Expansion boards with PCI-E interface. What is the difference between the PCI Express interface from PCI? Expansion PCI E.

PCI EXPRESS standard is one of the basics. modern computers. PCI Express slots have long occupied a strong place on any maternal dexte computer, crowding out other standards, for example, such as PCI. But even the PCI Express standard has its own varieties and differing from each other in the nature of the connection. On new motherboards, starting from about 2010, can be seen on one motherboard a whole placer ports designated as PCIe or PCI-E.which may differ in terms of lines: one x1 or several x2, x4, x8, x12, x16 and x32.

So let's find out why such confusion among the seemingly simple PCI Express peripheral port. And what is the purpose of each PCI EXPRESS x2, x4, x8, x12, x16 and x32?

What is the PCI Express bus?

In the distant 2000s, when a transition from an outdated PCI standard was held (rashes - the relationship of peripheral components) on PCI Express, the latter had one huge advantage: instead sequential tirewhich was PCI, used a two-point access bus. This meant that each individual PCI port and cards installed in it could fully utilize the maximum bandwidth without interfering with each other, as it happened when connected to the PCI. In those days, the number of peripheral devices inserted into the extension cards was abuse. Network cards, audio cards, TV tuners and so on - all required a sufficient number of PC resources. But in contrast to the PCI standard, using a total bus with a connection parallel to multiple devices, PCI Express, if we consider in general, is a batch network with a star type topology.

PCI Express X16, PCI Express X1 and PCI on the same board

From the point of view of non-professional, imagine your desktop PC as a small store with one, two sellers. The old PCI standard was as a gastronome: everyone expected in one queue to serve them, experiencing problems with the speed of service with restriction in the person of one seller for the welcome. PCI-E is more like a hypermarket: each buyer moves for products by its individual route, and at the checkout at once several cashiers take an order.

It is obvious that the service speed hypermarket wins several times from a regular store, due to the fact that the store can not afford to the bandwidth more than one seller with one cashier.

Also with dedicated data transfer bands for each extension card or embedded components of the motherboard.

The impact of the number of lines on the bandwidth

Now, in order to expand our metaphor with a store and a hypermarket, imagine that each department of the hypermarket has its own cashiers reserved for them. This is where the idea of \u200b\u200bseveral data bands occurs.

PCI-E has passed many changes since its creation. Currently, new motherboards usually use already 3 version of the standard, and a faster 4 version becomes more and more common, and version 5 is expected in 2019. But different versions The same physical connections are used, and these compounds can be made in four main sizes: x1, x4, x8 and x16. (X32 ports exist, but extremely rarely found on motherboards ordinary computers).

Various physical sizes of PCI-Express ports allow you to clearly divide them by the number of simultaneous connections with motherboard: The greater the port is physically, the more maximum connections it is capable of transferring or back. These compounds are also called lines. One line can be represented as a track, consisting of two signal pairs: one to send data, and the other for reception.

Various versions of the PCI-E standard allow you to use different speeds On each strip. But, generally speaking, the larger the bands are on one PCI-E-port, the faster the data can flow between the peripheral and the rest of the computer.

Returning to our metaphor: if we are talking about one seller in the store, the X1 strip and will be this sole seller serving one client. The store with 4 cashiers - already 4 lines x4. And so on, you can paint the cashiers by the number of lines, multiplying by 2.

Various PCI Express Cards

Types of devices using PCI Express x2, x4, x8, x12, x16 and x32

For the PCI Express 3.0 version, the total maximum data transfer rate is 8 Gt / s, in reality, the speed for the PCI-E 3 version is slightly less than one gigabyte per second per strip.

Thus, the device using the PCI-E x1 port, for example, a low-power sound card or Wi-Fi antenna will be able to transmit data at a maximum speed of 1 Gb / s.

Map that is physically suitable in a larger slot - x4. or x8., for example, a USB 3.0 extension card, will be able to transmit data to four or eight times faster, respectively.

The transfer rate of the PCI-E x16 ports is theoretically limited to the maximum strip flowing in the amount of about 15 Gb / s. This is more than enough in 2017 for all modern graphic video cards developed by NVIDIA and AMD.

Most discrete video cards use PCI-E x16 slot

The PCI Express 4.0 protocol allows you to use 16 GT / s, and PCI Express 5.0 will use 32 GT / s.

