Many thanks to those responding to my thoughts on PCI Express. I'll push my luck and hope to get comments on a broader use of this new technology. The proposal is to have a new desktop models, whether Macs or PCs, that lets PCI Express provide all input and output. We can call it "total configuration" or TC for now, and it would give customers the ability to select only what they need, with no unused I/O. If needs change, it is easy to add or replace one or more cards. The TC approach is most practical in low and midrange markets, where it could cover a wider range of uses at lower cost than any other single computer model.
PCI Express appears to make TC easy and natural. Motherboards now connect I/O chips like USB and Ethernet directly to Express channels. So, whether such I/O is on the motherboard or on a PCI Express card, there is no difference in electronic components required to do the job. TC also gives flexibility to things as common as USB. A low cost office system might have a single card combining 10/100 Ethernet and USB. For a low end home system it might be a single card combining a modem and USB. For others, maybe a dedicated USB card with many connectors. The possibilities seem endless with all I/O on PCI Express cards.
A TC model would need other options too. There may need to be two of more choices of CPU to cover a range of performance and price sensitivity. Also, choices of optical and hard drives is needed. And least we forget, there must be a fairly broad range of graphics card performance. It's possible that the lowest cost and performance graphics is not available in an X16 Express card. In that case, a computer maker wishing to offer the TC approach may have to build their own low cost graphics on an X16 card.
Regarding cost, I'm guessing that manufacturing cost for each slot would be under three dollars US, just the cost of a connector and motherboard area. There is no added circuitry once a decision is made to have an X16 graphics card. Most slots could be X4 connectors if these serve X1 boards too. I think they do. A system with many slots would need some X1 connectors, since there are only 32 channels total. It would be hard to justify adding another 32 channels in this particular market.
IT folks may like the TC approach for yet another reason. No matter how robust the interface circuitry and connectors are today, they are not invincible. If USB other I/O is damaged on a motherboard, it may mean a new motherboard. With TC, it just means replacing a card.
A few ready made configurations for retail sales could be a smart move. A basic Mac home model, for example, might have one card with both USB and a modem. A digital home accessory box might containing one card with FireWire and Ethernet, plus iLife applications, which would not be bundled in the basic model. There could be one or two other ready made configurations for other markets.
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