You're comparing apples and oranges here, kinda.
Version Vs. Size
- "x1" refers to the SIZE of the port on the mainboard.
- "2.0" refers to the VERSION of PCI Express the card uses to communicate. Based on the age of your system, your computer probably communicates using version 1.0 of PCI Express.
Backwards Compatibility
PCI Express is backwards compatible, which means:
- A PCI Express 1.0 card can connect to a PCI Express 2.0 mainboard. It is the board that is backward compatible, not the card.
- If you try to connect a PCI Express 2.0 card to a PCI Express 1.0 slot it may or may not work.
- Backwards compatibility always applies to the mainboard (the host) and not the peripheral.
What it all means in your case
Your system is most likely too old to support PCI Express 2.0. Looking at both the version AND the size, you have the following specs in your computer and in the desired hardware:
- Computer: PCI Express version 1.0, slot size x1.
- Video Card: PCI Express version 2.0, slot size x4 (or x8)
This is a version problem (the card is a newer version than the mainboard) and a size problem (the card connector is larger than the mainboard slot). While the size may or may not be an issue, as others have noted here, the version probably will.
So while there may be a slight possibility the card will work in the computer, it is much, much more likely it will not work at all.
I've heard a few reports of people using non-1x devices on 1x slots. I know from experience that 1x devices work in 4x (and higher slots), but I have not personally tried running a 4x (or higher) device in a 1x slot.
– Breakthrough – 2012-02-29T14:05:16.587For PCIe devices, the "x" refers to the number of communication lanes, and determines the physical size of the slot. That's why we say "x1" instead of "1x", which would imply only a difference in speed. Because of this, an x4 card would not physically fit in an x1 slot. – rob – 2012-02-29T17:40:56.543