But currently there are no components that could use such a number of bandwidths with maximum bandwidth. Modern top graphics cards typically use the X16 PCI Express 3.0 standard. It makes no sense to use the same bands and for a network card that will use only one line on the X16 port, since the Ethernet port is capable of transmitting data to only one gigabit per second (which, about one eighth bandwidth of one PCI-E strip - Remember: Eight bits in one pate).

On the market you can find solid-state PCI-E drives that support the port X4, but they seem to be represented soon by the rapidly developing new standard M.2. for solid-state driveswhich can also use pCI-E tire. High-quality network cards and equipment for enthusiasts, such as RAID controllers, use the combination of x4 and x8 formats.

PCI-E ports and lines may vary

This is one of the most confusing PCI-E tasks: the port can be performed in the X16 form factor, but have an insufficient number of bands for passing data, for example, for example, X4. This is due to the fact that even if the PCI-E can carry an unlimited number of individual connections on itself, there is still a practical bandwidth bandwidth bandwidth of the chipset. Cheaper motherboards with more budget chipsets can have only one X8 slot, even if this slot can physically place the X16 mold map.

In addition, gamers oriented motherboards include up to four full PCI-E slots with x16 and as many lines for maximum throughput.

Obviously, it can cause problems. If the motherboard has two X16 slots, but one of them has only X4 bands, then the connection of a new graphics card will reduce the performance of the first as much by 75%. This is, of course, only theoretical result. The architecture of motherboards is such that you will not see a sharp decline in productivity.

The correct configuration of two graphic video cards should use exactly two slots X16, if you want the maximum comfort from the tandem of two video cards. Find out how many lines on your motherboard has one or another slot will help the guidance on the office. The site manufacturer.

Sometimes manufacturers even mark on textolite of motherboard next to a slot number of lines

You need to know that a shorter x1 or x4 card can be physically fitted into a longer slot x8 or x16. Configuration of contacts electric contacts Makes it possible. Naturally, if the card is physically more than a slot, then insert it will not work.

Therefore, remember, when buying an extension or update cards, you should always always remember both the size of the PCI Express slot and the number of necessary strips.

First quarter of 2006

Ice started, gentlemen jurors

As you know, any educated person, Ostap Ibrahimovich Bender knew four hundred ways of honest taking money from the population. In those days, when, according to legends, there lived and worked a great combinator, it could cause respect. However, from the heights of today, the son of Turkish can excuse me just that he lived long before the heyday of the IT industry. Modern companies have demonstrated that, the following criminal code, you can still pump out money from customer pockets almost thousands of ways. Again, Bender was loner, so he did not dream of today's level of cooperation of companies. The coherent work allows you to make money out of the air so that no one is to blame for anything, but the same thing can be sold repeatedly. And the user is pleased. :) It is especially convenient to work so much in the era of change, when there is no time to think and calculate all possible costs - you have to take what they give. Financial losses then calculate analysts, and the buyer will get only no unquided fate to renew a little in the forums about how beautifully spread it.

It is this situation that consists in connection with the transition from the PCI tire on PCI Express. In the transition itself there is nothing terrible, moreover - it has long been necessary. Only folding thanks to the joint actions of manufacturers, the picture does not please. It should be noted, the transition began almost two years ago, and the number of problems not only does not decrease, but also grows. As the computer park is updated, an increasing number of users are faced with the fact that old extension boards cannot be used, and there are no new ones (the situation is like a "golden calf" with a dumb and sound cinema). At the same time, the market research shows that no one, in general, is not to blame for anything. In order for the situation just such as it is, there are completely objective prerequisites. But the buyer is not easier to buy. What is the problem?

Chipset manufacturers: Our Hut with the Edge

Claims to companies developing and producing support chips, at first glance, no, and can not (actually there is, but not the biggest). They are just a user in a bright future customize sufficiently softly, without losing compatibility with old solutions. Is that AGP trimmed "at one reception", but also - not quite. ULI (now purchased NVIDIA) has released a full-fledged PCI-E support chipset and an AGP slot, and VIA lit up with a combined AGP / PCI-E-chipset. And let PCI-E lines are not enough for full support for modern video cards, but there is compatibility with them, and 5-10% of performance is not the highest price for full compatibility. In essence, PT880 Pro / Ultra is committed to a small, but stable popularity, since this is the only chipset represented in the market, allowing you to use dual-core intel processors Together with DDR memory memory and AGP video cards, without losing and the possibilities of subsequent upgrades (than the I865PE cannot boast, in recent revisions, the dual-core support, but not PCI-E). So, on this side, everything is not as afraid. Especially since the video cards just quite confidently moved to new standard, Therefore, about AGP shed tears few people will have to. It is worse with PCI and focused on its replacement low-speed PCI-E variants.

