PCI Express

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Probably a dumb question to ask but I take it PCI Express cards can be used in the normal PCI slots of mobos? or have they decided to put a certain PCI slot for these new cards?

 

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um, they use a completly new interface
and i dont believe they can be used in standard PCI slots

|===| <--- PCI Express Slot
|========== ===| <---- PCI Slot
approxamatly

 

wow that small? and yet they call it express...I wonder whats so express about the size of that? thanks mate...

 

the express part comes from the fact that the data transfer rate of PCI express is a whopping 16GB/s compared to the piddly 132MB/s in standard PC PCI bus, and the moderate 2.1GB/s for an 8xAGP bus.

two related questions for you guys though. i know PCI express is affecting graphics cards, but are they still dedicated (ie separate from the main PCI bus), and whats the data transfer like on them?

and the second question (third actually, i know). why arent we using hypertransport instead of PCI express, given that it actually exists, and has a 12.8GB/s transfer rate!

Fergal

 

they still use dedicated sltos really
partly because most mobo makers are making boards with a few PCIe 1x slots, and one PCIe 16x slot
obviously most dedicate the 16x slot for the graphics card

cant answer the other one

 

i spose its a case of keeping a better one in reserve till PCI express is saturated the market. although by that point its of little consequence cause we will most likely have a faster alternative to jump to!

thanks though phoenix. (PCIex16 huh? thats......... 256GB/s transfer rate. bloody hell thats gonna be fast!)

Fergal