Installing the adapter
31
Installation Steps
throughput. Because of how PCI Express slots are keyed, an x1
adapter can be inserted in all four slot types, as the adapter will
negotiate with the slot to determine the highest mutually supported
number of lanes. However, an adapter requiring x16 lanes will not fit
into a smaller slot.
Figure4 PCI Express slots
Figure5 shows x1, x4, and x16 lane slots aligned on a mainboard. You
can see how the slots are keyed so that low-lane adapters can fit into
larger slots.
Figure5 PCI Express slots aligned