Wont detect the nic card in PCI-e x16 slot

[FreeGeeked]

noob here
just installed 2.3.2 amd64 from optical CD - all went well…

pfsense wont detect intel PCI-e x1 card in PCI-e x16 slot
have only 2 PCI-e slots on my motherboard
1 - PCI-e X1
1 - PCI-E X16

using 2 IDENTICAL intel PCI-e x1 NIC gigabit cards
after swapping cards in slots it IS dectected in PCI-e x1 slot so card IS GOOD
PCI-e x16 slot is good cause i just had a PCI-e R7770 video card working fine for months in it.

is there some weird BIOS setting i need to enable/disable to do with the PCI-e x16 slot
(which usually has a video card shoved in it)

its a mystery
next step  ????

THANKS gang

[Guest]

next step  ????

Would be in my eyes to get a PCIe x4 NIC and try it once more again and/or have a look over that the
golden pins or fingers from the card are fitting right in that x16 slot. Read the manual some PCIe slots
are not really nice playing together with that x1 cards and some will do it with ease.