Comment on How do I fit a network card with a physical x4 slot into an x1 slot?
BombOmOm@lemmy.world 1 week ago
File a small slit in the end of the slot so the card fits into it, but runs past the back. The card will run at Gen 3 x1 speed, but otherwise work properly.
Many motherboards even come with the end of the PCIe slots open for this exact purpose.
I’ll likely go for a 4 or 6 gigabit port card, so PCIe gen 3 x1 is not a problem. Am I correct in understanding that the card will run at PCIe gen 3 X1 if I do this?
What can I do if the card is PCIe gen 2 x8? These cards from Silicom are really cheap on ebay
Am I correct in understanding that the card will run at PCIe gen 3 X1 if I do this?
Correct. The situation you described in the original post would result in Gen 3 x1 speeds.
The interface will always default to the fastest standard that both sides can support. If one is gen 2 and the other is gen 4, gen 2 is the highest that can be supported. If one side is x8 and the other is x4, x4 is the highest that can be supported. In this specific case, if you put a Gen 2 x8 in a Gen 4 x1 slot, you will get a Gen 2 x1 link.
Alright thanks
litchralee@sh.itjust.works 1 week ago
A word of caution for anyone cutting out the slot: make sure there aren’t other instructions, like capacitors, ICs, and NVMe drives in the way of where the PCIe card will be.
The manufacturers that have the slot pre-cut will have already reserved the space, but even then, it’s on you to check that it’s suitable for a x16 if they only reserved space for a x8 card.