What is PCIe and how, exactly, do these components work?

PCI vs PCIe Slot · PCI-E x16 slot: It is 89mm long and has 164 pins It is often used for graphics cards and backward compatible with x1 x4

PCI Express x16 — Sixteen lanes, largest slot *some slots may not have matching lanes in bandwidth, more on this throughout the article

pcie 30 x4 slot PCI Express lanes are paths between the motherboard chipset and PCIe slots or other devices that are part of the motherboard, such as the

pcie 30 in 40 slot The number following the “x” represents how many lanes are on that slot PCIe lanes serve as the physical link between the device and the