i need pci-e 2.0 explained please.

[tastegw]

ok, i was reading from here trying to see what the max was for the 2.0 slots to run @ in different modes (4x/8x/16x) in GB/s....didnt really get the answer i wanted.

so i guess my question is, what are the limits for bandwidth.
or if that is the incorrect question, what question should i be asking.

for example:

people say no current card would max out the pci-e 1.x or
pci-e 1.x is good enough to run any current card without crippling it.

is a pci-e 2.0 running @ 8x the same as a pci-e 1.x running @ 16x?

i want to make sure 2x 285's can run on my board without any loss performance from the pci-e 2.0 lanes running @ 8x speeds.

i have been trying to understand the numbers for these lanes for quite some time now, and i guess i need more help understanding them.

thanks.

 

[office politics]

open link, look at second image

HowStuffWorks "PCIe Lanes"

Each lane of a PCI Express connection contains two pairs of wires -- one to send and one to receive. Packets of data move across the lane at a rate of one bit per cycle. A x1 connection, the smallest PCIe connection, has one lane made up of four wires. It carries one bit per cycle in each direction. A x2 link contains eight wires and transmits two bits at once, a x4 link transmits four bits, and so on. Other configurations are x12, x16 and x32.