M.2 PCI-Express SSDs. That a drive uses the PCI Express bus is not a guarantee of that; PCI Express M.2 SSDs existed before NVMe, and some of them are still on the market. At Computex 2019, we saw many new M.2 NVMe SSDs from popular brands which support PCI-Express 4.0, offering sequential transfer rates reaching 5,000 MB/s or above. If you are curious as to what the difference is between PCI Express vs PCI on its own: PCI express refers to the actual expansion slots on the motherboard into which PCIe-based cards are inserted, and sometimes to the cards themselves as well. PCI Express 3.0 x16: 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16) * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot. M.2 PCI-Express is set to be the interface of choice for 2014 PC DIY enthusiasts, with its small form factor and … PCI-E x4 card will go in a x4 or x16 slot. PCI Express x4 … MSI GeForce GT 1030 DirectX 12 GT 1030 2G LP OC 2GB 64-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 (uses x4) HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card Core Clock: 1265 MHz DisplayPort: 1 x DisplayPort The PCI-SIG is responsible for standardizing the PCI, PCI-X and PCI Express slots. PCI Express ® Specification 1.1 and 2.0 compliant x1, x4, x8 PCIe 1.1 and x1, x4 PCIe 2.0 Suitable for root complex, bridge, switch, and endpoint designs Upstream and/or downstream mode for link initialization Up to eight virtual channels (VC) Optional backend interface on user's clock domain Supports up to 4 KB data payload size Rivo PCI-E Riser PCIe M.2 PCIe SSD to PCIe Express 3.0 x4 Adapter Card - Supports M2 NGFF PCI-e 3.0, 2.0 or 1.0, NVMe or AHCI, M-Key, 2280, 2260, 2242, 2230 Solid State Drives 4.5 out of 5 … PCI-E 2.1 incorporates some components of PCI-E 3.0 but without changing compatibility or speed. In addition PCI-E 2.0 cards will work in PCI-E 1.0 slots with the above limitations. While M.2 PCI-Express uses the same PCI-Express protocol as SATA Express, it drops the 'SATA' namesake to avoid confusion. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4) PCI-E x1 card will go in a x1, x4 or x16 slot. PCIe stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, and it is a standard for internal devices on a computer. Such performance numbers are beyond PCIe gen 3.0 x4, which has a theoretical limit of 4 GB/s when a x4 interface is used, with the reality being closer to 3.5 GB/s. PCI-E x16 card will only go in a x16 slot. By the way, some laypeople have difficulty making a distinction between PCI, PCI-X, and PCI Express (“PCIe”).