16 bit PCI Network Interface Card?

[tiklar]

I need to install a NIC into my 1999 Quantex PC (500MHX P-III).
The motherboard may be a Biostar M6TZA. It has PCI and ISA slots.
I bought a PCI NIC, but the amount of contacts exceeded the length of the PCI slot (the motherboard slot was too short to accept all the edge connector contacts on the NIC).
I'm wondering if the motherboard could have 16bit PCI slots where the a NIC purchased today is 32 bit.
Does that make sense?
If so, where can I get a 16 bit PCI NIC?

 

[KIDA1973]

PCI slots are by nature 32 bit. As far as I know there is no "16 bit PCI slot". The PCI slots on your machine MUST be 32 bit. You can put either a 16 bit or 32 bit card into a PCI slot. There is only one length PCI slot...As to why it is not fitting properly I do not know. If the pin-connector part of the card is longer than the PCI slot then the card may possibly be for some other type of slot - maybe mispackaged? ISA slots CAN be different lengths, ISA or EISA (which is like ISA with an additional row of pins on the card with a notch seperating the "normal ISA" pins and the EISA pins.) I hope this is informative!

Good luck!

Matthew Janes

Everything in its right place...

 

[ANFPS26]

Here are pictures of PCI and ISA network cards. Make sure yours is PCI and it should plug into any PCI slot.

http://resnet.plattsburgh.edu/NIC_info.html

Jim

 

[tellco]

Mathew (KIDA1973) is right, by nature PCI slots are 32 bit and there is no 16 bit PCI; however, there is another PCI architecture out there called PCI Pro. PCI Pro is a 64 bit slot that is longer then the standard PCI 32 bit slots. These are mostly found on server motherboards, but are just now starting to show up in the home PC market. PCI Cards to either of these slots are "interchangable". This means PCI/32 cards can fit into PCI/64 slots... and PCI/64 cards will fit into PCI/32, except that some of the edge connector pins will hang out past the end of the slot (and the card will only run at 32 bits).

My guess is that you purchased a PCI Pro NIC (PCI/64) and you are running it in a PCI/32 slot. Although your message did not state if the card was working correctly or not; my guess is that it is working just fine for you (?).