can i use a 64bit PCI card in a 32bit PCI slot?

thanks for the quick reply!
what would i lose out (bearing in mind its a raid card) by not having it in a 64bit slot?
 
Yes, it will be slower obviously, but virtually all 64bit cards are designed to be backwards compatible with 32bit PCI. There are a couple of disclaimers though. Firstly some motherbords place componants too close behind the PCI slots, so they would foul on the extended connector (or worse short it out, and potentially cause damage to both motherboard and card), Secondly PCI's been though several generations, 5V, 3.3V, etc. There are different keys on the slot, to prevent the wrong card being inserted.

A second issue, is the PCI speed. PCI can be 33Mhz (Most common standard on desktop computers), but it can also be 66Mhz (more common on servers, and 64bit slots. But even 64bit slots can be 33mhz or 66mhz).

Anyway, 'most' cards will automatically negotiate with the motherboard to set the 'best' speed. However it's not 100% guaranteed that a card designed for a 66mhz PCI slot will perform properly at 33mhz.

At the end of the day, unless you short out the card, damage is very unlikely, so why not just plug it in, and check it out. If it works, and its performance is 'acceptable' then you've got no problems.
 
Maximum speed the PCI bus is 133mb/second. Compared to SATA's 150mb/second, Hard drives are up to about 80 each now for the best, so in a raid 0 the performance gains will be capped at 133ish.

Which type of raid are you doing, for example a PCI hardware raid 5 will be a lot better than a software raid5, even if its stuck on a PCI 33mhz slot. On the other hand a motherboard controller would likely outperform on Raid0's.
 
Low Hangers said:
I dont think it will even fit in the slot. 64bit pci slots are much longer than 32bit slots.
Click to expand...

It will fit just fine, the 64bit connector will just overhang, and float in 'open space'. If paranoid, electrical tape can be put over the exposed connector to insulate from possible shots. Depends on the motherboard design if shorts are a risk or not.
 
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