PCI Express

PCI Express 3.0, PCIe 2.0 and PCIe 1.1 Interface Differences

With silicon for PCI Express® 3.0 on the horizon from chip vendors such as Intel®, PLX Technology®, IDT® and others, it might be a good idea to review the interface differences of PCI Express 3.0, PCIe 2.0 and PCIe 1.1. Understanding these interface differences will enable successful integration of the latest PCI Express interface technology into embedded computing applications. 

Does it matter that the single board computer / system host board and option card interface is PCI Express version 1.1, 2.0 or even the upcoming PCIe 3.0? Not really, because the basic SBC to option card interconnect functionality is not affected by PCIe version. The reason for this is that the PCI-SIG (Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group) did a smart thing when PCI Express 1.1 was first developed. The PCI-SIG built the basic PCIe interconnects in such a manner as to ensure both scalability and backwards compatibility between differing PCIe interfaces. This critical specification feature enables the computer’s SBC / SHB, embedded motherboard or backplane hardware to operate with just about any PCI Express option card regardless of interface version.

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 PCI Express 3.0