However, again, not the fault of the manufacturers of chipsets. Even Intel, quite zeno promoting new standards, not going to refuse from PCI. It is already reliably known that the company's new chipsets that will appear in 2006 will support up to 4 PCI slots, while, for example, from the support of Parallel ATA, some of them will abandon completely. The plans of other companies are even less innovative, so it is quite possible to speak even about 5-6 PCI slots potentially. But even four are already good and most users are enough. The question is only where are they?

Motherboards - Unlimited Progression

So, the chipsets allow you to quietly continue to use old PCI adapters together with new PCI-E. However, PCI slots on modern boards are not enough. Maybe their manufacturers are to blame? Yes and no.

AT format allowed to use on a board up to eight expansion slots, ATX reduced their number to seven. Taking into account the fact that many users in the system have all the pair of extension boards, and more than three-four in the usual mass computer does not happen almost never, the restriction is quite reasonable. And even the fact that, due to the increased complexity of modern boards, many manufacturers cannot dilute seven slots, as a result of which are limited to six and even five, too, most of the time there is no problem (usually, just, problems with the wiring occur in the case of topics With a large number of additional controllers, which significantly reduces the need for expansion cards). Except, except, the epochs of change.

Some fault are the manufacturers of chipsets when developing a reference design. Taking into account the fact that today something different from him can be seen except in every tenth board, if not in the twentieth, this factor is important. And what offered, for example, nvidia? For non-SLI boards, a very good design, using all possible, from the point of view of the standard, seven slots: Three PCI, three PCI-E 1X and one 16x. At first glance, everything is excellent, on the second - horror, because the 16x slot is located in the middle! As a result, you can easily lose one or even two PCI slots (depending on the size of the video card cooling system) and to observe completely free (but unnecessary) PCI-E 1x. Some manufacturers, however, the number of the latter has reduced to two - so as not to be disturbed, but it has not become easier. No wonder one of the most popular NForce4 Ultra boards was ASUS A8N-E. Taiwanese breeders spat on the reference. More precisely, the fee was made on the basis of the reference, but completely for another chipset - on A8N-E ULTRA stands on PCB for SLI. As a result, we have all the same four slots PCI-E (and with the best distribution of lines - if you do not consider "the main one", then from the rest, either two are 1x and one 2x, or one 4x, and, and by cutting in the rear wall Compatible with 8 or 16x cards; complete versatility) and three PCIs, but the video card is installed in the topmost slot, so that all PCI slots are usually in our complete disposal. Question Why Nvidia did a reference design for NFORCE4 / 4X / ULTRA, if it would be best to confine ourselves to SLI? Lastly optimal.

If you think that other manufacturers of chipsets are all much better, then mistaken. Via and Intel offered to manufacturers just something similar to what ASUS did. As a result, the first boards on the chipsets of these manufacturers looked good. For example, my love is Albatron K8X890 Pro II. On the board there are only three PCI slots, but all of them can be used. The chipset maintains 20 PCI-E lines, which are allocated to two slots, as a result of which the motherboard will easily perceive the adapter requiring PCI-E 4x. Although, perhaps, it was worth limited to 2x, "hanging" on one of the lines network Controller - From PCI gigabit does not squeeze. On the other hand, 90% of users have these "gigabit" controllers work in the mode with a speed of 100 or 10 Mbit / s, so that this is not the problem that is seriously discussed. However, the "full-fledged" network is on asus boards and Gigabyte, also equipped with three full PCI slots and a pair of PCI-E 1X (although one of the slots could be done in this case and 2x). But in the family of boards on K8T890 not without a freak - ABIT for some reason put three PCI-E 1X slots, having reduced to two number of PCI slots! Maybe ABIT engineers know the store where the board with the PCI-E interface? Or do users often write letters that complain about the insufficiency of two PCI-E slots and are asked to remove unnecessary PCI slots? The only explanation, in my opinion, is something that it is somehow necessary to compete. For example, stating its commitment to promising formats, and demonstrating this commitment. Type, competitors have two modern expansion slots and three outdated, and we have on the contrary. And which of them are needed now - who cares about? Yes, and Asus recently managed to move, changing the slots group by places on the K8V-XE. Everyone, it seems good fee - a bunch of K8T890 and the southern Bridge VT8251 perfectly costs passive cooling (no need to be south bridge), even there is ESATA support, three PCI slots are present, but ... next to the video card slot, resulting in a massive radiator last It can easily deprive you with one or two of them. But two PCI-E 1X are carefully related to the board.

