{"id":17828,"date":"2022-06-04T14:09:19","date_gmt":"2022-06-04T12:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=17828"},"modified":"2022-12-28T13:27:42","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T12:27:42","slug":"types-of-pcie-slots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/","title":{"rendered":"All Types Of PCIe Slots Explained &#038; Compared"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66843f1fbbb30\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66843f1fbbb30\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66843f1fbbb30\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#What_is_PCI_Express\" title=\"What is PCI Express?\">What is PCI Express?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#What_is_a_PCI_Express_slot\" title=\"What is a PCI Express slot?\">What is a PCI Express slot?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#What_is_a_PCI_Express_x1_Slot\" title=\"What is a PCI Express x1 Slot?\">What is a PCI Express x1 Slot?<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#Typical_Example_Cards_for_PCIe_x1_slots\" title=\"Typical Example Cards for PCIe x1 slots:\">Typical Example Cards for PCIe x1 slots:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#What_is_a_PCI_Express_x4_Slot\" title=\"What is a PCI Express x4 Slot?\">What is a PCI Express x4 Slot?<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#Typical_Example_Cards_for_PCIe_x4_slots\" title=\"Typical Example Cards for PCIe x4 slots:\">Typical Example Cards for PCIe x4 slots:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#What_is_a_PCI_Express_x8_Slot\" title=\"What is a PCI Express x8 Slot?\">What is a PCI Express x8 Slot?<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#Typical_Example_Cards_for_PCIe_x8_slots\" title=\"Typical Example Cards for PCIe x8 slots:\">Typical Example Cards for PCIe x8 slots:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#What_is_a_PCI_Express_x16_Slot\" title=\"What is a PCI Express x16 Slot?\">What is a PCI Express x16 Slot?<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#Typical_Example_Cards_for_PCIe_x16_slots\" title=\"Typical Example Cards for PCIe x16 slots:\">Typical Example Cards for PCIe x16 slots:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#FAQ\" title=\"FAQ\">FAQ<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#Is_there_a_non-Express_PCI\" title=\"Is there a non-Express PCI?\">Is there a non-Express PCI?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#What_PCIe_Slot_is_best_for_my_graphics_card\" title=\"What PCIe Slot is best for my graphics card?\">What PCIe Slot is best for my graphics card?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#How_do_PCIe_Lanes_really_work\" title=\"How do PCIe Lanes really work?\">How do PCIe Lanes really work?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#What_if_I_dont_want_to_mount_my_card_directly_on_the_PCI_Express_slot\" title=\"What if I don\u2019t want to mount my card directly on the PCI Express slot?\">What if I don\u2019t want to mount my card directly on the PCI Express slot?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-of-pcie-slots\/#Over_to_You\" title=\"Over to You\">Over to You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Ever wondered what PCIe slots actually are and which kinds of different types exist?<\/p>\n<p>The term comes up in a lot of contexts involving connecting things to you PC, but sometimes doesn\u2019t even refer to PCIe expansion cards, and instead, devices mounted elsewhere that are using PCIe bandwidth.<\/p>\n<p>If you have no idea what that means, don\u2019t worry: that\u2019s exactly what this article is for, so let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_PCI_Express\"><\/span>What is PCI Express?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>First up, let\u2019s properly outline PCIe\u2014 or PCI Express.<\/p>\n<p>PCI Express has been the main standard for expansion cards in PCs for decades now, and it\u2019s seen generational upgrades alongside new CPU architectures and RAM generations. Currently we\u2019re all the way up to PCI Express 5.0!<\/p>\n<p>Each generation of PCI Express sees great improvements to bandwidth (usually doubling each generation), but remains backward-compatible with previous generation cards and still functions on the same slots and lanes system. Which is great to circumvent any compatibility concerns!<\/p>\n<p>But what are PCI Express slots, and lanes?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_PCI_Express_slot\"><\/span>What is a PCI Express slot?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So, there is no singular PCI Express slot. There are actually four sizes (lengths): PCI Express x1, PCI Express x4, PCI Express x8, and PCI Express x16.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17884\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17884\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17884\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16.jpg\" alt=\"PCI Express slots overview x1 x4 x8 x16\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17884\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17884 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PCI Express slots overview x1 x4 x8 x16\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCI-Express-slots-overview-x1-x4-x8-x16.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-17884\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Types of PCI Express slots overview - x1, x4, x8, x16<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Each of these mechanical PCIe slot sizes also corresponds to the number of available electrical PCI Express lanes (basically the amount of wires attached to such a slot and going through the motherboard) and depending on the generation, the bandwidth can increase exponentially from one lane to another.