What is PCIe x1 slot used for?

The PCIe x1 slot has only one PCIe lane. Although there is only one PCIe lane, the PCIe x1 slot can be used for a variety of low-power PCIe peripheral cards. The PCIe x1 slot is the smallest PCI Express slot and has the lowest throughput compared to larger PCIe slots such as the PCIe x16 slot. However, PCIe x1 cards can be installed into all PCIe expansion slots, including x4, x8, and x16 PCIe slots. Often people underestimate their role in PCIe x1 slots. This article will introduce which peripheral expansion cards connect to PCIe x1 slots.

What is the main purpose of PCIe X1 slot?

Although PCIe x1 slots have a PCIe lane, they are still useful, and in some cases, use PCIe x1 slots instead of larger slots such as PCIe x16 to maintain optimization. Here are some expansion cards that can be plugged into PCIe x1 slots.

1. Modem and network card

Wired or wireless expansion cards can be added to the motherboard via the PCIe x1 slot. A PCIe x1 WiFi card or a 1G PCIe Ethernet card can be connected to the PCIe x1 slot. Motherboards usually already have Ethernet built in. However, a PCIe x1 Wi-Fi card is one way to add Wi-Fi connectivity to your computer. The PCIe x1 slot supports all types of wireless network cards, including the latest Wi-Fi 6 protocol. However, a PCIe x1 slot can only support 1 Gigabit Ethernet or RJ45 Ethernet LAN (Local Area Network) card; for 10GbE expansion, a PCIe x4 slot is required.

2. Sound card

Usually a sound card is not necessary as most motherboards have a built-in audio chipset. However, some audiophiles or people who pay more attention to sound quality can install a sound card on the PCIe x1 slot to obtain higher sound quality and more accurate sound. With a sound card installed in a PCIe x1 slot, your computer can get better sound, more ports, and better electromagnetic interference shielding.

3. SATA expansion card

When you want to add more SATA hard drives to your computer, you can use a PCIe x1 SATA expansion card to add more SATA ports. The third generation PCIe x1 slot features 1Gbps data transfer speeds and can handle multiple SATA expansions via SATA SSD (Solid State Drive) or SATA HDD storage. Since the data transfer speed of SATA SSD is about 550 Mbps and the data transfer speed of SATA HDD is about 150 Mbps, PCIe x1 SATA card will not have any problem in handling multiple SATA storage drives which is perfect for NAS (Network Attached Storage) system. question.

4. USB port expansion card

PCIe x1 can also support USB port expansion. Therefore, if your computer needs more USB ports, you can use a USB PCIe x1 card to add more USB 3.0 type A or even USB type C ports to your computer. Additional I/O can be added via PCIe x1 slots, just look for I/O expansion cards with the PCIe x1 form factor.

5. TV tuner card

Another use for PCIe x1 slots is for TV tuner cards. Using a PCIe x1 TV card allows the device to receive TV signals directly on the computer, turning the computer into a TV. Some cards even allow your computer to record live TV programs directly from the cable for later viewing.

6. Video capture card

Video capture cards enable a computer to receive any video source from a camera or other external device (such as a game console, television, or DVD player) and convert these video signals into digital data that can be stored on the computer. This converted data can be streamed in real time or saved for later editing. Typically, FHD video capture uses PCIe x1 expansion cards, while more HD 4K capture cards require at least PCIe x4 expansion slots to handle bandwidth requirements.

7. PCIe riser card

If your motherboard requires more PCIe slots, you can use a PCIe riser card, also known as a splitter. It should be noted that the PCIe riser card only increases the number of slots, while the bandwidth of PCIe will remain unchanged and evenly distributed among the PCIe slots on the riser card. Therefore, a riser card with four PCIe x1 slots connected to one PCIe x1 slot will have a quarter of the PCIe x1 bandwidth on each slot.

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