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    Advise on 1000Mbits/1Gbps PCI card

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Problems Installing or Upgrading pfSense Software
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    • F
      francisuk22
      last edited by

      Hi all.
      I have a DELL GX520 SFF with a Intel P4 3.00GHz/1GB RAM and it has an on-broad Broadcom netxtreme 57xx Gigabit/1Gbps, So im looking for another 1Gbps card for the WAN side HOWEVER the max i can get from my ISP is 120 Mbits Down and 10 Mbits up.

      I am looking into getting a tower maybe near Spring but i just wonted to play around and see what the fus is all about :P

      Networks info
      PS3 (online)
      x2 PCs (Web browsing and sometimes Steam) and one is use for my PMR446 radio gateway aka. VoIP
      BT homehub 2b VoIP with Sipgate.co.uk
      5 wireless devices mainly Android)

      Cheers all.
      Francis

      2.0.2-RELEASE (amd64) - Dell OptiPlex GX520 SFF @ Intel P4 HT 3.0GHz
      Cisco SR224 24-port Switch (4 PCs, 1 Wireless AP, 2 Consoles)

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      • W
        wallabybob
        last edited by

        @francisuk22:

        I have a DELL GX520 SFF

        So you need a LP (Low Profile, short not tall) expansion card?
        PCI or PCI-Express?
        A PCI card with Intel or Broadcom chipset will almost certainly be supported. PCI-express cards might be less likely to be supported due to the possibility the chipset was released too recently for drivers to be provided.

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        • F
          francisuk22
          last edited by

          @francisuk22:

          @wallabybob:

          @francisuk22:

          I have a DELL GX520 SFF

          So you need a LP (Low Profile, short not tall) expansion card?
          PCI or PCI-Express?
          A PCI card with Intel or Broadcom chipset will almost certainly be supported. PCI-express cards might be less likely to be supported due to the possibility the chipset was released too recently for drivers to be provided.

          So you need a LP (Low Profile, short not tall) expansion card? Yes. :) I have two DELL GX520 SFF but taken a photo of one in action (ignore the DVR card lol)

          PCI or PCI-Express? - Any, Dont really mind, If i can fit an PCI wireless card in then thats a bonus!

          Also can anyone recommend me a wireless card for PCI or PCI Express?

          2.0.2-RELEASE (amd64) - Dell OptiPlex GX520 SFF @ Intel P4 HT 3.0GHz
          Cisco SR224 24-port Switch (4 PCs, 1 Wireless AP, 2 Consoles)

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          • T
            tim.mcmanus
            last edited by

            http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106033

            Really good platform support.  I use them in all my builds.  Comes with regular (tall) and short (low profile) inserts.  Two screws.

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            • W
              wallabybob
              last edited by

              @francisuk22:

              Also can anyone recommend me a wireless card for PCI or PCI Express?

              Have a look through the pfSense wireless forum for posts over the last 4 months or so containing Atheros for reports of Atheros chipsets that have been tried.

              A number of older Atheros based cards that have been tried nd found to work well seem to be no longer available in retail outlets near me but supplies might be available on eBay.

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              • M
                matguy
                last edited by

                If your pfSense box is identical to the one in your picture, I don't think there's a PCI-Express slot on that motherboard.  520's definitely don't have a PCI-Express x16 slot, but some seem to have an x1 slot, although that one appears to be the version that doesn't.

                Some had them as the last slot, furthest from the CPU, which would be hidden by your DVR card in that picture, but ones with the long PCI Slot as slot 1 didn't seem to have the PCI-Express slot on the end, and that's the one that appears to be pictured.

                Be aware, though, that multiple Gb ports on PCI can easily saturate the bus, but you won't do that with 120Mb, even if it was synchronous.  It's enough to need Gb to get over 100Mb, but that's still just 12% of the port's capability.  I wouldn't worry about putting that and another port on PCI, but I would probably still put the WAN on PCI and LAN on the onboard Broadcom.

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                • F
                  francisuk22
                  last edited by

                  @matguy:

                  If your pfSense box is identical to the one in your picture, I don't think there's a PCI-Express slot on that motherboard.  520's definitely don't have a PCI-Express x16 slot, but some seem to have an x1 slot, although that one appears to be the version that doesn't.

                  It has an old IDE/PCI/PCI Express x1/8x USBs however i have attached a more better view. I have two GX520 small form factor computers

                  This ones an Intel P4 3.00GHz - CCTV unit (other picture)
                  Is an Intel Pentium D 2.80GHz - pfsense Unit.

                  2.0.2-RELEASE (amd64) - Dell OptiPlex GX520 SFF @ Intel P4 HT 3.0GHz
                  Cisco SR224 24-port Switch (4 PCs, 1 Wireless AP, 2 Consoles)

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                  • M
                    matguy
                    last edited by

                    That appears to be a Optiplex 520 DT motherboard, as shown here:

                    http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx520/en/ug/sdabout0.htm#wp1075336

                    As far as you're concerned, that's a pair of standard PCI slots.  That longer one is made to function also with a riser card, which in some cases may provide a single or a pair of PCI slots (maybe a PCI-Express x1, I didn't fully research that) at a right angle to the motherboard, but functions as a standard PCI slot without the riser card.

                    Note, some PCI-X (not PCI-Express) cards may fit in the shorter, standard PCI slot, I would not try to fit a PCI-X card in the longer slot (nor PCI-Express, for that matter ;) )

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                    • F
                      francisuk22
                      last edited by

                      @matguy:

                      That appears to be a Optiplex 520 DT motherboard, as shown here:

                      http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx520/en/ug/sdabout0.htm#wp1075336

                      As far as you're concerned, that's a pair of standard PCI slots.  That longer one is made to function also with a riser card, which in some cases may provide a single or a pair of PCI slots (maybe a PCI-Express x1, I didn't fully research that) at a right angle to the motherboard, but functions as a standard PCI slot without the riser card.

                      Note, some PCI-X (not PCI-Express) cards may fit in the shorter, standard PCI slot, I would not try to fit a PCI-X card in the longer slot (nor PCI-Express, for that matter ;) )

                      Thanks very much for that info
                      All i see on the SFF is GX520.

                      I just bought an
                      PCI 3Com 3C905CX-TX-M 10/100 and ill let you know how i go. Intel chipset seems to work better with pfsense

                      2.0.2-RELEASE (amd64) - Dell OptiPlex GX520 SFF @ Intel P4 HT 3.0GHz
                      Cisco SR224 24-port Switch (4 PCs, 1 Wireless AP, 2 Consoles)

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