I’m looking to build a system to used as a test tool for troubleshooting network connections in a data center. I would like to be able to verify a connection before I connect it to a server, or as part of determining why the connection is not working.
The ideal system will be as small as possible and support a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot to be used for a Connectx-6 card. The data center has crash carts that support VGA, so that port is a plus.
The AsRock DeskMeet B660 looks like it might be a good candidate. The plan would be to install an i3 with enough memory and storage for a Linux load. The Connectx card can be used with Infiniband and Ethernet, and I have needs to test both connection type.
I am using the Intel DeskMeet as I need integrated graphics.
The main question is would the motherboard support a high-speed network card instead of a GPU in the PCIe slot?
It certainly should - it would be strange if it didn’t.
I’ve run an old dell desktop with a 10gb card in the GPU slot, no issues.
One thing to be cautious of is the heat kicked out by the connectx-6 - it’s designed for placement in a server with large amounts of airflow, at the very least you’ll want to make sure the fans in the box are running full speed and perhaps add extra fan/ducting to ensure airflow.
I’m presuming that the connectx 6 only comes with passive rather than active cooling? Might be fine if it’s the latter.
We should have room for a dedicated fan since that space will not be full of GPU.
Since this is only for a test, it doesn’t have to handle sustained use for long.