Peripheral Component Interconnect

Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) is a computer expansion-bus standard that connects devices to a motherboard through shared parallel communication lines. It defines electrical signaling, bus transactions, and configuration mechanisms for add-in devices.

PCI bus arbitration: A process that grants one device at a time permission to initiate transactions on a shared PCI bus. Arbitration prevents multiple PCI devices from driving the shared bus simultaneously.
Expansion card: A circuit board inserted into a computer expansion slot to add hardware capabilities. PCI devices were commonly supplied as cards installed in motherboard slots.
Industry Standard Architecture: An early PC expansion bus introduced with the IBM PC and widely used in compatible computers. PCI replaced the slower, more processor-dependent ISA bus in many PCs.
PCI graphics card: A graphics adapter designed to connect to a conventional PCI expansion slot. PCI graphics cards brought display acceleration to systems without faster graphics interfaces.
PCI-X: A higher-performance extension of conventional PCI developed mainly for servers and workstations. PCI-X increased parallel-bus throughput but retained PCI’s shared-bus architecture.
PCI configuration space: A standardized register space containing identification, configuration, and status information for a PCI function. Firmware and operating systems inspect this space to identify and configure PCI devices.
Motherboard: The main circuit board that connects a computer’s processor, memory, storage, and peripheral interfaces. PCI slots and bus connections are implemented on the motherboard.
Extended Industry Standard Architecture: A 32-bit PC expansion-bus standard designed to extend ISA while preserving compatibility. EISA was one of the bus alternatives PCI displaced in mainstream PCs.
PCI sound card: An audio-processing and input-output card designed for a PCI expansion slot. Sound cards were a common consumer use of PCI expansion slots.
Accelerated Graphics Port: A point-to-point interface developed to connect graphics adapters to PC chipsets. AGP offered graphics cards a dedicated path where PCI shared bandwidth among devices.

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