pci express confusion

[craigy091203]

hi all
can any one explain to me the difference between pci-e x16 x4 x1 as im looking for a motherboard that can take 2 graphics cards but am unsure what to choose as they all seem to have these connections
cheers

 

[donkey42]

pci-e x16 x4 x1, they all seem to have these connections

i think you're slightly confused, PCIe is X16, i think the X4 is the number of grafx you can have (upto 4) and the X1 is the number of PCIe slots available[ot]although i've never used PCIe[/ot]the first decision you need to make is: are you going to get ATI's Crossfire or NVidia's SLI[ot]i don't really know much about know much about SLI or Crossfire, in fact i'm probably totally wrong, all i know is what i've picked up on HWF[/ot]

Edit: i'm better with HDD's

 

[Big B]

With a few rare exceptions, PCIe video cards are of the x16 variety. The numerical value attached indicates the number of PCIe lanes going to that slot.

If you're looking to run a pair of GeForce cards in SLI, you must use an SLI-ready nForce-based motherboard. If you're running a pair of Radeon's in Crossfire, an ATi Crossfire chipset or select Intel chipset-based motherboard must be used.

PCIe x4 and x1 slots are set up for more general purpose use...much what current PCI slots do. Electrically, all PCIe slots are compatible. While physically, you're limited from running a PCIe x16 card in a x1 slot, you can put an x1 card in an x4 or x16 slot, and an x4 in an x16 slot...this in addition to it's default slot.