Re: [Avid-L2] OT: Mac server slot config question

From the Apple KB:

Mac Pro (Early 2008)

The Mac Pro (Early 2008) computers implement PCI Express revision 2.0 which support twice the data rate per lane as the PCI Express revision 1. Slots 1 and 2 are both x16 revision 2.0 slots. Slots 3 and 4 are both x4 revision 1 slots. Placing a revision 1 card in a revision 2.0 slot, or visa-versa, is supported and results in a revision 1 link.

The number of lanes for each of these slots is permanently set for the Mac Pro (Early 2008). The Expansion Slot Utility doesn't apply.

I wouldn't run the server headless either. I remote connect most of the time, but every couple of years a server has a snit and I can't connect. Usually while the users are in a panic.

You could conceivably get an old Geforce 7300 pulled from an even older system that should fit it a single slot and run at 4x. I've never tried.

To me, it seems you are going to need to have some serious storage connected to max out even a 4X slot. If you are really looking at that level of throughput, I'm not sure an old Mac can handle it.

Robert F.




On May 20, 2012, at 4:11 PM, Jay Mahavier wrote:

> Both the cards are x8. So putting one of them in a x4 slot inhibits the performance of the card.
>
> And I did consider dumping the graphics card all together and just remote in, which is how I usually manage the system anyway. The only problem is if something goes wrong and I actually need to screen from the system it self then I'm kind of screwed. And with an x4 slot open I'm just wondering it there is a graphics cards I could put in it and have everything be fine.
>
> And when I try and run the Expansion Slot Utility I get the feed back that "Expansion Slot Utility is not intended to run on this system." I don't know if it's because it's a 2008 MacPro or that it's running Lion Server or what, but no dice on that.
>
> Thanks,
> Jay
>
> On May 20, 2012, at 11:03 AM, Greg Huson wrote:
>
> > I may be late to the thread, but check the speed of your I/o cards- they probably don't take advantage of the higher speed slots anyway.
> >
> > A 4-gig atto only needs a 4x slot, but an 8gig can use 8x. Are you using the 8 gig? (I think they're called en?). The atto sas controllers seem to want 8x, though.
> >
> > Certainly don't need an 8800 for the video card... But I'm not sure what the 'smaller' card would be.
> > __________________________
> > Greg Huson
> > Chief
> > Secret Headquarters, inc
> > Greg (at) SecretHQ.Com
> > www.SecretHQ.com
> > www.DigitalServiceStation.com
> >
> > Sent from my iPad
> >
> > On May 20, 2012, at 4:10 AM, Jo Hermann <lists@filter-media.net> wrote:
> >
> >> You can dump the Graphics Card completely and run a headless server. Just control it with Screen Sharing - but enable this first in System Preferences and get comfortable with it before removing the card.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On May 19, 2012, at 9:15 PM, Jay Mahavier wrote:
> >>
> >>> In the MacPro workstation I have running as a server there are 4 PCIe slots. 2 x16, and 2 x4 slots. The graphics card is sitting in one of the x16 slots. Ideally I would want my I/O cards in the fastest slots, my Fiber card and SAS card. Since it's a server, and I mostly remote in to tend to it, do I really need to have a card like a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT? And do I really need to have a graphics card using one of my x16 slots? Can I get some lowly graphics card and put it in one of the x4 slots? I mean the workstations always show up with the cards in Slot 1, and I never questioned moving it before. Would I be ok doing that? And does anyone have a suggestion for a card I could use in a x4 slot?
> >>>
> >>> Thank you,
> >>> Jay
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------
> >>
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> >> Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
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> >
> >
> >
>
>



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