What’s more, you can’t just get sixteen x1 links out of ... maybe two x4 links out of an x8-wired x16 slot. Now, there’s an alternative, and it’s PCIe switches – these are hefty chips ...

and not all PCIe slots allow for every card to be installed. While any card of any configuration (x1, x4, x8 or x16) will fit and work in an x16 slot (mechanical), smaller slots may not physically ...