<\/p>\n<p>This article isn\u2019t really about those specific bandwidth concerns, though (you can <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/guide-to-pcie-lanes\/\">read more about PCIe Lanes in particular here<\/a>)\u2014 instead, I want to break down each of the slots and the kinds of expansion you can expect to use them with.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_PCI_Express_x1_Slot\"><\/span>What is a PCI Express x1 Slot?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The smallest of the PCI Express slots, your standard PCI Express x1 slot is essentially your starting point for most expansion cards, especially port expansions, sound cards, and less bandwidth-intensive devices.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17834\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17834\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17834\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot.jpg\" alt=\"PCIe x1 Slot\" width=\"1600\" height=\"757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot-1024x484.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot-768x363.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot-1536x727.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17834\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17834 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201600%20757%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PCIe x1 Slot\" width=\"1600\" height=\"757\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201600%20757%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot-1024x484.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot-768x363.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot-1536x727.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x1-Slot.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-17834\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msi.com\/Motherboard\/B450-TOMAHAWK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MSI<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>In recent years, x1 slots are being put to heavier work with things like heavy-duty capture cards as well, since an x1 slot on a PCIe gen 4.0 or 5.0 motherboard is pretty fast.<\/p>\n<p>As the name implies, it\u2019s limited to using one of your available PCI Express lanes, but for most expansions in this category, that is more than enough.<\/p>\n<p>Older PCIe generations may need x4 cards and slots for similar performance results, though.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Typical_Example_Cards_for_PCIe_x1_slots\"><\/span>Typical Example Cards for PCIe x1 slots:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Port\/Hub Expansions<\/li>\n<li>Sound Cards<\/li>\n<li>Network Cards<\/li>\n<li>Capture Cards<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_PCI_Express_x4_Slot\"><\/span>What is a PCI Express x4 Slot?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ah, the humble PCI Express x4 slot. If any of the PCI Express slots could be considered a \u201csleeper\u201d, it\u2019s probably the x4 slot.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17835\" style=\"width: 754px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17835\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17835\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x4-slot.jpg\" alt=\"PCIe x4 slot\" width=\"754\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x4-slot.jpg 754w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x4-slot-300x141.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17835\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17835 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20754%20354%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PCIe x4 slot\" width=\"754\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20754%20354%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 754w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x4-slot.jpg 754w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x4-slot-300x141.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x4-slot.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-17835\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/rog.asus.com\/motherboards\/rog-strix\/rog-strix-trx40-xe-gaming-model\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ROG ASUS<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>The x4 slot is largely relegated to upgraded versions of x1 devices and <em>very<\/em> specific pro\/enthusiast uses, like NAS storage or RAID controllers.<\/p>\n<p>In a way, <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/benefit-m2-nvme-ssd\/\">modern NVMe storage<\/a> owes everything to the PCI Express x4 slot\u2014 because NVMe drives exclusively use PCI Express x4 bandwidth, even if not in a PCIe slot (but rather <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-m2-drives-slots\/\">M.2<\/a> in this case).<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Typical_Example_Cards_for_PCIe_x4_slots\"><\/span>Typical Example Cards for PCIe x4 slots:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Port\/Hub Expansions<\/li>\n<li>High-Bandwidth Network Cards<\/li>\n<li>NAS Storage<\/li>\n<li>RAID Controller Cards<\/li>\n<li>Capture Cards<\/li>\n<li>M.2 and NVMe Adapters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_PCI_Express_x8_Slot\"><\/span>What is a PCI Express x8 Slot?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>PCI Express x8 is when the connectors start getting noticeably longer compared to x1 and x4, and when the bandwidth for really high-end cards starts getting opened up.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17836\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17836\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17836\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot.jpg\" alt=\"PCIe x8 Slot\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1049\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot-300x154.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot-1024x525.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot-768x393.