Chapter 3. IBM System x3850 X5 and x3950 X5 1033.11 PCIe slotsThe x3850 X5 has a total of seven PCI Express (PCIe) slots. Slot 7 holds the Emulex 10GbEthernet Adapter that is standard in most models (see 3.3, “Models” on page 64). Wedescribe the Emulex 10Gb Ethernet Adapter in 3.12.1, “Standard Emulex 10Gb EthernetAdapter” on page 104.The RAID card that is used in the x3850 X5 to control 2.5-inch SAS disks has a dedicated slotbehind the disk cage and does not consume one of the seven available PCIe slots. For furtherdetails about supported RAID cards, see 3.9.4, “SAS and SSD controllers” on page 96.Table 3-30 lists the PCIe slots.Table 3-30 PCI Express slotsAll slots are PCI Express 2.0, full height, and not hot-swap. PCI Express 2.0 has severalimprovements over PCI Express 1.1 (as implemented in the x3850 M2). The chief benefit isthe enhanced throughput. PCI Express 2.0 is rated for 500 MBps per lane (5 Gbps per lane);PCI Express 1.1 is rated for 250 MBps per lane (2.5 Gbps per lane).Note the following information about the slots: Slot 1 can accommodate a double-wide x16 card, but access to slot 2 is then blocked. Slot 2 is described as x4 (x8 mechanical). This host interface is sometimes shown as x4(x8) and means that the slot is only capable of x4 speed, but is physically large enough toaccommodate an x8 card. Any x8-rated card physically fits in the slot, but it runs at only x4speed. Do not add RAID cards to this slot, because RAID cards in this slot causebottlenecks and possible crashes. Slot 7 has been extended in length to 106 pins, making it a nonstandard connector. It stillaccepts PCI Express x8, x4, and x1 standard adapters. It is the only slot that is compatiblewith the extended edge connector on the Emulex 10Gb Ethernet Adapter, which isstandard with most models.46M0902 4163 IBM UltraSlim Enhanced SATA Multi-BurnerPart number Feature code DescriptionSlot Host interface Length1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Full length2 PCI Express 2.0 x4 (x8 mechanical) Full length3 PCI Express 2.0 x8 Full length4 PCI Express 2.0 x8 Full length5 PCI Express 2.0 x8 Half length6 PCI Express 2.0 x8 Half length7 PCI Express 2.0 x8 Half length (Emulex 10Gb Ethernet Adapter)Dedicated PCI Express 2.0 x8 Dedicated RAID controller side slot
