With each version of PCI-Express
roughly doubling the bandwidth available to devices, you may be wondering whether it's worth the upgrade. Let's dig into the details.
PCIe 5.0 Benefits
Performance Implications for GPUs and NVMe Drives
Most current graphics cards, including high-end models like the NVIDIA RTX 40 series, do not fully utilize PCIe 4.0 x16 bandwidth. Upgrading to PCIe 5.0 alone typically won't deliver significant graphics performance gains for these GPUs. However, newer PCIe 5.0-compatible GPUs, such as the NVIDIA RTX 5090 or AMD's latest Radeon series, can leverage the additional bandwidth for improved frame rates in demanding applications like 4K gaming, ray tracing, and content creation tasks including video rendering.
Upgrading to the latest generation CPUs (e.g., Intel's 14th Gen or AMD's Zen 5) provides broader performance benefits beyond PCIe 5.0 support:
- Compatibility with faster DDR5 memory for improved data access speeds.
- Increased core and thread counts for enhanced multitasking and CPU-intensive workloads.
- Additional PCIe 5.0 lanes for GPUs, plus more PCIe 4.0 lanes for M.2 NVMe SSDs.
- Enhanced bandwidth for M.2 storage on platforms like Intel's 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen CPUs, where Direct Media Interface (DMI) 4.0 doubles the throughput of DMI 3.0.
High-performance M.2 NVMe SSDs can nearly saturate a PCIe 4.0 x4 connection, delivering impressive read/
Looking ahead, PCIe 5.0 GPUs may require fewer lanes to achieve peak performance, freeing up bandwidth for other expansion cards like additional storage or networking devices.
Bandwidth
The primary advantage of PCIe 5.0 is doubled bandwidth per lane compared to PCIe 4.0, enabling faster data transfer for bandwidth-intensive components like GPUs and NVMe SSDs. Each PCIe generation approximately doubles the speed per lane, as shown below.
| PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 5.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| x1 Bandwidth | 2 GB/s | 4 GB/s |
| x2 Bandwidth | 4 GB/s | 8 GB/s |
| x4 Bandwidth | 8 GB/s | 16 GB/s |
| x8 Bandwidth | 16 GB/s | 32 GB/s |
| x16 Bandwidth | 32 GB/s | 63 GB/s |
Devices optimized for PCIe 5.0, such as modern GPUs and NVMe SSDs, can fully exploit this increased bandwidth. For GPUs, this means smoother gameplay, higher resolutions, and faster rendering. For NVMe SSDs, it translates to quicker boot times, reduced game load screens, and accelerated file operations in video editing or data-heavy workflows.
However, not all devices saturate PCIe 4.0 bandwidth yet. Upgrading makes the most sense if:
- You're using cutting-edge PCIe 5.0 or high-end PCIe 4.0 GPUs and NVMe SSDs that demand higher throughput.
- You want to optimize lane allocation by adopting PCIe 5.0 devices, which deliver equivalent performance with fewer lanes.
- You're future-proofing your build against upcoming hardware demands.
Storage
NVMe SSDs benefit most from PCIe 5.0's enhanced speeds, offering superior throughput for both consumer and professional use cases. Top-tier PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs from brands like Crucial, WD Black, Samsung, and Lexar achieve sequential read/
As of 2025, PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs are readily available in M.2 form factors and work directly in compatible motherboards with PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slots (common on newer Intel and AMD platforms). For older systems or additional drives, PCIe add-in cards (AICs) remain a viable option to harness full PCIe 5.0 speeds.
Lanes
PCIe 5.0's doubled bandwidth per lane allows devices to achieve high performance with fewer lanes, optimizing the limited PCIe resources provided by CPUs. For instance, a GPU might deliver full bandwidth on just x8 lanes instead of x16, freeing lanes for NVMe SSDs or other peripherals.
This efficiency extends to storage: PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs can match or exceed PCIe 4.0 performance using only x2 lanes, enabling AIC adapters to support multiple drives without lane bottlenecks. Even for networking, a single PCIe 5.0 lane could support 10 Gbps Ethernet, though this is less critical for GPU and NVMe-focused builds.
