Microchip announced its PCI100x family of Switchtec PCIe Gen 4.0 switches on January 16, 2025, with limited sample quantities of two devices: the PCI1005 for single-host fanout and the PCI1003 for multi-host connectivity using Non-Transparent Bridging (NTB). Both support link rates up to 16 GT/s and are aimed at automotive and embedded-computing designs.
What are the Microchip PCI1005 and PCI1003?
The PCI1005 and PCI1003 are PCIe packet switches in Microchip’s Switchtec PCI100x family. They provide two different ways to connect processors and PCIe devices: the PCI1005 expands one host port to multiple endpoints, while the PCI1003 supports multi-host topologies using NTB. Microchip introduced the family for automotive and embedded systems, including applications that use accelerated or specialized computing.
Both models operate at up to 16 GT/s and support high-speed DMA. Microchip also lists Automatic Error Reporting (AER), Downstream Port Containment (DPC), and Completion Timeout Synthesis (CTS) among the Switchtec features. These error-management functions can help a system report PCIe faults, contain downstream failures, and handle completion timeouts; the announcement does not specify configuration details or implementation behavior for a particular system.
PCI1005 vs. PCI1003: which topology do you need?
| Device | Topology | Capacity stated by Microchip | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCI1005 | One host port fans out to endpoints | Up to six endpoints | A single-host design that needs to connect several PCIe endpoints |
| PCI1003 | Multi-host connectivity using NTB | Configurable from four to eight ports; the announcement does not give an endpoint count | A design that needs multiple hosts to communicate across a PCIe switch |
Choose based first on the topology, not just the number of connections. PCI1005’s stated six-endpoint capacity directly addresses single-host expansion. PCI1003’s four-to-eight-port configuration and NTB support address multi-host designs; port count should not be read as an equivalent endpoint count, since Microchip did not state one for this model in the announcement.
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#1 Best Overall
- 1. This PCIE-PEX8747M4 is a PCIE Gen 3.0 x4 to 4-Port NVME M.2 SSD expansion card that effectively expands 4x PCIE lanes from motherboard to 16x PCIE lanes by using 4x NVME M.2 physical slots. It provides 32Gb/s total bandwidth for 4x 32Gb/s max NVME M.2 SSDs on desktop PCs and NAS systems without requiring PCIE Bifurcation support, making it ideal for video editing, data storage, and gaming.
- 2. Active On-Card PCIe Bifurcation, Not Require Motherboard PCIE Bifurcation. The PCIE-PEX8747M4 is built on the Broadcom PLX PEX8747 PCIE Gen 3.0 switch. It draws 4x PCIE lanes (32Gb/s) from motherboards, expands to 16 PCIE lanes, then assigns these lanes into 4x PCIE Gen 3.0 x4 links (32Gb/s each) via 4x physical NVME M.2 slots. This enables users to install and run 4x NVME M.2 SSDs at full speed 32 Gb/s.
- 3. Host Interface: PCIE Gen 3.0 x4; Device Slot: 4x NVME M.2 Key-M slots; PCIE Upstream: PCIE Gen 3.0 x4, 32Gb/s; PCIE Downstream: 4x PCIE x4 links, 32 Gb/s max per NVME M.2 slot; M.2 SSD Form Factors: 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110; NVME Protocol: 1.3, 1.4, 2.0; RAID Function: No hardware RAID, software RAID supported; SSD Features: Supports data storage and UEFI (GPT) boot from NVME M.2 SSDs.
- 4. Plug-and-Play Compatibility: Windows: Windows 7, 8.x, 10, 11 64bit and Windows Server 2025, 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2, and 2012 64bit. Virtualization: VMware ESXi, Proxmox VE, and other major hypervisors. Linux: Ubuntu, RHEL, Debian, and other kernel-based distributions. NAS: True NAS, Synology DSM, QTS, AiNAS, Unraid and more. MAC OS: Fully supported for storage expansion, NOT recommended boot.
- 5. Complies with PCIE Gen 3.0 (8GT/s/lane), delivering a total bandwidth of 32Gb/s and ensuring each NVME M.2 SSD achieves speeds up to 32Gb/s. Fully compatible with PCIE Gen 4.0 and Gen 5.0, operating at the card maximum native speed of 32Gb/s per drive. Backward compatible with PCIE Gen 2.0, providing a reduced bandwidth of 40Gb/s, with each NVME M.2 SSD capable of reaching up to 20Gb/s.
