PCI-E Motherboards

[swinger222]

Look at this
What is the difference between PCI-E 16x and 1x?

 

[Peter]

15x.

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Seriously, the 16x slot is commonly used for graphics, while the 1x slots are for lower bandwidth expansion cards.

 

[swinger222]

So when manufacturers like HP and Dell advertise 'PCI Express' It doesn't necessarily mean it is 16x and ready to have a graphics card put in

 

[Steve]

Exactly. You'll have to look closer at the board if you can (16x slots are long, 1x are very short) or else read the specs.

 

[The Pentium Guy]

A new quesiton arises.... what's the difference between PCIe 1x and PCI 1x

 

[Peter]

There is no "PCI 1x".

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: The Pentium Guy
A new quesiton arises.... what's the difference between PCIe 1x and PCI 1x

As Peter says, there is no "PCI 1x," but comparing theoretical maximums, PCI-E 1x can do 320 MB/sec in one direction, while PCI is limited to 133MB/sec (which is actually shared over the entire bus unlike PCI-E in which each one is separate). This is IIRC, and I'm sure someone will correct me if my math is off.

 

[Peter]

PCIE 1x can't do 320 MB/s per direction, it's 250 - and that figure is just as theoretical as PCI's 133 MB/s. Expect actual device throughput to be about a third below that.

The nice thing about PCIE slots indeed is that it isn't a bus; each slot is on its own connection with its own bandwidth.