Introduction to PCI Express The older PCI specification is based on a multi-drop parallel bus design. PCI Express, which will eventually replace PCI, PCI-X, and AGP, is a brand new I/O technology defined by the PCI-SIG. The PCI-SIG’s stated goal is to create a unified standard that can handle a wide range of tasks. Multiple lanes are combined to create a PCI Express link, with the number of lanes used to label the connection by writing x1, x2, x4, x12, x16, or x32. Note that each lane uses 4 wires (e.g., a PCI Express x1 board uses 4 wires, and a PCI Express x16 board uses 64 wires). It should come as no surprise then that different-sized connections use The PCI Express serial interface is capable of transmitting data at 2.5 Gbps. This extremely high rate of data transmission is achieved by transmitting data bit-by-bit over “lanes” that consist of 2 pairs of wires (2 wires for transmitting and 2 wires for receiving). A single connection can achieve a burst mode transmission speed of 320 Mbps. PCI Express is a serial interface that allows point-to-point connections between devices. This differs from the older PCI bus specification that uses a shared, parallel bus architecture. Bus Trend Bus Transmission Speeds ISA PCI PCI-X PCI Express (PCIe) different-sized slots. However, the beauty of the PCI Express design is that a PCI Express board can be installed in larger slots. This means that you can install Moxa’s PCI Express x1 boards in any PCI Express slot. Moxa’s PCI Express Boards Fit Any PCI Express Slot The difference between PCI and PCI Express PCI Express to replace PCI, PCI-X, and AGP 12-10 www. m oxa. com Multiport Serial Boards > Introduction to PCI Express Multiport Serial Boards 12