Shadow Conception
Golden Member
Is there such thing? I could sure save a lotta money and use one...
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PCI to PCI-e Converter?
- Thread starter Shadow Conception
- Start date
JetBlack69
Diamond Member
I don't think so.
Lord Evermore
Diamond Member
Such a device would essentially just be a bridge chip on a card with some slots for whichever type you're trying to add to the system. Given how small a niche this would be, it's unlikely any such thing would ever be made, or be affordable. It would require a case designed to accept cards mounted on such an expansion card like a riser slot, or a case with extra slots open below the last slot on the mainboard, and the converter would have to connect to the mainboard and drop down below it for the add-on slot.
Technically, it would be possible. This is essentially what you get when you buy an AGP video card which uses a GPU natively using PCI-Express, it's just mounted on the same card.
If you're trying to add PCIe slots to a PCI machine however, you'd be severely hampering performance of whatever you put into the PCIe slots, since PCI is so very much lower bandwidth, and you'd be adding latency due to the bridge chip.
Adding PCI slots to a PCIe machine however might one day be how niche boards have PCI slots for ancient controller cards. That's how ISA kind of worked on later boards, it was actually a bridge chip running on the PCI bus I believe. Eventually system chipsets may eliminate PCI support entirely as they have with ISA, and any boards including PCI would then need need a bridge chip on them.
Technically, it would be possible. This is essentially what you get when you buy an AGP video card which uses a GPU natively using PCI-Express, it's just mounted on the same card.
If you're trying to add PCIe slots to a PCI machine however, you'd be severely hampering performance of whatever you put into the PCIe slots, since PCI is so very much lower bandwidth, and you'd be adding latency due to the bridge chip.
Adding PCI slots to a PCIe machine however might one day be how niche boards have PCI slots for ancient controller cards. That's how ISA kind of worked on later boards, it was actually a bridge chip running on the PCI bus I believe. Eventually system chipsets may eliminate PCI support entirely as they have with ISA, and any boards including PCI would then need need a bridge chip on them.
Shadow Conception
Golden Member
Thank you for confirming that for the third time in a useless effort to raise your postcount.
Lord Evermore
Diamond Member
I can always come up with a longer answer.
Are you trying to put a PCI card on the PCIe bus?
If so.. yes, but it isn't likely that you would want it.
I know of at least two, TI makes one as part of their RDK and so does PLX.
For the plx, look at the PEX 8114 RDK
imported_Stew
Golden Member
Lord Evermore
Diamond Member
I think you're very much mistaken. 🙂 The pin-outs and electrical design and bus protocols are different. Heck a PCIe slot isn't even as tall coming off the board so the PCI card wouldn't even be as secure.
At this point, there simply aren't enough options for PCIe devices to make it a good idea to put only PCIe slots on boards. People can't just go out and buy a good PCIe audio card, and a PCIe TV tuner; there might be some available, but not many so there's not much choice in the matter. People also will for some time be looking to upgrade their systems but continue making use of their perfectly good PCI devices.
Pantoot linked to exactly the type of thing that would be required, which is a PCI to PCIe bridge chip, which has to be mounted either on a mainboard between the chipset PCIe and the PCI slots, or could be put onto a mezzanine card with a PCI slot on it which would allow you to make use of the device without a special case, possibly depending on what kind of cables had to be connected to the rear. In any case though, it becomes a rather expensive prospect to keep patching things to try and continue using older PCI devices, and is only really worthwhile in cases where you simply can't do without the PCI device, such as when no PCIe versions are ever going to be made or not for a long time, or where your software might depend on the PCI bus somehow.
Actually it is Apple that is pushing innovation in this direction. I don't make sound cards, but we were very happy just pumping out PCI(X) cards until Apple released their latest line of G5s - without PCI slots, just PCIe.
It wasn't long until customers were asking when we would have a PCIe solution...
Even though PC boards still retain the legacy connector, expect PCI to go the way of ISA and AGP.
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