What is PCI Express X 1 for?

[cigarman]

I know that PCI express x 16 is ideal for top notch video cards, but what is PCI Express x 1 used for?

 

[vnf4ultra]

There are various uses for the slot, including: usb add in cards, firewire add in cards, sata add in cards, networking(ethernet) cards, and even a graphics card for x1 slots.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815124032
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815158036
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815104264
http://www.matrox.com/mga/media_center/press_rel/2005/millennium_g550_pcie.cfm

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

It's supposed to replace normal PCI cards. In addition to vnf4ultra's list, there are also TV cards using PCI-E.

 

[Nodsu]

And if your next question is "why not use PCI-E 16x", then the reason is pretty plain: it's cheaper. 1x requires 16 times less circuitry saving a lot of PCB and silicon real estate.

 

[Ruben]

Is PCIe x1 really faster then normal PCI 2.1?
I mean would networking card or video for PCIe work better then the same card for PCI?

 

[Nodsu]

A single PCI-E lane is about 2x faster than PCI. PCI-E is also full duplex, meaning that if you send and receive at the same time, a 1x link can be up to 4 times as fast as plain PCI.

 

[Quack 4]

Another question

So, besides graphics card, what other card would really benefit from the faster architecture? TV tuners and Firewire?

 

[Nodsu]

Anything can benefit from PCI-E.. Since PCI-E is not a bus, every device on it has a full-duplex dedicated link - no more waiting behind each other to transfer data.

 

[Coolmatt]

Are you talking about that small 2 CM PCI port? If so, then I ask the same question.