There is also no power about Intel or ATI chipsets - there is still there. If the fees on 915/925 had a sane wiring with a pair-triple PCI-E and at least three PCI slots (sometimes four, and the very "industry locomotive" - \u200b\u200bIntel), with the time the number of slots PCI-E grew and PCI - decreased. Not that it was in demand - just advertise more convenient. Again - in production is cheaper. Plus, the last time attack is SLI / Crossfire. Both of these technologies in some cases are quite in demand, but are advertised stronger than in demand. Manufacturers of chipsets compete in support of multiple video cards, manufacturers of motherboards are doing the same. There is also its advantages in this - for example, the wiring of such boards is often better than their simpler sisters, and sometimes the support of high-speed PCI-E variants, which can be useful with time appears. However, there are also cons. Two PCI-E 16X slots are minus two slots from the maximum. A couple of 1x / 2x producers in these cases still strive to shine, so that the PCI space remains a bit. At best, three slots are placed, more often - two, and it is often possible to use only one of them. There are very clinical cases, such as Gigabyte G1975X. The fee is the dream of a PCI-E fan, but in the case of PCI ... Even if you set one video card, it is still easily able to overlap one of the available PCI slots. If you put two, then the question arises - how will the devices such as the tuner or the audio card will feel between them?

However, the Gigabyte Plastic Teapot Prize from me will not receive - there are more advanced applicants. In my opinion, compete in the nomination "The Curved Solution" with Apple will not be able to anyone - the newest top PowerMac G5 Quad ... does not have a single PCI slot! The machine turned out to be quite a good and even inexpensive - a similar workstation from HP, for example, in a close configuration (just more powerful processors and a wider selection of software will not touch - not everyone needs)) can cost dollars 500 more expensive. But the second has the opportunity to use cards with PCI, PCI-X and PCI-E interfaces, and only the last interface remains the first, that is, in fact, while almost nothing. As a result, if you make a search by PCI-E in Google, then almost half of the found links found - the attitude of the quad bought and removed something to add to the basic configuration. Judging by the tone of the posts, they are already quite ready to give these the most few hundred dollars, only no one. Forty years ago, they joked that there are no meat in stores because we go so quickly to communism that the cattle does not sleep behind us - the story is repeated. All the same rakes are carefully fell on all the same place, and many on them are still still coming. An innovative computer is not supported by outdated standards, and that new does not support extension boards manufacturers - no one, as always, is not to blame. However, those who work professionally with sound can be said, lucky. Thanks to say DigideSign, which has transferred Pro Tools | HD and on a new hardware platform. Naturally, new opportunities were not added - the PCI is the option even a bit universal, because more than three cards support.

So, the problem, it seems to be localized. It is that the manufacturers of motherboards cannot or do not want to install more than two PCI slots into modern models, and it is not always possible to use all the slots. As a result, the PCI slots become extremely deficient resource, so there is a desire to transfer as much as possible to PCI-E as much as possible in the form of integrated controllers. The latter, however, is not always possible - there are not so many boards, for example, have an integrated firewire 800 controller. Choosing a board, focusing on the pack, is not always optimal - well "packaged" top modifications, but sometimes their purchase is akin to the acquisition of a cafe sometimes To drink a cup of coffee. All the same relatively honest taking money from the population - try to find a fee with rich functionality under Socket 754. Yes, I understand that the platform is considered a budget, but what if the processor is powerful not required, but is needed? Overpay for Socket 939, and then for the top fee with such a connector? Thank you will bypass. Especially since the idea of \u200b\u200bthe article is not at all increasing complaints in the Universe - as the practice has shown, something for the new tire can already be used. Not everything, however, they know about it - therefore, inform. As at one time it was necessary to make a cycle of articles, telling people that they can receive today from unnecessary ports of USB ports and with PCI-E, it seems to have to do.

