Can I use one of these old boards for my RAID controller?

[HedgeHocker]

I just bought an Adaptec RAID 5805 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=16-103-098&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo ) from Amazon, the kit version above (new and shipped) for $455. On the Adaptec website they specify that a PCIe x8 is needed for connection. I need help in determining, on the mainboards I have, what slots I can use on which boards. I don't want to handicap the throughput any and I need to add a PCIe card for video so that slot is taken.

Now, I don't have a server board and I'm not running a database or business so I planned to reuse one of a few old boards I have packed away. To choose from I have a Gigabyte 965 DQ6, Abit IP35 Pro, EVGA 730i, and a weak Biostar with only 1 X16 and PCI.

Intel Q8200 CPU.
4x1GB Kingston Value RAM 667MHz (well matched for the CPU - no OC)
or
2x2/2x4GB Mushkin Redline 8500 (overkill really but I don't use the memory)

I'd like to use the Abit board.
The Abit IP35 Pro has these slots available: 1 x PCI-E X16, 1 x PCI-E X16 (x4 bandwidth), 1 x PCI-E X1
I need a X16 lane for my AMD Radeon HD 6450.
What does this mean "1 x PCI-E X16 (x4 bandwidth)"? A 4 lane slot?
I need a 8 lane or higher correct?
Would it kill my video card performance on a x4 lane slot?

I'll be looking up specs on the other cards. I think I know what I'm going to get told but lets see it anyway.

A link to the board on Abit.com:
http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=IP35+Pro&fMTYPE=LGA775

 

[HedgeHocker]

Is this pretty much true?

"Well it can be a physical x8 slot and only x4 electrically (this is actually very common). In this case, OP, is the slot and card PCIe 1.0 or PCIe 2.0 (or 2.1)? What kind of drives are they?

Odds are two 4 (spindle) drive raid 5 arrays in RAID 5 are not going to transfer more than 900MB/s, and that is optimistic. A v1.0a slot is 250MB/s per lane which is about 1GB/s max in x4 terms.

My guess is... not much if any impact. The array probably won't be able to do 900MB/s sequential reads (and anything non-sequential isn't going to be close to 900MB/s). Where you may see impact is if you have on-controller cache and you are doing transfers to/ from that cache. In theory you get limited to 1GB/s versus 2GB/s in PCIe 1.0a x4 v. x8.

If it is an x4 2.0 or 2.1 slot or your array really provides like 500MB/s, then this is probably all a non issue.

This all, of course, assumes you are talking about a x8 physical card in a x8 physical slot that is x4 electrical, or it is an open ended x4 slot. If you cannot physically fit the card your transfer rate is 0MB/s." -hardforum.com member


From the information I've found the PCIe 16X x4 slot is x4 electrically. I'm not sure if that means full size 16X x4 lanes/electrically. Same thing? I'm not certain it is Gen. 1 but probably so. I haven't been able to find out.