Future-Proofing
If you're building a new PC, opting for PCIe 5.0 compatibility is a smart investment for longevity. Emerging GPUs and NVMe SSDs will increasingly leverage this bandwidth for higher resolutions, AI-driven features, and massive storage arrays. Consider your upgrade timeline: If you plan to refresh your GPU or add more NVMe drives within the next 2–3 years, PCIe 5.0 ensures your system remains relevant without requiring a full rebuild.
Is PCIe 5.0 Worth It for Gaming?
It is worth upgrading to the PCIe 5.0 generation of CPUs for gaming if you:
- Want to experience peak performance by using the fast DDR5 memory and CPUs with more available cores
- Can make use of the PCIe 5.0 M.2 storage slots for loading games
- Intel's 12th/
13th Gen Core 600/700-series chipsets use a DMI 4.0 interface which is twice as fast as the previous generation, allowing for more storage throughput.
- Intel's 12th/
- Have a PCIe 4.0 (or 5.0) graphics card, which may see a slight performance improvement
- Want to future-proof your system
- Want to free up PCIe lanes for other devices by using the latest PCIe devices
Check out my Recommended Intel and Recommended AMD PCIe 5.0 CPUs and motherboards below.
Check out the complete list of CPUs supporting PCIe 5.0 in Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support PCIe 5.0?
Which Desktop and Workstation PCIe 5.0 CPUs Are Available?
Desktop CPUs
Intel Core Processors:
12th to 14th Gen (Alder Lake and Raptor Lake) support PCIe 5.0 on LGA 1700. These generations work with either DDR4 or DDR5 depending on the motherboard.
15th Gen Core Ultra 200 desktop (Arrow Lake) supports PCIe 5.0 on LGA 1851 and uses DDR5.
AMD Ryzen Processors:
Ryzen 7000 (Zen 4) supports PCIe 5.0 on AM5 with 28 total lanes, with 24 available to devices and 4 reserved for the chipset link.
Ryzen 9000 (Zen 5) continues full PCIe 5.0 support on AM5.
Note: Ryzen 8000G desktop APUs on AM5 are limited to PCIe 4.0.
Workstation CPUs
Intel Xeon w-Series:
Xeon w-2400 and w-3400 (Sapphire Rapids) support PCIe 5.0 on LGA 4677, with up to 64 lanes on w-2400 and up to 112 lanes on w-3400.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Series:
Threadripper 7000 (TRX50, sTR5) supports PCIe 5.0 with high lane counts for HEDT builds.
Threadripper PRO 7000 WX (WRX90, sWRX9) supports PCIe 5.0 with up to 128 lanes for workstation platforms.
Threadripper 9000 and Threadripper PRO 9000 WX continue PCIe 5.0 support with similar platform goals and very high lane counts.
Check out my Recommended Intel and Recommended AMD PCIe 5.0 CPUs and motherboards below.
Check out the complete list of CPUs supporting PCIe 5.0 in Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support PCIe 5.0?
Which Motherboards Support PCIe 5.0?
AMD Motherboards
For maximum PCIe 5.0 support with AMD CPUs, use a motherboard with the X670E or B650E chipset. The X670 chipset only supports PCIe 4.0 for x8 and x16 slots.
