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PCIe slots and PCIe adapters

This topic provides installation rules for PCIe adapters.

Slot configurations​

The following tables list the PCIe slot configurations for each server rear view.

Note
*E: empty
Server rear viewPCIe slots


Slots 1–3 on riser 1:

  • x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)

  • x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)

  • E/x16 (Gen 4/5)/x16 (Gen 4)

Slots 4–6 on riser 2:

  • x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)

  • x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)

  • E/x16 (Gen 4/5)/x16 (Gen 4)

Slots 7–8 on riser 3:

  • x16 (Gen 4/5)/x16 (Gen 4)

  • x8 (Gen 4/5)/x8 (Gen 4)



Slots 1–3 on riser 1:

  • x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)

  • x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)

  • E/x16 (Gen 4/5)/x16 (Gen 4)

Slots 4–6 on riser 2:

  • x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)

  • x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)

  • E/x16 (Gen 4/5)/x16 (Gen 4)

Slots 7–8 on riser 3:

  • x8 (Gen 4)

Slot 9–10 on riser 4:

  • x8 (Gen 4)



Slots 1–3 on riser 1:

  • x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)

  • x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)

  • E/x16 (Gen 4/5)/x16 (Gen 4)

Slots 4–6 on riser 2:

  • x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)

  • x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)

  • E/x16 (Gen 4/5)/x16 (Gen 4)





Slots 1–3 on riser 1:

  • x16/x8/x8 (Gen 4/5)

  • x16/x16/E (Gen 4/5)

  • E/x16 (Gen 4/5)/x16 (Gen 4)

Slot 6 on riser 2:

  • x16 (Gen 4)



Slot 3 on riser 1:

  • x16 (Gen 4)

Slot 6 on riser 2:

  • x16 (Gen 4)



Slot 11 on riser 5:

  • x16 (Gen 4)

Slot 12 on riser 5:

  • x16 (Gen 4)

Note

  • The priority of x8 slots is higher than x16 slots for x8 adapters.

  • 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, a serial port module can be installed on slot 3. If no 7mm drive cage is installed, 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, 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, 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 adapternote
Half-height half-length (HHHL) single-wide (SW) GPU: A28

  • With FH riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 4

  • With LP riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

  • With riser 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 12, 1, 4

HHHL SW GPU: L46

  • With FH riser 3 : 1, 4, 7, 2, 5

  • With LP riser 3 : 1, 4, 2, 5

  • With riser 5: 1, 4, 2, 5, 11, 12

HHHL double-wide (DW) GPU: RTX A20003

2, 5, 7

Full-height full-length (FHFL) double-wide GPU: A16, A30, A40, L40, L40S, A100, H100, H100 NVL, RTX A4500, RTX A6000, RTX 4500 Ada, RTX 6000 Ada, MI2103

2, 5, 7

PCIe Retimer card

ThinkSystem x16 Gen 4.0 Re-timer adapter (for 4x NVMe)

3

1, 3, 2, 4, 5

ThinkSystem SR630/SR650 V3 x16 retimer (Gen5)

3

1, 2, 4

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 adapternote

440-8i, 540-8i, 940-8i, 4350-8i, 5350-8i

4

2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

440-16i, 540-16i, 940-16i, 4350-16i

2

940-32i

1

9350-8i

4

3, 2, 5, 6, 1, 4

9350-16i

2
External RAID/HBA adapter

440-8e, 440-16e

10

  • With FH riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 4

  • With LP riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 4

  • With riser 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

940-8e

4

450W-16e

5

  • With FH riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 1, 4

  • With LP riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

  • With riser 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

FC HBA adapter
All supported FC HBA adapters10

  • With FH riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 4

  • With LP riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 4

  • With riser 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4, 11, 12

NIC adapter

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

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

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

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

6

  • With FH riser 3 : 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5

  • With LP riser 3 : 1, 4, 2, 5

  • With riser 5: 1, 4, 11, 12, 2, 5

ThinkSystem Broadcom 57416 10GBASE-T 2-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter

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

10

  • With FH riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 4

  • With LP riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

  • With riser 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4, 11, 12

ThinkSystem AMD X3522 10/25GbE DSFP28 2-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter (Low Latency)

6

  • With FH riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 4

  • With LP riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4

  • With riser 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4, 11, 12

All other supported NIC adapters10

  • With FH riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 4

  • With LP riser 3 : 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 4

  • With riser 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 4, 11, 12

InfiniBand adapter

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

6

  • With FH riser 3 : 1, 4, 7, 2, 5

  • With LP riser 3 : 1, 4, 2, 5

  • With riser 5: 1, 4, 11, 12, 2, 5

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

Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR IB/200GbE Single Port x16 PCIe Adapter w/ Tall Bracket

6

  • With FH riser 3 : 1, 4, 7, 8, 2, 5

  • With LP riser 3 : 1, 4, 2, 5

  • With riser 5: 1, 4, 11, 12, 2, 5

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.

    • GPU adapters are not supported on the rear 4LP riser.

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

    • When three or more SFF RAID/HBA adapters are installed, a maximum of two DW GPUs are supported.

    • When two DW GPUs are installed, 7mm drives are not supported.

    • The GPU adapter L4 is supported only on a Gen5 riser.

  2. The installation priority of internal storage controllers is as follows: CFF RAID/HBA > 940 32i > Gen 4 HBA > Gen 4 RAID > Gen 3 HBA > Gen 3 RAID > RAID for tri-mode.

  3. Windows OSs do not support 440 8i/16i HBAs in configurations including the 12 x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA expander backplane and a middle or rear backplane.

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

    • 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.

    • The RAID/HBA 4350/5350/9350 adapters cannot be mixed with RAID/HBA 440/940/540 adapters, except for external RAID/HBA 440-8e/440-16e/940-8e adapters in the same system.

    • 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.