PCIe slots on motherboards enable users to add additional hardware to boost or extend the system’s performance. These represent as add-in cards or PCIe expansion cards. But the number of PCIe slots varies per motherboard model. Their dimensions also vary. There are several ways to find out how many PCIe slots I have and how many PCIe slots do I need.
PCIe lanes build into motherboards in varied numbers, and different CPUs are suitable for handling other numbers of lanes. Server and fan boards are frequently made with extra lanes to offer excellent expandability, and CPU manufacturers classify their products accordingly.
It’s also important to note that the number of slots you have does not match the number of PCIe lanes. Before making an expansion card purchase, it is good that you check the number of PCIe lanes and the slots on your motherboard. I suggest you read this article to learn about PCIe lanes, including how many PCIe slots do I need.
What is PCIe?
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, or PCIe, is a category of the interface that enables high-speed connections between your computer and devices like WiFi cards, SSDs, and graphics cards. You can physically attach a compatible device to a typical PCIe connector by inserting it into one of the expansion slots on the motherboard.
How Does PCI Express Lane Work?
PCI Express lanes make the physical connection between a PCIe-supported device and a processor or chipset. The PCIe-enabled device is connected to the CPU or motherboard chipset by two pairs of copper wires, commonly referred to as traces, and run through the motherboard PCB.
What are PCIe slots used for? The most important parts of your PC can connect to your motherboard using PCIe slots, which enables crucial functionality. When you’re prepared to go beyond preloaded features like graphics and storage, they also offer you a wide range of customization and upgrade possibilities.
Types of PCIe Slots
It’s essential to understand the kind of PCIe slots before discussing how many PCIe slots do I need. What configuration can you find for PCIe slots? The number of input/output lanes in PCIe card slots is typically represented by the symbols x1, x2, x8, and x16. PCIe slots usually come in 4 different varieties:
Do I Have Any PCIe Slots?
It’s not too tricky to figure out how many PCIe slots your computer has. There are several simple ways to find the answers you need; you only need to know where to look.
1) Check the Website of the Manufacturer
The quickest and most convenient approach to finding reliable information about PCIe slots on your motherboard is to visit the manufacturer’s website. To find your motherboard’s model number online, you will need to know it. These steps lead you to the motherboard model number:
- The System Information service in Windows can open to see the make and model of your motherboard.
- Enter system information into your Windows computer’s search box to start the service. Search for the system manufacturer and system model columns here. You can look at the baseboard manufacturer and baseboard product columns if you can’t find them.
- You will be able to determine the motherboard’s make and model number.
- The motherboard can also examine physically as an alternative. The make and model numbers must write on motherboards.
When you find the motherboard model number, visit the manufacturer’s Website. It will tell you the type of PCIe slots, version, and size.
- Open Google and search once you have the make and model number.
- Look for the specifications page or tab for the model corresponding to yours. The motherboard’s PCIe slots, their slot kinds, and in some circumstances, a visual representation of where a given PCIe slot is on the motherboard will all include. You can see them.
2) Check the Motherboard’s User Manual or Guide
Checking the user guide or manual is another relatively easy way to determine the type and number of PCIe slots you have. Your motherboard will possibly come with a user guide. It includes instructions on how to maintain your motherboard and a wealth of knowledge on each component of the motherboard.
Read the user manual and if it contains a section on PCIe slots, jump to it to find out how many PCIe slots I have. Many user manuals also have detailed labels for every motherboard component.
The user guide can be your first step to getting information on your motherboard. Unfortunately, if you have an older PC, there are chances that you may have misplaced the user manual. Don’t worry; you can always use the other methods listed here.
3) Use Software from a Third Party
Numerous details from your hardware, including the number of PCIe slots, can get by some third-party programs and presented to you. You can determine how many PCIe slots you have on Windows using a tool like HWiNFO. Fortunately, this software is free.
Using HWiNFO
Please note that the following steps and demonstration are for determining the PCIe slot and version on a laptop motherboard. The exact process might apply to a PC.
- HWiNFO can be downloaded and installed on their website. Run it on your computer after that.
- You will receive two-run files, HWiNFO32.exe and HWiNFO64.exe, after downloading. Depending on the design of your system, choose the run file.
- A little option window will appear: Press Run without selecting any side check boxes. It ought to launch a detailed system information page.
- Expand the motherboard portion on the left after running the software. Then search for a System Slot option. It should provide a list of your available PCIe slots. Choose any. You should be able to read its details, including its size and version, on the right-hand side.
4) Manual Inspection
You can manually count the slots to determine how many you have if the motherboard is brand-new and not installed yet on a computer or if it installs but you have easy access to it. The motherboard has different PCIe slot sizes, identified by the letters X1, X4, X8, and X16, which stand for the number of lanes, as was previously described in this article.
If you are looking for info, does my motherboard have PCI express 3.0? You can also check the manual inspection or get the help of a manual user guide.
To access an installed motherboard, you must first turn off the power and disconnect the computer. To prevent electrostatic harm, you can take extra precautions. Knowing exactly how many PCIe slots I have will require you to identify them and count them once you have access to the motherboard. If you need it, you can even determine the slot’s size.
Although this method is not the most precise for determining the sort of PCIe slot you have, you can lessen your odds of making a mistake by being aware of specific general guidelines for consumer-grade motherboards:
- Use the first PCIe x16 slot, which always has 16 lanes of bandwidth for your graphics card.
- The only unclear feature is whether the second PCIe x16 slot (assuming one is available) has x8 or x4 bandwidth.
Name The Motherboard With Most PCIe Slots?
The ASRock H110 Pro BTC+ receives the plus-one treatment with 13 PCIe slots, while Biostar’s TB250-BTC Pro features have 12 PCIe slots (11 x1 and one x16).
What is a PCIe 3.0 x16 Slots?
A Gen 3 expansion card or slot with a four-lane layout is known as PCIe 3.0 x4. A Gen 4 expansion card or slot with a 16-lane design is known as PCIe 4.0 x16. The maximum bandwidth that each slot configuration can allow increases by two times with each successive PCI Express generation.
What PCIe Lanes Should I Use?
I advise using PCIe lanes directly connected to the processor for your graphics card and central disc. If you have thoroughly loaded your processor PCIe lanes, using the chipset PCIe lanes is advised for additional storage devices and add-on cards.
Modern GPUs can use 16 PCIe 4.0 Lanes; the majority of GPUs use 16 PCIe 3.0 Lanes. However, most GPUs don’t require that much to function without throttling.
Most PCIe lanes have found in HEDT and server-grade CPUs. AMD’s Threadripper Pro and Epyc CPUs have 128 PCIe Lanes, while the Threadripper CPU series has 64 PCIe Lanes. You can even access multiple of them with multi-CPU systems.
The 16-lane (x16) PCIe slot size is the most common PCIe slot for video cards. PCIe is suitable to function with additional expansion slots.
Your motherboard must have at least two mechanical PCIe x16 slots with a minimum of 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes or 8 PCIe 4.0 lanes to run a stable multi-GPU gaming configuration.