for a specific PCIe 5.0 AMD CPU:
| X670E | X670 | B650E | B650 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | September 2022 | September 2022 | October 2022 | October 2022 |
| CPU Overclocking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PCIe Lanes (Graphics) |
One x16 at PCIe 5.0 speeds or Two x8 at PCIe 5.0 speeds |
One x16 at PCIe 4.0 speeds or Two x8 at PCIe 4.0 speeds |
One x16 at PCIe 5.0 speeds or Two x8 at PCIe 5.0 speeds |
One x16 at PCIe 4.0 speeds or Two x8 at PCIe 4.0 speeds |
|
PCIe Lanes (NVMe)
|
One x4 at PCIe 5.0 speeds (via CPU) and up to one x4 at PCIe 5.0 speeds (via chipset) |
One x4 at PCIe 5.0 speeds (via CPU) and up to one x4 at PCIe 5.0 speeds (via chipset) |
One x4 at PCIe 5.0 speeds (via CPU) and up to one x4 at PCIe 5.0 speeds (via chipset) | One x4 at PCIe 4.0 speeds (via CPU) |
| Usable PCIe Lanes |
Up to 44 total 24 at PCIe 5.0 speeds |
Up to 44 total 8 at PCIe 5.0 speeds |
Up to 36 total 24 at PCIe 5.0 speeds |
Up to 44 total 0 at PCIe 5.0 speeds |
|
10 Gbps USB (USB 3.2 Gen 2) | 12 | 12 | 6 | 6 |
|
20 Gbps USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Max SATA Ports | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Intel Motherboards
For compatibility with Intel's 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen Core CPUs, you'll need to use a motherboard with a Z790, H770, B760 Z690, H670, B660, or H610 chipset. For LGA 1851 socket 15th gen Intel CPUs (Core ULtra 200 series), you'll need a motherboard with a Z890, B860, or H810 chipset.
The W880, Q870, W680, and Q670 chipsets are intended for workstation and business use cases; their availability in stand-alone motherboards is limited.
For 12th-14th Gen Intel Core CPUs
PCIe 5.0 support allows either:
- One x16 PCIe 5.0 graphics slot
- Two x8 PCIe 5.0 slots (for multi-GPU setups)
Plus:
- 4 dedicated PCIe 4.0 lanes (typically used for NVMe storage)
Intel 15th Gen Arrow Lake Upgrades This By:
- Expanding to 20 PCIe 5.0 lanes (16 for GPU + 4 for storage)
- Making the storage lanes PCIe 5.0 instead of 4.0
- Maintaining backward compatibility with PCIe 4.0/3.0 devices
This allows Intel 15th Gen Core Ultra 200 series systems to run both a PCIe 5.0 GPU and PCIe 5.0 SSD simultaneously at full speed, which is a capability previous generations lacked due to shared PCIe 5.0 lanes between GPU and storage.
for a specific 15th Gen Core Ultra CPU:
for a specific 13th Gen Core CPU:
for a specific 12th Gen Core CPU:
| Z890 | B860 | H810 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended Usage | For Enthusiast Gamer PCs | For General Home and Gaming PCs | For Budget PCs |
| Launch Date | Q3 2024 | Q1 2025 | Q1 2025 |
| CPU Overclocking | Yes | No | No |
| Memory Overclocking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PCIe 5.0 Slots via Processor | Two x16 or Four x8 | One x16 | One x16 |
| PCIe 4.0 Slots via Processor | One x4 | One x4 | No |
| PCIe 4.0 Lanes via Chipset | Up to 24 | Up to 14 | Up to 8 |
| PCIe 3.0 Lanes via Chipset | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | No |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Integrated Wireless | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6 |
| DMI 4.0 Lanes | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) | Up to 5 | Up to 2 | No |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 (10 Gbps) | Up to 10 | Up to 4 | Up to 2 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 Gbps) | Up to 10 | Up to 6 | Up to 4 |
| USB 2.0 Ports | Up to 14 | Up to 12 | Up to 10 |
| Wi-Fi Support | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6 |
| SATA III Ports (6 Gbps) | Up to 8 | Up to 4 | Up to 4 |
| PCIe RAID Support | 0,1,5,10 | No | No |
| SATA RAID Support | 0,1,5,10 | No | No |
MOTHERBOARD The motherboard must support overclocking to use overclocking capabilities. Motherboards with Z-prefixed chipsets more commonly support overclocking.
