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Check out this product link http://www.provantage.com/supermicro-cse-rr2ue-ax~7SUPM128.htm for a PCIe to PCI-X riser.

The PCI slots on the newer motherboards are pathetic for running storage controllers. Does anybody have an idea whether the PCIe to PCI-X riser above, is limited to only working in SuperMicro server boards or if its a general purpose adapter? Can I put this in a PCIe slot in my MSI 790FX-GD70 motherboard to let me install my PCI-X storage U-320 and SATA controllers?

Electrically I'd expect it'd work with anything having an x16 PCIe slot.

Physically it didn't look like it had a standard expansion-slot cover in the back, so it might not be stable in non-Super Micro cases, but perhaps that just wasn't shown.

Well generally riser cards were designed in the past to only really work with the boards they went with as there really is no standard for them. You may get lucky and it will work with any slot, or it may need special hooks in the bios to work properly, it is really a crapshoot if you will be able to use it.

If it was about half that price I might just chance it so I could use the nice 8 channel PCI-X raid controller I have languishing in an old P4 server board right now.... Please report back if you end up making the plunge.

Some more options shown here:
http://www.supermicro.com/support/resources/Riser/

and then there's this:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/prod ... u=430-3138
I think the description is wrong based on what slots it looks like it has, but I can't tell for sure. Any ideas on what those are? I think I can see PCIe x16 marked on the PCB...

That has an x8 connector... and then it has a little connector next to it. Your motherboard doesn't have a slot for that little connector. This will only work with the server boards Supermicro wants it to work with.

I really appreciate you guys weighing in with opinions. I too, am worried that these risers are specific for the PCIe slots in those specific Supermicro motherboards. I see they have a heatsink sittiing on a PCIe to PCI bridge which makes me wonder if this might just generally work. It stands to reason, one would need the specific driver for that PCIe to PCI-X bridge. As far as I know, one can put a PCIe X8 connector in a PCIe X16 slot and it should work fine, right?

I will send supermicro an E-mail about this and maybe they will respond.

Ah Ha that extra connector is the "SEPC (Supermicro extended Power Connector) slot for 2U active riser cards w/ a power extension (i.e. CSE-RR2UE-AX)"
as stated here... http://www.supermicro.com/Aplus/motherboard/Opteron2000/MCP55/H8DM8-2.cfm
So, I guess without that SEPC slot, this card cannot run the PCIe to PCI-X bridge...

Oh rats!