PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a high-speed interface for connecting components to a motherboard, such as graphics cards, SSDs, and network cards.
Key Features of PCIe:
- Speed: PCIe offers high data transfer rates significantly surpassing previous standards (PCI, PCI-X).
- Scalability: It uses lanes for data transmission (from x1 to x16), allowing the interface to be adapted for various needs.
- Compatibility: PCIe is backward compatible with earlier versions, enabling older devices to work on new motherboards.
| Release | Generation | x4 | x8 | x16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | PCIe 1.x | 10 | 20 | 40 |
| 2007 | PCIe 2.x | 20 | 40 | 80 |
| 2010 | PCIe 3.x | 32 | 64 | 128 |
| 2017 | PCIe 4.x | 64 | 128 | 256 |
| 2019 | PCIe 5.x | 128 | 256 | 512 |
| 2022 | PCIe 6.x | 256 | 512 | 1024 |
PCIe-Lanes
PCIe lanes are the fundamental data transmission channels in the PCIe interface. Each lane consists of two pairs of wires, allowing data to be transmitted simultaneously in both directions (input and output), making PCIe a duplex interface.
PCIe lanes play a crucial role in determining the performance and connectivity capabilities of various components in modern computer systems.
| CPU | Type | Chipset | CPU Lanes | Chipset Lanes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee Lake Intel 8th/9th | Regular | Z390, H370, B360 | 16 (PCIe 3.0) | 24 (PCIe 3.0) |
| Comet Lake Intel 10th | Regular | Z490, H470, B460 | 20 (PCIe 3.0) | 24 (PCIe 4.0) |
| Comet Lake X Intel 10th | Regular | Z490, H470 | 44 (PCIe 3.0) | 24 (PCIe 4.0) |
| Rocket Lake Intel 11th | Regular | Z590, H570, B560 | 20 (PCIe 4.0) | 24 (PCIe 4.0) |
| Alder Lake Intel 12th | Regular | Z690, B660 | 20 (PCIe 4.0) | 16 (PCIe 4.0) |
| Raptor Lake Intel 13th | Regular | Z790, B760 | 24 (PCIe 5.0) | 16 (PCIe 5.0) |
| Raptor Lake Refresh Intel 14th | Regular | Z890, B860 | 24 (PCIe 5.0) | 16 (PCIe 5.0) |
| Xeon Scalable (1st Gen) | Server | C620 | 28 (PCIe 3.0) | 6 (PCIe 3.0) |
| Xeon Scalable (2nd Gen) | Server | C620 | 48 (PCIe 3.0) | 6 (PCIe 3.0) |
| Xeon Scalable (3rd Gen) | Server | C620 | 64 (PCIe 3.0) | 6 (PCIe 3.0) |
| Xeon Scalable (4th Gen) | Server | C740 | 64 (PCIe 4.0) | 6 (PCIe 4.0) |
| Ryzen 3000 | Regular | X570, B550 | 24 (PCIe 4.0) | 8 (PCIe 4.0) |
| Ryzen 5000 | Regular | X570, B550 | 24 (PCIe 4.0) | 8 (PCIe 4.0) |
| Ryzen 7000 | Regular | X670, B650 | 28 (PCIe 5.0) | 8 (PCIe 5.0) |
| EPYC 7001 | Server | SP3 | 128 (PCIe 3.0) | 24 (PCIe 3.0) |
| EPYC 7002 | Server | SP3 | 128 (PCIe 4.0) | 24 (PCIe 4.0) |
| EPYC 7003 | Server | SP3 | 128 (PCIe 4.0) | 24 (PCIe 4.0) |