PCI Support and Chassis: SC5299-E and SC5650UP

[idata]

The Technical Product Specification (TPS) for the chassis, SC5299-E, gives the following description.

PCI Slots: 7 slots and support for 6 full-length with tail card guide

The TPS for the chassis, SC5650UP, gives the following description.

PCI Slots: Full-length, full height PCI slot 5 and 6, half-length, full-height PCI slot 1-4.

The 3D mechanical diagrams of the SC5650UP seem to show that it has room for

full-length PCI cards. So, why does the TPS specifically point out that slots 1 through 4

support only half-length cards?

Also, in the SC5650UP, does slot 5 and 6 have tail card guides but does slots 1 through 4

lack tail card guides?

[Daniel_O_Intel]

Check the datasheet at http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=48253 - the second page shows the chipset heatsink and chassis fan in the way.

You can also see the card guides for 1 and 2.

[idata]

Thanks for the suggestion, but the picture on that page does not show the chassis, SC5650UP. Note the suffix, "UP".

The accompanying data table on that page lists chassis with various suffixes, but none of the suffixes is "UP".

[Daniel_O_Intel]

UP, BRP, DP - that's just talking about the power supply. Motherboard is the same.

Go to http://ark.intel.com/Search.aspx?q=sc5650, and choose "Add to Compare" for all three

[idata]

That picture contradicts the information in the following document.

Intel® Server Chassis SC5650: Technical Product SpecificationPage 2 of the document states quite clearly that 3 chassis -- SC5650DP, SC5650BRP, and SC5650WS -- have 6 full-length, full-height PCI slots with tail card guides.Which is correct? The picture or page 2 of the document?

[Daniel_O_Intel]

Good point - that image in the datasheet really does show all the PCI card guides, there's just a power connector on top of some of them, obscuring the picture. There's better pictures in the spares/config guide and the TPS, especially on page 7 (21 of 154)

[idata]

Thanks for the reply, Dan_O.

I reviewed page 11 of the document titled "Spares / Parts List & Configuration Guide" for the chassis, SC5650. I have some questions.

1. In the pictures, are the 7 vertically stacked white objects on the lower, left side of the chassis called the "tail card guides"?

2. Could you clarify "on top of some of them"? Do you mean that some cables seem to be plugged into some of the 7 vertically stacked white objects on the left side of the chassis?

3. The PCI slots in the pictures are numbered from top to bottom. The top slot is slot 1. The bottom slot is slot 7. The pictures in the configuration guide seem to indicate that the chassis fan (which is slightly offet to the right of the center of each picture) prevents the upper PCI slots from being full length. Therefore, the information on page 2 of the document titled "Technical Product Specification" is not correct; page 2 says that 3 chassis -- SC5650DP, SC5650BRP, and SC5650WS -- have full-length PCI slots. Do you agree that the information on page 2 is just incorrect?

[Daniel_O_Intel]

1. Page 11 doesn't have any white objects. The silver is the external punch-out for a PCIe card. The tail guides are blue, and on the right.

2. Look at the picture again - there is a disconnected cable hanging in front of the tail guides. It's not connected to anything.

3. I was using the spares/config guide at http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/s5500bc/sb/CS-030216.htm, but it doesn't have the UP, which is the one you're talking about. What's the URL for the one that has the UP?