The number after “x” usually tells you the slot’s number of PCIe lanes. You can find four types of PCIe lane configurations on PCIe slots, i.e., x1, x4, x8, and x16. The more PCIe lanes a slot has, the higher its throughput rate (speed) and the more demanding expansion cards it can support. Different slot sizes have an additional amount of PCIe lanes. Understanding PCIe lanes is crucial for understanding PCIe slots and their work.Ī PCIe lane is the path through, or the connection through, which data is transported to and from the slot and the CPU. PCIe slots have PCIe lanes hardwired to them for transporting data. I have summarized them here: 10 Things That Can be Plugged in PCIe Slots.

There is a list of things that you can attach to the PCIe slots. PCIe stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, an internal bus interface standard that connects internal high-speed components to your desktop motherboard.

PCIe Slot Sizes and Motherboard Configuration.

There are a few essential characteristics of the PCIe interface you need to understand to understand and utilize the slots properly i.e They are distinguished mainly by their PCIe lane count.Īlso Read: What Does a PCIe Slot Look Like? – In-Depth Look What are PCIe Slots, Lanes, AND Generation? Image: Motherboard with two x1 slots (white) and two x16 slots (blue)Īs you can see in the image above, PCIe slots come in different sizes.

Final Words – Do You Need to Use PCIe Slots?Ī picture would be the best guide to understanding what PCIe slots look like.

Practical Example of Understanding PCIe Slot Configuration.

What are PCIe Slots, Lanes, AND Generation?.

These slight variations in the layout will prevent you from installing the wrong type of RAM in your computer. You can quickly tell them apart by examining the key (a notch in the socket) and the number of pins on your modules, since they have a slightly different configuration. When examining the sockets, the different DDR generations look very similar. You can either manually examine the RAM sockets on your motherboard, check the specifications with your motherboard manufacturer, or run a RAM compatibility checker. There are a couple ways to determine which DDR generation your motherboard uses. For example, if your system was designed for DDR4 technology, it won't be able to support DDR5 modules. RAM generations are not forward or backward compatible.

But that doesn’t mean you can simply jump to the next generation to improve performance. As a rule, each generation of memory technology has faster frequencies, runs on lower voltage, and boasts lower latencies than the previous generation.

Blue or white ram slot