What is PCI Express?

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PCI Express stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express. It is also known as PCIe. PCI Express expands on and doubles the data transfer rates of the original PCI. PCI Express is a two-way, serial connection that carries data in packets along two pairs of point-to-point data lanes.

PCIe was developed in 2004, it was designed to provide higher performance and bandwidth than PCI or AGP. While some standard PCI slots can still be found on motherboards, many computer users prefer PCI express for graphics cards.

The PCIe slots can speed up the flow of digital information between your peripheral devices and the CPU because it has dedicated bandwidth to PC memory.  PCI slots must share the bandwidth, but the PCI-Express can link together to provide a more direct and faster connection.

PCIe does not require any changes to the software or operating systems, as the identification of devices attached to a PC is determined by the same protocol used by PCI. This software is not backward-compatible hardware. PCIe plugs are either shorter or longer than PCI and AGP.

There are 5 PCIe Formats:

  1. PCI Express 1x with a capacity of 250MB/s is present in one or two copies on all current motherboards.
  2. PCI Express 2x with an output of 500MB/s is less common, reserved for servers.
  3. PCI Express 4x with an output of 1000MB/s is also reserved for servers.
  4. PCI Express 16x with an output of 4000MB/s is present on all modern cards and is the standard gear for graphics cards. The 16-lane (x16) slot has replaced the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) on many motherboards and fits a PCIe graphics card.
  5. PCI Express 32x with an output of 8000MB/s has the same format as the PCI Express 16x, it is often used on high-end motherboards to power the SLI bus.

Related Posts:

What is the difference between PCMCIA and ExpressCard?

ExpressCard is the hardware standard replacing PMCIA type II cards. ExpressCards are considered better than PCMCIA cards because they are faster.

What is ExpressCard?

An ExpressCard is an interface to allow peripheral devices to be connected to a computer, usually a laptop computer. ExpressCards is a hardware standard replacing PC cards or PCMCIA cards.

What is CardBus?

CardBus is the latest enhancement to the PCMCIA 5.0 or later. PMCIA stands for Asociación Internacional de Tarjetas de Memoria. CardBus was introduced in 1995 and present in laptops from late 1997 onward. The main purpose of CardBus was to extend the existing PCMCIA bus to allow more powerful devices, and also provide support for 32 Bit I/O.

What is PCMCIA?

PCMCIA is the short for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. It is pronounced as separate letters. PCMCIA is also known as PC Card.

PCMCIA was originally designed for adding memory to portable computers, the PCMCIA standard has been expanded several times and is now suitable for many types of devices

What is the difference between AGP and PCI?

The primary advantage of AGP over PCI is that it provides a dedicated pathway between the slot and the processor rather than sharing the PCI bus. In addition to a lack of contention for the bus, the point-to-point connection allows for higher clock speeds.

What is the Difference between PCI, PCI-X, and PCI-e?

PCI-X is the upgraded version of PCI. It differs mainly in the fact that the PCI-X bus is 64-bits wide, and runs at higher frequencies of up to 533MHz, compared to PCI frequency that runs up to 66MHz.

What is AGP Pro?

AGP Pro was launched in 1998 as an AGP interface extension specification for advanced workstations. AGP Pro bus is a specification that provides a direct connection between the graphics adapter and memory.

What is AGP?

AGP is the short for Accelerated Graphics Port. It was designed in 1997 as a successor to PCI type connections.

What is PCI-X?

PCI-X is the short for PCI-eXtended. It was developed in 1998.

What is the difference between ISA and PCI?

ISA is an old technology that has been replaced by PCI, PCIe and so on. ISA slots are usually black, long and the gold contacts are large.

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