How PCI100x compares with Switchtec PSX, PFX, and PAX Gen 4
PCI100x is the family to evaluate when the stated requirement is a compact single-host fanout or multi-host NTB switch. Microchip’s broader Switchtec portfolio includes Gen 4 families with different scale and feature positions. The figures below describe the named product families in Microchip’s portfolio materials; they are not specifications for PCI1005 or PCI1003.
| Family | What Microchip describes | Consider it when |
|---|---|---|
| PCI100x | PCI1005 single-host expansion to six endpoints; PCI1003 configurable for four to eight ports with NTB; up to 16 GT/s | The stated topology and capacity match an automotive or embedded design |
| PSX Gen 4 | Programmable switches supporting up to 100 lanes, 52 ports, 26 virtual switch partitions, and 48 NTBs; Microchip also lists per-port hot- and surprise-plug controllers, error containment, diagnostics, debug capabilities, broad I/O interfaces, and an integrated MIPS processor | The design needs greater scale, programmability, partitioning, or advanced management features |
| PFX Gen 4 | Listed by Microchip as a Gen 4 fanout-switch family; lane and port counts are not stated in the cited portfolio description | A fanout design needs a broader portfolio evaluation; confirm the relevant device’s detailed specifications with Microchip |
| PAX Gen 4 | Advanced-fabric switches for cloud, data-center, and hyperscale computing, with up to 100 lanes and 52 ports; Microchip describes multi-host sharing of SR-IOV NVMe SSDs, GPUs, and other PCIe endpoints | The architecture requires large-scale fabric connectivity or multi-host sharing of accelerators and storage |
For automotive ADAS, Microchip has separately described its automotive-qualified Gen 4 portfolio as including PFX, PSX, and PAX solutions. Associate director of marketing and applications Krishna Mallampati said, “Our automotive-qualified portfolio of Switchtec Gen 4 switches provides the lowest latency and high bandwidth required to link the CPU and accelerator building blocks used in ADAS applications.” That statement concerns the broader automotive-qualified portfolio, not a specific PCI100x latency measurement.
Rank #2
- 1. This PCIE-PEX8747M8 is a PCIE Gen 3.0 x8 to 4-Port NVME M.2 SSD expansion card that effectively expands 8x PCIE lanes from motherboard to 16X PCIE lanes by using 4x NVME M.2 physical slots. It provides 64Gb/s total bandwidth for 4x 32Gb/s max NVME M.2 SSDs on desktop PCs and NAS systems without requiring PCIE Bifurcation support, making it ideal for video editing, data storage, and gaming.
- 2. Active On-Card PCIE Bifurcation, Not Require Motherboard PCIE Bifurcation. The PCIE PEX8747M8 is built on the Broadcom PLX PEX8747 PCIE Gen 3.0 switch. It draws 8x PCIE lanes (64Gb/s) from motherboards, expands to 16 PCIE lanes, then assigns these lanes into 4x PCIE Gen 3.0 x4 links (32 Gb/s each) via 4x physical NVME M.2 slots. This enables users to install and run 4x NVME M.2 SSDs at full speed 32 Gb/s.
- 3. Host Interface: PCIE Gen 3.0 x8; Device Slot: 4x NVME M.2 Key-M slots; PCIE Upstream: PCIE Gen 3.0 x8, 64 Gb/s; PCIE Downstream: 4× PCIE x4 links, 32 Gb/s max per NVME M.2 slot; M.2 SSD Form Factors: 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110; NVME Protocol: 1.3, 1.4, 2.0; RAID Function: No hardware RAID, software RAID supported; SSD Features: Supports data storage and UEFI (GPT) boot from NVME M.2 SSDs.
- 4. Plug-and-Play Compatibility: Windows: Windows 7, 8.x, 10, 11 64bit and Windows Server 2025, 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2, and 2012 64bit. Virtualization: VMware ESXi, Proxmox VE, and other major hypervisors. Linux: Ubuntu, RHEL, Debian, and other kernel-based distributions. NAS: True NAS, Synology DSM, QTS, AiNAS, Unraid and more. MAC OS: Fully supported for storage expansion, NOT recommended boot.
