CPU ITX boards with SlimSAS PCIe?

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I was watching the ITX Epyc video by LTT a few moments ago when I saw Linus point at something obviously not a PCIe slot and say that this is a PCIe connector. Some googling later, and I have learnt that these are SlimSAS connectors. From what I understand, these can provide what is basically a normal 8x SAS connection but can also do PCIe 4.0 8x for which they are designed for use with NVME SSDs in rack mount servers, workstations and the like.

But this seems like an obvious solution to a headache I am sure many people here have felt: "I wish I had one more PCIe slot". I'm feeling that, which is why for my next build I am going to use an M.2 to PCIe riser so I can have a 10 Gb SFP+ NIC. It's a bit clunky, however.

Some more Googling and the only ITX board with this that I have found (asides from some board with an integrated CPU), is the ASRock ROMED4ID-2T featured in the video. But lacking many features and the very expensive CPU, it's not really what I had in mind and a bit more than what I am willing to pay for to get an extra PCIe slot.

Still, this seems like a good balance: you maintain ITX compatibility, but if you have the case space and the need, you can stick a little board with a PCIe slot on it in your computer and hook it up with a SlimSAS cable. In some cases, the expansion slot could go in an odd-but-more-convenient for you location, and then running a cable to the back of your computer. For example a video capture card in some space near the front of your case and then running HDMI to the back, or a card that doesn't need external connections.

Maybe someone knows of another prosumer motherboard with this feature? Maybe someone working for a motherboard manufacturer will look at this and think it's a great idea to add to their next ITX board? I can dream.

 

[Gilles3000]

I was watching the ITX Epyc video by LTT a few moments ago when I saw Linus point at something obviously not a PCIe slot and say that this is a PCIe connector. Some googling later, and I have learnt that these are SlimSAS connectors. From what I understand, these can provide what is basically a normal 8x SAS connection but can also do PCIe 4.0 8x for which they are designed for use with NVME SSDs in rack mount servers, workstations and the like.

But this seems like an obvious solution to a headache I am sure many people here have felt: "I wish I had one more PCIe slot". I'm feeling that, which is why for my next build I am going to use an M.2 to PCIe riser so I can have a 10 Gb SFP+ NIC. It's a bit clunky, however.

Some more Googling and the only ITX board with this that I have found (asides from some board with an integrated CPU), is the ASRock ROMED4ID-2T featured in the video. But lacking many features and the very expensive CPU, it's not really what I had in mind and a bit more than what I am willing to pay for to get an extra PCIe slot.

Still, this seems like a good balance: you maintain ITX compatibility, but if you have the case space and the need, you can stick a little board with a PCIe slot on it in your computer and hook it up with a SlimSAS cable. In some cases, the expansion slot could go in an odd-but-more-convenient for you location, and then running a cable to the back of your computer. For example a video capture card in some space near the front of your case and then running HDMI to the back, or a card that doesn't need external connections.

Maybe someone knows of another prosumer motherboard with this feature? Maybe someone working for a motherboard manufacturer will look at this and think it's a great idea to add to their next ITX board? I can dream.

The X570D4I-NL and X570D4I-2T have 2 Oculink 4x ports, which work similarly tot SlimSAS, but its a more direct PCIe connection with an imo nicer connector.

Another nice thing about these boards is that they're 12VO, so a lot less cables are needed. If you're willing to do some slight mods you can reduce your 24pin to a 4pin cable.

You'll have to put in some effort to actually find one at a reasonable price tho, these were expensive when they were in production, around €400, but now that they're EOL, the last remaining units seem to go for around €600...
I'd look for a used one, or a used system with one in it if you actually want to go this route.