• Routing & Stackup Fundamentals
• PCIe Stackup Design for Gen6
• Managing Signal Loss & Material Selection
• Equalization & Channel Modeling
• Redrivers vs. Retimers: Design Decisions
• Margining & Compliance Validation

Design Guide Overview

Design Smarter. Route Faster. Validate Confidently.

High-speed PCB design for PCI Express Gen4, Gen5, and Gen6 pushes every dimension of signal integrity and layout engineering. This PCIe Design Guide – Q&A (Part 1) compiles 60 of the most common real-world design questions that engineers face—and provides detailed, practical answers grounded in simulation data, field experience, and compliance testing.

Whether you’re defining your stackup, modeling vias, or validating Gen6 equalization, this guide helps you understand why each design choice matters—and how to make it right.

What’s Inside?

Routing & Stackup

• Via effects, pad geometry, and breakout routing
• Stackup rules for Gen6 performance
• Reference plane stitching and connector design

Loss & Materials
• Insertion loss and copper roughness
• Material selection for Gen4–Gen6
• Managing transitions between FR4 and low-loss laminates

Equalization & Channel Modeling
• CTLE vs. DFE
• Redrivers vs. retimers
• Channel Operating Margin (COM) for Gen6 compliance

Why Read It?

• Practical answers to real design issues
• Applicable across Gen4–Gen6
• Balances theory with hands-on guidance

Download the PCIe Design Guide – Your reference for reliable, compliant, high-speed PCB design.