- Find Z890 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
- Find B860 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
- Find H810 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
| Z790 | H770 | B760 | Z690 | H670 | B660 | H610 | W680 | Q670 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended Usage | For Enthusiast Gamer PCs | For General Home and Gaming PCs | For Budget PCs | For Enthusiast Gamer PCs | For General Home and Gaming PCs | For Budget PCs | For Barebones PCs |
For High-End Creative/ | For Nicer Business PCs |
| Motherboard Availability | Limited | Limited | |||||||
| Launch Date | Q4 2022 | Q1 2023 | Q1 2023 | Q4 2021 | Q1 2022 | Q1 2022 | Q1 2022 | Q1 2022 | Q1 2022 |
|
CPU Overclocking See Exceptions: MOTHERBOARD | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Memory Overclocking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| PCIe 5.0 Slots via Processor | One x16 or Two x8 | One x16 or Two x8 | One x16 | One x16 or Two x8 | One x16 or Two x8 | One x16 | One x16 | One x16 or Two x8 | One x16 or Two x8 |
| PCIe 4.0 Slots via Processor | One x8 | One x4 | One x4 | One x4 | One x4 | One x4 | None | One x4 | One x4 |
| PCIe 4.0 Lanes via Chipset | Up to 20 | Up to 16 | Up to 10 | Up to 12 | Up to 12 | Up to 6 | None | Up to 12 | Up to 12 |
| PCIe 3.0 Lanes via Chipset | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 4 | Up to 16 | Up to 12 | Up to 8 | 8 | Up to 16 | Up to 12 |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Integrated Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) | Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) |
| DMI 4.0 Lanes | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) | Up to 5 | Up to 2 | Up to 2 | Up to 4 | Up to 2 | Up to 2 | None | Up to 4 | Up to 4 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 (10 Gbps) | Up to 10 | Up to 4 | Up to 4 | Up to 10 | Up to 4 | Up to 4 | Up to 2 | Up to 10 | Up to 8 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 Gbps) | Up to 10 | Up to 8 | Up to 6 | Up to 10 | Up to 8 | Up to 6 | Up to 4 | Up to 10 | Up to 10 |
| USB 2.0 Ports | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 14 |
| Wi-Fi 6E | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SATA 3.0 Ports | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 4 | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 4 | Up to 4 | Up to 8 | Up to 8 |
| PCIe RAID | 0, 10, 15 | 0, 10, 15 | None | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | None | None | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| SATA RAID | 0, 10, 15 | 0, 10, 15 | 0, 10, 15 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | None | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
MOTHERBOARD The motherboard must support overclocking to use overclocking capabilities. Motherboards with Z-prefixed chipsets more commonly support overclocking.
- Find Z790 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
- Find H770 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
- Find B760 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
Note that the chipsets don't provide PCIe 5.0 lanes for M.2 storage devices. PCIe 5.0 is only available for the PCI-Express slots connected directly to the CPU. However, the chipsets do use a new DMI 4.0 link which is twice as fast as the 3.0 link used by the 500-series chipsets.
- Find Z690 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
- Find H670 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
- Find B660 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
- Find H610 Chipset Motherboards on Amazon
Our Recommended Intel PCIe 5.0 CPUs and Motherboards
Best Intel 13th Gen High-Performance CPU and Motherboard
- Our recommended Intel 13th gen high-performance enthusiast CPU:
- Up to 5.8 GHz max-turbo stock speed: perfect for games, video editing, and high-intensity tasks.
- 24 cores (8 Performance + 16 Efficiency): This combination makes it a great all-around system that can handle any task you throw at it.
- Virtualization features make it great for running virtual machines.
- Check the latest price of the Intel Core i9-13900K on Amazon
- For the Intel Core i9-13900K CPU, you'll need a motherboard with overclocking support to overclock the CPU. Motherboards with the Z790 chipset typically support CPU overclocking. Otherwise, you can use a motherboard with Intel's other 600-series desktop chipsets (e.g., Z690, H670, B660, H610).
- Our recommended motherboard to pair with the i9-13900K:
- PCIe 5.0 support
- It supports up to 128 GB of DDR5 memory (DDR5 provides the fastest memory speeds)!
- 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port is faster than any home Internet speed available with tons of room to spare for file transfers.
- Wi-Fi 6E makes it easy to reach the fastest speeds and future-proof your Wi-Fi system.
- Bluetooth 5.3 is great for streaming music to Bluetooth headphones.
- Five x4 NVMe M.2 slots, which is fantastic! One of these supports PCIe 5.0 speeds, and the rest run at PCIe 4.0 speeds.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 offers 20 Gbps USB speeds!