What of the new products is available today?

Yes, after almost two years after the start of sales of motherboards with PCI-E connectors, you can already insert something in these same connectors! Having fun and bodied all the people. :) If no joke, it's better late than ever. Yes, and thanks to the chipset structures, we get something already in the basic version even on the most "bare" modern mother, why and managed to survive these two years without much shocks. Let's see what we can translate today to PCI-E in order to unload PCI. We will only speak about more or less massive variants of low-speed equipment - everything is simple with video cards. With them and immediately everything was simple.

Network cards

Honestly, I thought that this section would go outside the contest - since only NVIDIA decided to embed a gigabit network controller into the chipset, and the remaining manufacturers preferred an external with the PCI-E interface. The corresponding chips appeared on sale at the same time with motherboards (Intel pressed :)). However, the study of the list of proposals of Moscow firms has shown that not everything is so good.

Options, in fact, two. Almost a state employee - ST-LAB N260. Small tight board with PCI-E 1X interface. To some extent, the "dark horse" is used by the AGERE ET1310B chip, which is known only that while nothing is known. The cost of the board is 20-25 dollars. On the one hand, a little: although the PCI adapters cost dollars at 15, "whole gigabit" of them do not pull out. On the other hand, it is not so often necessary - often 100 Mbit / s is suitable: just need one more card, and in the case of PCI for this can take only 3-4 dollars. So the price of the free PCI slot (siren fee for progress) is about $ 20. Tolery. If you have a chip from Agere for any reason scares, then Hewlett Packard will help. The EA833AA of this company is based on the Broadcom Chip and costs about 55-60 dollars, which fully corresponds to the prices of brand equipment.

In general, there is some choice. Small, but different price categories. On the other hand, the task of installing several wired adapters is quite rare - given the fact that at least one is already installed on each modern board. And I have not been able to find wireless adapters with the PCI-E interface yet. In principle, no one bothers to purchase a USB adapter, the benefit of the USB ports is enough - 8-10. But I want to sometimes so that nothing opposes the corps, except the antenna, but no! We continue to wait on. Or, indeed, take a USB.

Video card

I promised video cards, but I still say a few words. Not about variants with the PCI-E 16x interface, which came to replace AGP, and about such a specific area, like maps with PCI-E 1X connectors. The fact is that PCI adapters until recently was actively used as an additional or on platforms, AGP slot devoid. The first scope of application strongly flooded out the SLI / CF output - the side effect was the possibility of a simple installation in the appropriate pairs of pairs of standard video cards with support to up to four monitors. However, maybe someone will need six. :) As for the second, it is sometimes necessary to use as a very powerful workstation. server platform, and there Slots PCI-E 16X is rare. If they are, then the situation may occur when the "wide" slot will be required for some high-performance specific controller, and the video card will remain that is easier.

In general, however, and in Matrox decided that the market graphic maps The PCI-E 1X interface exists, so that such products can be earned. The result was the release of MATROX MILLENNIUM G550 PCIE - a completely complete two-or-headed video card with a PCI-E 1X interface, fully identical to the old good G550 otherwise. About three-dimensional graphics, of course, you can immediately forget, but high-quality 2D and long-standing drivers, coupled with feasibility of the card (thanks to passive cooling) you are provided. Like the ability to connect a pair of monitors, however, due to the older age of the original development, limited - for digital connection maximum resolution It is 1280x1024, for analog in the presence of two monitors, one can work with a resolution not higher than 1600x1200 (main - with full 2048x1536). In our territories, I did not find an adapter on sale, in the Bourgeois stores it is found at 120 dollars / euro area. The price, of course, reduces the scope of the adapter. If you just need to connect four monitors, then a more optimal purchase will be easily a board with two PCI-E 16X slots and a couple of inexpensive standard video cards (good and on them DUAL DVI appears, and not so limited, and in the case of D-sub, everything is much Better), however, in special cases, such a video card is quite capable of useful.

