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What is the PCI-X Bus?

Hardware: GPIB>>ASICs/OEM Products

Problem:
What is the PCI-X Bus and what is it used for?

Solution:
PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended) is a computer bus technology that increases the frequency of the data bus from 66MHz to 133MHz.

With the current PCI design, one 64-bit bus runs at 66MHz and additional buses move 32 bits at 66MHz or 64 bits at 33MHz. The maximum data throughput between the processor and peripherals using the 32-bit, 33-MHz PCI design is 133 MB per second.

With PCI-X, one 64-bit bus runs at 133 MHz with the rest running at 66MHz, allowing for data throughput of 1.06 GB per second. National Instruments PCI-X compatible boards are keyed to fit into both the standard 5v slot and the PCI-X 3.3v slot. This is visible on the PCI card itself. Cards with one notch in the PCI connector are for 5v slots only (not PCI-X compatible); cards with two notches can work in both the 5v and 3.3v slot (PCI-X compatible).

The PCI-X bus was developed for applications that need high I/O bandwidth, such as Gigabit Ethernet, Ultra3 SCSI and Fibre Channel. PCI-X protocol enhancements enable devices to operate much more efficiently, thereby providing more useable bandwidth at all clock frequencies. More information on the PCI-X bus can be following the links below.

Related Links:
KnowledgeBase 2N2DBOH5: Will a National Instruments PCI Board Work in a PCI-X Bus?

KnowledgeBase 28F8MHEC: Can I Use a PCI-GPIB Card in a Computer With 3.3V PCI Slots?
KnowledgeBase 2K997NV6: Will National Instruments PCI Devices Work in 64-bit PCI Slots?
External Link: PCI-SIG: PCI-X Specifications
External Link: PCI-X Definition from Wikipedia


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Report Date: 07/03/2002
Last Updated: 05/16/2008
Document ID: 2N2CPPH5

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