Expansion cards and expansion card riser
An expansion card in the computer is an add-on card that can be inserted into an expansion slot on the
computer system board or riser card to add enhanced functionality to the system through the expansion
bus.
NOTE: A System Event Log (SEL) event is logged if an expansion card riser is unsupported or
missing. It does not prevent your system from turning on and no BIOS POST message or F1/F2
pause is displayed.
Expansion card installation guidelines
Your system supports PCI Express Generation 3 expansion cards.
Table 41. Guidelines for systems supporting three PCIe expansion cards
Riser
PCIe Slot Processor
Connection
Height
Length
Link
Width
Slot Width
1
1
Processor 2
Low Profile
Half Length
x16
x16
1
2
Processor 2
Low Profile
Half Length
x8
x16
3
3
Processor 1
Low Profile
Half Length
x16
x16
NOTE: Both the processors must be installed to use riser 1 slots.
Table 42. Guidelines for systems supporting two PCIe expansion cards
Riser
PCIe Slot Processor
Connection
Height
Length
Link
Width
Slot Width
2
1
Processor 1
Low Profile
Half Length
x8
x16
Processor 2
Low Profile
Half Length
x16
x16
3
2
Processor 1
Full height
Three-fourth
Length
x16
x16
NOTE: Only a three-fourth length card is supported for the PCIe expansion card slot (slot 2) on riser
3 when no mini-PERC card is installed. Supported length with mini-PERC card installed is half
length.
NOTE: For a system with three PCIe cards, only MiniSAS HD third-party cards are supported in slot
3. For a system with two PCIe cards, only MiniSAS HD third-party cards are supported in slot 1.
NOTE: You can install expansion cards only on one slot on riser 2.
NOTE: Both the processors must be installed to use the x16 PCIe link on the riser 2 slot.
The following table provides a guide for installing expansion cards to ensure proper cooling and
mechanical fit. Install the expansion card by following the card priority and slot priority order as shown in
the table.
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