Can you plug a PCI video card into a PCI-E slot?

- Neeraj Sharma

True, you cannot directly connect a PCI card to a PCI Express slot, partly because the physical slot design is different, but also because PCI and PCI Express handle data in completely different manners.

There are however, adapters available that will enable you to connect a PCI card to a PCI Express slot through an interface that "translates" PCI signals to signals that PCI Express can read. They are available in single PCI to PCIe configurations, but those require a bit of extra space within the chassis if your computer. You need to make sure you have the required space available.

There are also adapters available that include a PCIe card with a serial(?) port to which you connect a cable that attaches to an expansion box that accepts multiple PCI cards.

One example can be found here:

http://www.virtuavia.eu/shop/pci-express-to-pci-expansion-box-p29809.html

Of course, you should remember that using one of these means you are pumping four PCI card's worth of information through a single PCIe slot. You need to do your homework before just randomly plugging four cards into an adapter like that. A combination of Firewire and USB cards may not be a problem, whereas combining video and sound cards could present problems.

Due diligence is certainly called for! For a better understanding of my edit to this answer, you may want to read the discussion area.

First answer by Neeraj Sharma. Last edit by Sentient Paradox. Contributor trust: 8 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 10 [recommend question]