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot-1536x787.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17836\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17836 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201049%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PCIe x8 Slot\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1049\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201049%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot-300x154.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot-1024x525.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot-768x393.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot-1536x787.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x8-Slot.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-17836\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asrockrack.com\/general\/productdetail.asp?Model=C236%20WS#Specifications\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ASRock Rack<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>This includes some lower-end graphics cards, though you should be cautious when buying a GPU restricted to x8 on an older PCIe standard.<\/p>\n<p>With 8 PCI Express lanes open to these cards, you should be well-served on bandwidth, especially on modern PCIe generations like PCIe 4.0 and newer.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Typical_Example_Cards_for_PCIe_x8_slots\"><\/span>Typical Example Cards for PCIe x8 slots:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Higher-Bandwidth Implementations of other Expansion Cards<\/li>\n<li>Multi-Slot NVMe Adapters<\/li>\n<li>Low-End Graphics Cards that are actually made for PCIe x8 slot lengths (something like an AMD RX 560)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_PCI_Express_x16_Slot\"><\/span>What is a PCI Express x16 Slot?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The biggest and best PCI Express slot is the PCI Express x16 slot. Pretty much the only thing that uses x16 slots outside of graphics cards is server-grade networking and storage hardware.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17837\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot.jpg\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17837\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17837 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot.jpg\" alt=\"PCIe x16 Slot\" width=\"1600\" height=\"870\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot-1024x557.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot-768x418.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot-1536x835.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17837\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17837 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201600%20870%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PCIe x16 Slot\" width=\"1600\" height=\"870\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201600%20870%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot-1024x557.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot-768x418.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot-1536x835.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIe-x16-Slot.jpg\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-17837\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msi.com\/Motherboard\/b450-tomahawk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MSI<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Beware of the difference between mechanical and electrical PCIe slot definitions, though. For example, in the above image (click on it to be able to zoom in), the top x16 PCIe slot is both x16 in length as well as x16 electrically, meaning it'll run <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-does-pcie-x16-mean\/\">at x16 PCIe bandwidth<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The bottom PCIe x16 slot, though, even though it is <strong>x16 in length mechanically<\/strong>, it only has wires covering about half of the slot's length. It's kinda hard to make out in the picture. Here's an image with some labels that might shows this a bit clearer:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15375\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15375\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15375\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes.jpg\" alt=\"PCIe Slots vs PCIe lanes\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15375\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15375 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PCIe Slots vs PCIe lanes\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/02\/PCIe-Slots-vs-PCIe-lanes.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-15375\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Even though the slot has a mechanical length of a x16 slot, the pins only reach up to x8 length.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>So what does this mean?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It means, you'll be able to plug in any x16 add-in-card but that card will only ever be able to run at x8 PCIe bandwidth (half the bandwidth) <strong>on that bottom slot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to check your motherboard specifications to figure this out before adding a second x16 card (e.g. a GPU) to your PC.<\/p>\n<p>This has a lot to do with PCIe Lanes that are available to the PCIe slots, which depends on the Chipset and the CPU you're using. Mainstream platforms such as your typical <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-core-vs-amd-ryzen\/\">AMD Ryzen and Intel Core CPU<\/a> will only allow for 16-24 PCIe Lanes to the CPU, while <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/server-vs-desktop-cpus\/\">Higher-End Desktop (e.g. Threadripper Pro) or even Server CPUs (Epyc, Xeon)<\/a> will come with 64 or more PCIe Lanes allowing for  much more GPUs to be driven at full PCIe bandwidths.