Is it possible to run LSI SAS 9211-8i PCI-E 8 in PCI-E 16 Slot

lsiraidsas

I just bought an LSI SAS 9211-8i HBA(Host bus adapter) to use with my new hardware.
I realized after looking at the card that it required an x8 slot and my new mobo only x16 available. I keep on reading that PCI-E specs are backwards compatable however when I try to install Windows 7 on it it does not find the RAID Controller and now I am really confused.
Can anyone help with this one?

Best Answer

Yes, in the general case you can install PCI-E cards in any PCI-E slot that will physically accept the card. If there are fewer PCI-E lanes available than the card requires, it should run a little slower but still run. If there are more lanes, it will just use what it needs.

PCI-E 1 and PCI-E 2 should not be a problem either.

Regarding Windows 7 not finding the RAID controller, I do of course assume that you're using the proper driver for the RAID card? And that if you're installing the OS onto a RAID volume, that you're loading the drivers during installation...

If all this is the case, then my guess is that you're using a consumer class desktop motherboard. Some desktop boards have PCI-E x16 slot which will only work with graphics cards. This goes against the intentions of PCI-E, but some manufacturers don't bother to do anything about this, since desktop machines almost always use the fastest PCI-E slots for graphics. Try contacting your motherboard maker / PC suppliers support..

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