Disk controllers

Oddly enough, but mass IDE-controllers with the PCI-E interface had to wait for a very long time, despite the fact that the PCI had long had been for a long time for her neck. First of all, due to the fact that a long time had to wait for the appearance of the corresponding chips, as a result of which the manufacturers integrated PCI-RAIDs to the motherboards until recently, the performance of which was not always enough. Several saved except that the increased functionality of modern chipsets, due to which the "home" RAID array could be easily assembled and the forces of the southern bridge. However, interest in additional controllers, and even with support recent versions The standard was still present. For example, I915 / 925 chipset boards supported only four SATA150 ports with NCQ, and for a long time Used VIA South Bridge VT8237 - Only two such ports without NCQ support (and even with the latest SATA300-hard drives, sometimes managed to bite). Nvidia, making enough powerful disk controller, I used it not in all chipsets, sometimes squeaks SATA300 support, and sometimes a pair of ports. It is clear that the transition from SATA150 on the SATA300 can only provide moral satisfaction, and not an increase in productivity, but NCQ support or additional discs are sometimes needed. In addition, the external version of SATA finally was finally undertaken, and even the corresponding EGR began to appear. Port ESATA still does not always meet even on top boards, so the opportunity to get it turned out to be for many attractive.

Silicon image came to the rescue, having released an inexpensive chip 3132. This is a two-port SATA300 controller with support for RAID 0 and 1 modes and PCI-E 1X interface. Its often integrated on motherboards, and there are a lot of separate products, and there are two internal ports, two external, internal plus external, for every taste. And even such an ultra-universal version, like 2 + 2 (of course, from four received ports, only two can be used at the same time)! Prices are also quite sane - from 20 to 60 dollars depending on the manufacturer, and already available in the Moscow retail.

Thus, if you need to connect a couple of modern hard drives or provide a computer by the ESATA port, then it is no longer necessary to take a PCI slot. If a high-performance solution is required, there will be at least one slot compatible with the PCI-E 4X (even physically it works as 1x), and hundreds of four evergreens of universal values \u200b\u200bare crumpled in your pocket, Promise is ready to come to revenue. Pictured next to the unit is Supertrak EX8350 - Hardware Eight Port SATA300 RAID controller with support for modes 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and 50.

There is another line from ARECA, built on the same, in fact, the main processor. Includes four models that support 4, 8, 12 or 16 disks. Senior models view seriously, as a massive solution, does not make any sense, younger, perhaps would be interesting, however ... First, it is expensive (in our areas even more expensive than Promise), secondly, have an excessive functionality, in - Three, interface. Even the younger model requires PCI-E 8X (why 2 GB / s four drives? I don't even imagine), so find a mass fee, together with which it can be used is extremely difficult. I have such a house with the efforts of EPOX engineers, and you have? :) In the case of a server, the emergence of such decisions as balm per soul, but only.

And all - either quite a simple two-port, inexpensive and for any motherboard, or a hardware monster with absolutely not home and appropriate opportunities (and difficulties with installation in ordinary desktops). There are no intermediate solutions - it remains only to use chipset controllers in the case where it is possible. If you compare with the variety of options for PCI - Sky and Earth! And on functionality, and by the number of ports, and at the price. Over time, all this will be available for PCI-E, but how much still wait? And something may not appear. For example, with PATA controllers, chipset manufacturers gradually begin to fight, while users in their hands still have a considerable number of solve hardware solutions or optical drives. What remains? Either SATA-PATA adapters (at an average of $ 30 per agencies), or ... either still use PCI controllers. PATA with "congenital" support PCI-E is unlikely to be released, the problem may be solved through the use of already announced PCI-PCI-E 1X bridges, but this is also a matter of the future.

External interfaces - at least something

See this adapter from Siig Inc? It appeared literally the other day in Moscow at a price of about 60 dollars. On the one hand, it is expensive - similar to PCI can be purchased for 10-15, and for such money it is quite possible to become the owner of the IEEE1394B controller with the PCI interface. On the other hand, the road spoon to dinner is at least at least one FireWire adapter appeared on sale. Such as many is needed - with additional power, pair of ports, PCI-E 1X interface, and even on the chip from Texas Instruments: de facto leader of this market, rarely sinning compatibility issues with various devices. Already good.

Well, yes not quite. 1394a quite often occurs on motherboards (and not even the most expensive), so the problem can be solved "in the embryo" - acquiring right fee. In addition, if you still have a user Sound Blaster. Audigy / Audigy2, who did not know the maximally reduced Audigy SE or trendy X-Fi, then one port of FireWire in your computer there is no interpretation of PCI slots. Therefore, I am interested in the company's assortment of a slightly different device - a three-port adapter with FireWire 800 support (two ports and one 6-pin FireWire 400 for compatibility). It will be worth it, however, it will most likely be more than 100 dollars, but on any modern board will be fully able to function - two ports of FireWire 800 with simultaneous use will easily score the entire 32-bit PCI bus, why almost all adapters 64-bit, and slot PCI64 is not everywhere. It is even strange - it is found - a device that is really needed by PCI-E, but was found two years after the start of sales of motherboards with such slots, and, not on a wide sale.