<\/p>\n<p>More on that in our <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/guide-to-pcie-lanes\/\">PCIe Lane Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Typical_Example_Cards_for_PCIe_x16_slots\"><\/span>Typical Example Cards for PCIe x16 slots:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Graphics Cards, in general<\/li>\n<li>Enthusiast or Server-Grade Expansion Cards (Network and Storage most common)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_there_a_non-Express_PCI\"><\/span>Is there a non-Express PCI?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Yes! Non-Express PCI Slots do exist, but mainly on older motherboards.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unlike PCI Express and its various sizes and standards, PCI cards are not backward or forward-compatible with the successor Express standard.<\/p>\n<p>When still in use, it has pretty much the same application of PCI Express slots today\u2014 it was just much slower.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_PCIe_Slot_is_best_for_my_graphics_card\"><\/span>What PCIe Slot is best for my graphics card?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/pcie-slot-graphics-card\/\"><strong>The PCI Express x16 slot is almost always the best choice for your graphics card<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There are some qualifiers to this, like for cards that are restricted to run at x4 or x8, but for the most part, you\u2019ll almost always want to use an available x16 slot to maximize performance and bandwidth.<\/p>\n<p>If you have more than one GPU, an x8 slot is okay as a fallback, too.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_PCIe_Lanes_really_work\"><\/span>How do PCIe Lanes really work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While this article talks fairly extensively about PCIe slots, I didn\u2019t go into much detail on PCIe lanes themselves.<\/p>\n<p>If you want more insight on what PCIe lanes are and how they impact various workloads, <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/guide-to-pcie-lanes\/\"><strong>Alex wrote a detailed Guide to PCIe Lanes<\/strong><\/a><strong> so I didn\u2019t have to<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>While that article goes into much more detail than I have here, a general guiding statement is that most consumer boards have enough PCIe lanes for most consumer use cases, but server-grade and multi-GPU use cases are likely to need more.<\/p>\n<p>More in Alex\u2019s article if you want the details!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_if_I_dont_want_to_mount_my_card_directly_on_the_PCI_Express_slot\"><\/span>What if I don\u2019t want to mount my card directly on the PCI Express slot?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Finally, what if you don\u2019t want to mount your card on a PCI Express slot? For example, if you have a vertical GPU mount in your PC build, or are working with strict space constraints.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, all you need to do is get your hands on a <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-pcie-riser-extension-cables\/\">high-quality PCIe Riser extension cable that suits your bandwidth needs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17838\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues.jpg\" alt=\"PCIE Gen 4.0 compatibility issues\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17838 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PCIE Gen 4.0 compatibility issues\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/PCIE-Gen-4.0-compatibility-issues.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>This will enable you to mount your expansion card (usually graphics card) anywhere you want using the original PCIe slot. Just make sure the card can still breathe, wherever you choose to put it!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_to_You\"><\/span>Over to You<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em><strong>And that\u2019s it, at least for now. I hope that this article gave you a better idea of what each PCIe slot on your motherboard is used for. Leave a <a href=\"#comments\">comment<\/a> below or in the <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\">forums<\/a> if you have any remaining questions!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>In a way, the importance of expansion cards in PCs has faded greatly since the original days of an expansion card being required for <em>everything<\/em> except basic RAM and CPU workloads.<\/p>\n<p>These days, network and sound are often built into the motherboard before it even leaves the factory\u2014 but the ample number of PCI Express slots still available on consumer motherboards speaks to a time when this wasn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s not like these slots don\u2019t serve a purpose, either. For things like high-quality <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/cpu-vs-gpu-rendering\/\">GPU rendering<\/a>, studio-quality sound, and high-end network or storage setups... PCI Express is here to stay.<\/p>\n<p>Except for maybe x4 GPUs. No one asked for that, Nvidia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wondered what PCIe slots actually are and which kinds of different types exist? The term comes up in a lot of contexts involving connecting things to you PC, but sometimes doesn\u2019t even refer to PCIe expansion cards, and instead, devices mounted elsewhere that are using PCIe bandwidth. If you have no idea what that...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2339,"featured_media":17830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[118,119,219],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17828"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2339"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17828"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21264,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17828\/revisions\/21264"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}