots or 10 PCIe slots, a 2FH+7mm SSD drive cage can be installed on slot 3 or slot 6, but not both at the same time.

    • For server models with an 8 x 2.5-inch/2 x 3.5-inch rear drive cage, one of the 7mm drive cages can be installed:

      • 2FH+7mm SSD drive cage: slot 3

      • 7mm SSD drive cage: slot 6

    • For server models with a 4 x 3.5-inch rear drive cage or a GPU installed, a low-profile 7mm drive cage can be installed only on slot 6.

    • For server models with a 4 x 2.5-inch rear drive cage, no 7mm drive cage is supported.

  • Serial port module installation rules:

    • For server models with 8 PCIe slots, 10 PCIe slots, or a 4 x 2.5-inch rear drive cage:

      • If both riser 1 and riser 2 use the x16/x16/E riser card and a 7mm drive cage is installed on slot 6, then a serial port module can be installed on slot 3. If no 7mm drive cage is installed, then a serial port module can be installed on slot 6.

      • If riser 1 uses the x16/x16/E riser card but riser 2 is not installed or not the x16/x16/E riser card, a serial port module can be installed on slot 3 when no 7mm drive cage is installed.

      • If riser 1 does not use the x16/x16/E riser card but riser 2 uses the x16/x16/E riser card, a serial port module can be installed on slot 6 when no 7mm drive cage is installed.

      • If both riser 1 and riser 2 do not use the x16/x16/E riser card, no serial port module is supported.

    • For server models with an 8 x 2.5-inch/2 x 3.5-inch rear drive cage:

      • If riser 1 uses the x16/x16/E riser card, a serial port module can be installed on slot 3 and a 7mm SSD cage can be installed on slot 6.

      • If riser 1 does not use the x16/x16/E riser card, a 7mm drive cage and a serial port module cannot be installed at the same time. If no 7mm drive cage is installed, then a serial port module can be installed on slot 6.

    • For server models with a 4 x 3.5-inch rear drive cage, a 7mm drive cage and a serial port module cannot be installed at the same time. If no 7mm drive cage is installed, then a serial port module can be installed on slot 6.

    • For server models with a double-wide GPU, the serial port module can be installed only on slot 6 when no 7mm drive cage is installed.

Supported PCIe adapters and slot priorities​

The following table lists the recommended slot installation priority for common PCIe adapters.

PCIe adapterMaximum supportedSuggested slot priority
GPU adapter1
Double-wide GPU3

  • 1 CPU: 2, 7

  • 2 CPUs: 2, 5, 7

Single-wide GPU: T400, T10008

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 2, 5, 7, 8, 3, 6

Single-wide GPU: A28

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5, 6, 3, 11, 12

Single-wide GPU: L4, A400, A10008

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5, 6, 3

DPU adapter
ThinkSystem NVIDIA BlueField-3 VPI QSFP112 2P 200G PCIe Gen5 x162

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2

  • 2 CPUs: 4, 5, 1, 2

PCIe Retimer card

ThinkSystem PCIe Gen 4 x16 Retimer Adapter

ThinkSystem SR630/SR650 V3 PCIe Gen 5 x16 Retimer Adapter

4

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6

Internal custom form factor (CFF) RAID/HBA/Expander

5350-8i, 9350-8i, 9350-16i

1

Not installed in PCIe slots.

The CFF RAID/HBA/Expander adapter is supported only in the 2.5-inch drive bay chassis, which is installed between the front backplane and the system board assembly.

440-16i, 940-16i

ThinkSystem 48 port 12Gb Internal Expander

Internal standard form factor (SFF) RAID/HBA adapter 2

4350-8i, 5350-8i

4

  • 1 CPU: 2, 3, 1

  • 2 CPUs: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

4350-16i

2

440-8i, 540-8i, 940-8i, 9450-8i

4

440-16i, 540-16i, 940-16i, 9450-16i, 4450-16i, 5450-16i

2

940-32i, 9450-32i

1
9350-8i4
  • 1 CPU:

    • With other SFF RAID adapters: 2, 3, 1

    • Without other SFF RAID adapters: 3, 2, 1

  • 2 CPUs:

    • With other SFF RAID adapters: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

    • Without other SFF RAID adapters: 3, 2, 5, 6, 1, 4

9350-16i2
External RAID/HBA adapter

440-8e, 440-16e

12

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12

450W-16e

6

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 2, 5, 7, 3, 6, 11, 12

940-8e

4

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12

FC HBA adapter
All supported FC HBA adapters12

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12

NIC adapter

ThinkSystem NVIDIA BlueField-2 25GbE SFP56 2-Port PCIe Ethernet DPU w/BMC & Crypto

1

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6

ThinkSystem AMD X3522 10/25GbE DSFP28 2-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

6

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6

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

ThinkSystem Broadcom 57508 100GbE QSFP56 2-port PCIe 4 Ethernet Adapter V2

ThinkSystem Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx 100GbE QSFP56 2-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

Mellanox MCX623106AC-CDAT Dx 100GbE QSFP56 2-port PCIe NIC -CSP I4

6

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 2, 5, 7, 8, 3, 6, 11, 12

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

10

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5, 3, 6, 11, 12

All other supported NIC adapters12

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12

InfiniBand adapter

Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR100 IB/100GbE VPI 1-port x16 PCIe 3.0 HCA w/ Tall Bracket

Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR100 IB/100GbE VPI 2-port x16 PCIe 3.0 HCA w/ Tall Bracket

ThinkSystem Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR IB/200GbE Single Port x16 PCIe Adapter(without auxiliary adapter)

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

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

6

  • 1 CPU: 1, 2, 3, 7, 12

  • 2 CPUs: 1, 4, 2, 5, 7, 8, 3, 6, 11, 12

Note

  1. Rules for GPU adapters:

    • All installed GPU adapters must be identical. For thermal requirement on GPUs, see Thermal rules.

    • The air baffles for GPU adapters vary according to the GPU type. For detailed information, see GPU replacement.

    • If GPU adapters are installed, no middle drive cage, rear drive cage, or PCIe SSD cards are supported.

    • If a double-wide GPU adapter is installed in slot 2, 5 or 7, the adjacent slot 1, 4, or 8 respectively is not available.

    • When there are three or more SFF RAID/HBA adapters installed, only a maximum of two double-wide GPU adapters are supported.

    • Servers equipped with 400 W GPU adapters do not support ThinkSystem NVIDIA BlueField-3 VPI QSFP112 2P 200G PCIe Gen5 x16.

    • Gen 5 riser cards do not support the following GPU adapters: T400, T1000, A400, and A1000.

  2. Rules for the internal SFF RAID/HBA adapters:

    • RAID 940/9350/9450 series adapters require a RAID flash power module.

    • The RAID 940-8i or RAID 940-16i adapter supports Tri-mode. When Tri-mode is enabled, the server supports SAS, SATA and U.3 NVMe drives at the same time. NVMe drives are connected via a PCIe x1 link to the controller.

      Note
      To support Tri-mode with U.3 NVMe drives, U.3 x1 mode must be enabled for the selected drive slots on the backplane through the XCC Web GUI. Otherwise, the U.3 NVMe drives cannot be detected. For more information, see U.3 NVMe drive can be detected in NVMe connection, but cannot be detected in Tri-mode.

    • The virtual RAID on CPU (VROC) key and Tri-mode are not supported at the same time.

    • Servers equipped with 400 W GPU adapters do not support ThinkSystem AMD X3522 10/25GbE DSFP28 2-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter.

  3. The 450W-16e HBA cannot be installed on slot 8 for bracket reason.