You can split a PCIe port multiple times, but there are limitations based on the device and its specifications.
You can split a PCIe port multiple times, but there are limitations based on the device and its specifications.
I believe you're dealing with a motherboard issue, though I'm not entirely certain. While searching for PCIe slots, I came across a product about riser cards for mining. This raises questions about how many times a PCIe slot can be split and whether it's useful for crypto mining. Will it affect performance? Also, should you run multiple SAS cards on the same riser card? If yes, that could help expand storage. I know bandwidth sharing might be a concern, similar to adding more USB ports.
Check the card's page for available versions. Some require specific motherboard configurations, others use a PCIe switch chip for flexibility. Mining demands minimal bandwidth, which boosts its appeal, while storage needs would differ.
The ideal theoretical limit is PCIe x1 (for instance, x16 could be divided into sixteen x1 lanes if the chipset supports it). The device you referenced appears to rely solely on PCIe x1, suggesting it doesn't employ true bifurcation but instead reallocates the bandwidth of a single PCIe x1 connection among multiple cards via a multiplexer. In this way, one PCIe 4.0 x1 (2 GB/s) could be transformed into four PCIe 2.0 x1 links (each delivering 500 MB/s). Ideally, such splitting should continue until reaching PCIe 1.0 x1 speeds, beyond which performance would exceed specifications.
I'd need at least PCIe 3, but finding a PCIe 3 card would be ideal!