Most motherboards have multiple PCIe slots so you can install multiple graphics cards, RAID cards, or other expansion cards. But what does all that mean? Let’s break it down.
The number of PCIe slots on a motherboard varies, with some having as few as one and some having more than seven. The most common configurations are one, two, or four slots.
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motherboard manufacturers offer different PCIe configurations to appeal to different markets. For example, a high-end gaming motherboard might have four PCIe x16 slots for installing multiple graphics cards in an NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFire configuration.
Meanwhile, a budget motherboard might have only one PCIe x16 slot but also include a PCIe x4 slot and two legacy PCI slots for expansion cards like a sound card or network card.
The physical size of the PCIe slot is also important. A full-size slot is about 12 inches long and will fit any standard card.
A half-size slot is about 6 inches long and is typically used for smaller cards like Wi-Fi or sound cards. Some motherboards also have mini PCIe slots for even smaller cards like mSATA SSDs.
When it comes to graphics cards, there are three main types of PCIe slots:
PCIe x16: The largest and most common type of PCIe slot, a PCIe x16 slot can accommodate any size graphics card. Most modern graphics cards use this type of slot.
PCIe x8: These are slightly smaller than x16 slots and can also be found on many modern motherboards.
A few years ago, these were the primary type of slot used for high-end graphics cards but they’ve since been supplanted by larger x16 slots.
PCIe x1: These are the smallest PCIe slots and are typically only used for sound cards or other low-power expansion devices.
PCIe Slot Configurations: What Works With What? – Hardware Secrets.
