PCI-X

12/4/98

PCI-X -- A successor to the PCI bus used primarily to insert high data rate optional interface devices such as network interface cards to the PC. PCI-X is a creation of HP, Compaq and IBM. Surprisingly perhaps PCI-X has not been rejected out of hand by Intel -- creator of PCI -- although Intel has indicated that they feel that PCI-X will be the last iteration of PCI and that in the mid-term future, an entirely new architecture will be required.

PCI-X may achieve approval as early as mid 1999 and could appear in servers and other high level PCs as soon as late 1999. PCI-X is project to cost more than PCI. As of mid 199, PCI-X is on schedule

The plan is that PCI-X will be used in addition to the single high speed AGP slot used for video and will provide a single 133MHz slot, as well as three 100MHz or 66MHz slots. PCI-X will be 64 bits wide. The intent is that current PCI cards will run in PCI-X slots. Current PCI runs 33 MHz with one 66MHz capable slot. Current PCI is 32 bits wide.

PCI-X will provide bursts rates of around 1GByte (the press release says 1 GBit) per second -- about four times the rate of PCI. Due to cost considerations it is not expected that PCI-X will be much used on the desktop.

Return To Index Copyright 1994-2008 by Donald Kenney.