Is there a way to convert PCIe (PCI Express) to PCI-X?

Question

I have a part that outputs PCI-X. My motherboard only takes PCIe (PCI Express). I was wondering if there is a way to convert PCIe (PCI Express) to PCI-X?

Answer 1

First of all, I agree with Marcus Müller's answer that trying this is in most cases probably not worth it.

If you want/need to though (maybe you are a retro hardware enthusiast?), there are some options of getting a PCIe to PCI-X bridge not directly on the motherboard but as e.g. an add-in card.

Before getting to actual PCIe-PCI-X-bridges, I'd like to mention this upfront: If your PCI-X card is universally keyed for both 3.3V and 5V and you don't care about speed, then you can just use a regular PCIe to PCI adapter (easy to find, almost always 5V keyed) and use your card in that, as PCI-X is backwards compatible to PCI.

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The most "ready to use" option I found for actual PCI-X is the PCI Express x1 to PCI/PCI-X Adapter Card from Pridopia. Alternativly there is the PCIe4LBPCI from Dynamic Engineering

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The probably cheapest way to get a PCI-X card to work in a PCIe slot is probably a used server riser card, e.g. the Supermicro RSC-RR1UE-AXL (doesn't fit into the PCIe slot directly, but works with a cheap PCIe Ribbon Extension Cable for approximatly 5$). Such cards can sometimes be found used on ebay for less than 30$. The biggest hurdle with going this way, is finding out if a specific riser card actually uses a normal PCIe connector or if it is some special proprietary connector of the manufacturer (some of the proprietary ones almost look like regurlar PCIe but are not).

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There are also some options produced primarily for industrial automation stuff like this PCI Express-to-PMC-X Adapter (or this one) which has a PCIe to PCI-X bridge on it. But as the name suggests, the PCI-X side doesn't have a standard PCI-X slot but PMC-X instead, so you'd also need an PCI-X-to-PMC-X Adapter. (seemingly named in the wrong direction...)

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Then there are the development boards of the bridge manufacturers, e.g. PI7C9X130DEVB, Tsi384-RDK1, PEX 8114RDK-F, if you can find one of those for a reasonable price (used?) those should probably also work more or less as-is.

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Finally, if someone finds this answer via google and is actually looking for an adapter in the opposite direction, there is the PCI-X to x4 PCI Express Adapter Card from StarTech. Contrary to the requested adapter direction, this one is quite easy to find via google.

Answer 2

I have a part that outputs PCI-x.

Nope. PCI-x is a bidirectional bus; it's not "output" in any direction; the host typically sends an address (and potentially data), and the device reacts to that with data; there's interrupt lines etc.

My mother board only takes PCI-express. I was wondering if there is a way to convert PCI express to PCI-X?

What you'd need is a "PCI-x bridge"; just like PC hardware often contains (contained) PCI bridges, these should be commercially available. However, these things would, more or less, look like they are most of a motherboard to the PCI-X device. This is not an easy task!

Unless your PCI-X device is really irreplaceable: don't bother. Just get the same darn thing, but with PCIe; PCI-X was a server-targeted bus before the much faster, much more robust, much easier to route (and hence cheaper) PCIe arrived. It's been dead for more than 10 years – so, whatever hardware you have for that bus is probably slow and obsolete by now.

If you really need that PCI-X device, get an old server board and install it in that.