However, we hope that over time, the product list from Siig, accessible in our area, will become wider. The fact is that on the company's website (and, something, already in the base ..ru) managed to detect and fairly exotic equipment - COM port adapters, naturally, with the PCI-E interface. The once "standard" serial interface gradually becomes exotic in the case of modern motherboards - once there were two such ports, now there are no fees that do not have any. In general, there are no massive devices with this interface, but many remained on the hands of the UPS and measuring devices that are connected to the COM port, and the usual analog modems in many areas of activity are practically non-alternative. We must notice that we were waiting for such PCI adapters for a very long time, so that in this background the output of the PCI-E interface is already extremely pleased. Prices, however, it is difficult to call it difficult - the fourport, for example, the board costs about $ 100, while PCI options even at six ports rarely are more expensive than $ 30. But for the progress, someone should pay :)

AAXEON, in turn, offers enough interesting fees, such as the combined IEEE1394B + USB controller or USB controller (four external ports And one internal). On the one hand, it would seem that the USB ports are now more than enough (modern chipsets are supported by 8-10), on the other - they can still be enough - if in the light of the PCI slot deficiency actively use the components with the USB interface. So such adapters can come in handy.

Too many 1x

It is easy to see that almost all manufactured boards are calculated on the lowest possible PCI-E variant. Exceptions are only video cards and the above-mentioned hardware RAID controllers. In some cases, this approach is fully justified, but not always. The point is not that only the SATA300 channel is theoretically capable of a greater information transfer rate than the PCI-E 1x - it does not really affect the data transfer rate exactly through the interface, taking into account that everything resumes in the mechanics (although the appearance in modern Winchesters 16 MB of buffer memory together with the improvement of its work algorithms is quite capable of making a situation less unequivocal). But the speed of reading information from the plates in some models has already reached almost 75 MB / s, so that the four-port RAID controller 250 MB / s PCI-E 1x will be already not enough. However, I will not be surprised if such controllers appear first, and they will use in demand - on unbearable. And then there will be devices calculated on 2, which will be directly and clearly stated in their advertising :)

Why do the manufacturers cannot immediately use the high-speed PCI-E velocities immediately? Thanks for it, it should be said to manufacturers of motherboards, which, having three or four PCI-E free lines, for the most part preferred to put three-four PCI-E 1X slots, instead of a pair of 2x, for example. As a result, there are great amount Boards supporting only the slowest cards (unless, of course, do not part with the video card for the release of slot 16x). Accordingly, extension card manufacturers are required to take into account this situation. However, over time, it will change - free PCI-E lines are becoming more and more, so that manufacturers will not even be able to let them all on the slots 1x. But while it is true only for topics.

TOTAL

It is time to sum up some results. We localized the problem - it is that manufacturers of motherboards as part of a competitive struggle with the water are ready to throw out the fastener and the child. Modern chipsets maintain significantly more PCI slots than post on boards. At the same time, some users may soon have time to once again produce a computer, and without using any PCI-E slot, except for installing a video card. However, it is easy to make sure that currently you can already acquire any adapter with a modern interface. Another question is that not so often you need. If the south bridge of a modern chipset can allow you to organize a RAID-array of four disks, then what is the sense from the two-port card? One or two wired network interface is already on any board - rarely when you have to buy network cards. Is that external interface controllers have a high justification, but also not for everyone. At the same time, there is still practically no massive and users of devices such as sound cards or TV tuners. And, most likely, there will be no longer enough time - for low-speed devices, the transition from PCI on PCI-E does not bear any practical benefit (sometimes even harmful), so manufacturers do not see sense to strain. However, to install such devices, it is often possible to do with PCI slots available on the board, as a last resort, taking advantage of external devices with a USB interface. So not solved problems have long been not. Another question is that to solve them usually fall in the complex. Thus, as it happens more and more often, in the case of the computer upgrades, it will not be possible to save old devices, which makes the very part of low-absorbing.