Things to Put in PCIe Slots: Hardware Expansion Guide
PCIe slots (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) are your motherboard's powerhouse for upgrades. From graphics cards to storage, discover the best things to put in PCIe slots to supercharge your PC.
These slots come in x16, x8, x4 sizes, with Gen 4/5 offering blazing speeds. Whether gaming or content creation, filling PCIe slots right optimizes performance.
Graphics Cards (GPUs)
The top PCIe occupant. x16 slots handle RTX 40-series for 4K gaming and ray tracing. Ensure PSU wattage matches.
- NVIDIA GeForce
- AMD Radeon
- Multi-GPU SLI/CrossFire
NVMe SSDs and RAID Cards
x4 slots accelerate storage. Add M.2 via adapters or direct PCIe SSDs for 7000MB/s reads.
- Samsung 990 Pro
- High-point RAID
- Storage expansion
Network and Sound Cards
x1/x4 for 10GbE Ethernet or pro audio interfaces, reducing CPU load.
- WiFi 6E cards
- USB expansion
- Capture cards