What Are PCIe X1 Slots Used For?

PCIe x1 slots are typically used for sound cards, WiFi cards, and other expansion cards that require less bandwidth than what a PCIe x16 slot can provide. While a PCIe x16 slot can offer up to 16 lanes of bandwidth, a PCIe x1 slot only has one lane of bandwidth.

This doesn’t mean that a PCIe x1 card will always be slower than a PCIe x16 card; it just means that the card will have less available bandwidth to work with.

For most people, a sound card is the only type of expansion card that they’ll need to use a PCIe x1 slot for. If you’re looking to add WiFi or Bluetooth to your computer, you can also use a PCIe x1 slot for that.

Just about any other type of expansion card will require more than one lane of bandwidth, so it won’t be able to fit into a PCIe x1 slot.

If you’re not sure what type of expansion card you need for your computer, you can always check with the manufacturer or look up the specs online. In general, though, most people will only need to worry about using a PCIe x1 slot for sound cards and WiFi/Bluetooth cards.