- 5. Complies with PCIE Gen 3.0 (8 GT/s/lane), delivering a total bandwidth of 64Gb/s and ensuring each NVME M.2 SSD achieves speeds up to 32Gb/s. Fully compatible with PCIE Gen 4.0 and Gen 5.0, operating at the card maximum native speed of 32Gb/s per drive. Backward compatible with PCIE Gen 2.0, providing a reduced bandwidth of 40Gb/s, with each NVME M.2 SSD capable of reaching up to 20Gb/s.
Temperature grades and automotive suitability
Microchip announced PCI100x devices in three ambient-temperature ratings: commercial from 0°C to +70°C, industrial from −40°C to +85°C, and Automotive Grade 2 from −40°C to +105°C. Thus, the announced family includes an Automotive Grade 2 option. A project should still verify the exact grade and qualification status of the selected part number with Microchip; the family-level announcement alone does not establish every qualification or system-level suitability requirement.
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At the January 16, 2025 announcement, Microchip said the PCI1005 and PCI1003 were available in limited sample quantities. It quoted the PCI1005 commercial variant at $43 per unit for an order quantity of 1,000; that was an announcement-time price, was subject to change, and should not be treated as a current quote or as pricing for other grades or the PCI1003.
Rank #3
- Add up to 64TB Ultra-fast Storage: Mounts up to eight 8TB M.2 NVMe Gen4 or Gen3 SSDs (sold separately) in an x16 PCIe slot. Higher-capacity SSDs will be supported when available. NVMe Compliant.
- High-performance PCIe Interface: PCI Express 4.0 x16 host bus interface plus x48 PCIe 4.0 switch; x16 slot bandwidth is available to all x4-connected SSDs.
- Superior Performance: Achieve sustained four SSD RAID 0 speeds up to 30,000 MB/s.
- RAID Support: Supports Windows, and Linux RAID 0, 1, and 10 support.
- No Thermal Throttling: Custom silent cooling solution enables installed SSDs to maintain consistent high performance during very large file transfer operations without the use of fans.
For current availability, pricing, and the correct grade or configuration, contact a Microchip sales representative or its purchasing services. Buyers can also check authorized electronics distributors, but should verify that the offered part number and supply status meet the project’s requirements.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- [Active Card] PCI Express 4.0 x8 Lane Host adapter powered by IX8024 PCIe 4.0 Switch. It compatible with most motherboards, no driver required, supports X8 X16 slot motherboards, old motherboards can also easily achieve "one slot to four drives". This product does not include NVMe SSD Solid State Drive.
- [Efficient Heat Dissipation] Independent chip cooling fan, together with the customized heat dissipation aluminum alloy plate, can effectively reduce the temperature and improve the stability during operation.
- [Individual or RAID] Install four (4x) M.2 NGFF PCIe based (AHCI or NVMe) SSD on a single PCIe x8 Card. Allow you to use SSDs individually or in a storage pool for OS or 3rd party software RAID configuration. Soft RAID 0 speed test over 14000MB/S.
- [Compatible] Compatible with PCIe 5.0/4.0 motherboards, and backward compatible with PCIe 3.0/2.0 x8 or x16 slots. Works with all workstations or servers with Windows, Linux, and macOS. No driver required. Note: The motherboard BIOS must support NVMe SSD and support booting from PCIe in order to boot from a M.2 NVMe SSD on 3005K.
- [Support SSD] Supports PCIe M-Key M.2 NGFF (NVMe or AHCI) 2280 SSDs such as Samsung SM951/950/960/970, Plextor M6e Series, Kingston HyperX Predator. Not compatible with a 'B' key M.2 PCIe x2 SSD or 'B' key M.2 SATA SSD.
Rank #4
- ✅Friendly reminder: Please make sure that there have a PCIe slot on the motherboard to use it, and confirm before placing an order to avoid unnecessary trouble✅
- Powered by the PLX 8747 Controller with PCIe bifurcation technology – no need for motherboard PCIe bifurcation support.
- Support 4*NVMe SSD for 2242,2260,2280,22110mm, PCIe transfer rate is up to 128Gb/s, and each M.2 SSD transfer rate is up to 32Gb/s.
- Only supports NVMe protocol, which has the advantages of low latency, greatly increased IOPS, lower power consumption, and broad driver compatibility, supports PCIe 3.0 x16 NVMe (M Key)
- Speed is related to many factors: computer configuration, slot bandwidth, hard drive, platform environment, and speed test software can all affect transmission speed. Expansion cards do not guarantee how much speed you can actually achieve in use, please be aware and understand.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