- Check the latest price of the MSI MEG Z790 ACE Gaming Motherboard on Amazon
Best Runner-Up Intel 13th Gen CPU and Motherboard
- Our recommended Intel 13th gen high-performance CPU:
- Up to 5.4 GHz max-turbo stock speed: perfect for games, video editing, and high-intensity tasks.
- 16 cores (8 Performance + 8 Efficiency): This combination makes it a great all-around system that can handle almost any task.
- Virtualization features make it great for running virtual machines.
- Check the latest price of the Intel Core i7-13700K on Amazon
- For the Intel Core i7-13700K CPU, you'll need a motherboard with overclocking support to overclock the CPU. Motherboards with the Z790 chipset typically support CPU overclocking. Otherwise, you can use a motherboard with Intel's other 600-series desktop chipsets (e.g., Z690, H670, B660, H610).
- Our recommended motherboard to pair with the i7-13700K:
- PCIe 5.0 support
- It supports up to 128 GB of DDR5 memory (DDR5 provides the fastest memory speeds)!
- 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port is faster than any home Internet speed available with tons of room to spare for file transfers.
- Wi-Fi 6E makes it easy to reach the fastest speeds and future-proof your Wi-Fi system.
- Bluetooth 5.3 is great for streaming music to Bluetooth headphones.
- Five x4 NVMe M.2 slots, which is fantastic! One of these supports PCIe 5.0 speeds, and the rest run at PCIe 4.0 speeds.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 offers 20 Gbps USB speeds!
- Check the latest price of the ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi 6E on Amazon
Best Value Intel 13th Gen CPU and Motherboard
- Our recommended Intel 13th gen best value CPU:
- Up to 5.1 GHz max-turbo stock speed: great for games, video editing, and high-intensity tasks.
- 14 cores (6 Performance + 8 Efficiency): This combination makes it a great all-around system that can handle almost any task.
- Virtualization features make it great for running virtual machines.
- Check the latest price of the Intel Core i5-13600K on Amazon
- Our recommended Value motherboard to pair with the i5-13600K:
- PCIe 5.0 support
- It supports up to 128 GB of DDR4 memory.
- 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port is faster than any home Internet speed available with tons of room to spare for file transfers.
- Wi-Fi 6E makes it easy to reach the fastest speeds and future-proof your Wi-Fi system.
- Bluetooth 5.3 is great for streaming music to Bluetooth headphones.
- Three x4 NVMe M.2 slots, which is fantastic! These slots all support PCIe 4.0 speeds.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 offers 20 Gbps USB speeds!
- Check the latest price of the MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 on Amazon
Best Intel 12th Gen High-Performance CPU and Motherboard
- Our recommended Intel 12th gen high-performance enthusiast CPU:
- Up to 5.2 GHz: perfect for games, video editing, and high-intensity tasks.
- 16 cores (8 Performance + 8 Efficiency): Quite a few cores considering the frequency! This combination makes it a great all-around system that can handle almost any task.
- Virtualization features make it great for running virtual machines.
- Check the latest price of the Intel Core i9-12900K on Amazon
- For the Intel Core i9-12900K CPU, you'll need a motherboard with overclocking support to overclock the CPU. Motherboards with the Z690 chipset typically support CPU overclocking. Otherwise, you can use a motherboard with Intel's other 600-series desktop chipsets (e.g., H670, B660, H610).
- Our recommended motherboard to pair with the i9-12900K:
- PCIe 5.0 support
- It supports up to 128 GB of DDR5 memory (DDR5 provides the fastest memory speeds)!
- 10 Gbps Ethernet port is faster than any home Internet speed available with tons of room to spare for file transfers.
- Wi-Fi 6E makes it easy to reach the fastest speeds and future-proof your Wi-Fi system.
- Bluetooth 5.2 is great for streaming music to Bluetooth headphones.
- Four x4 NVMe M.2 slots, which is fantastic! Three of these run at PCIe 4.0 speeds, and one at PCIe 3.0 speeds.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 offers 20 Gbps USB speeds!
- Check the latest price of the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Master on Amazon
Best Intel 12th Gen Value CPU and Motherboard
- Our recommended Intel 12th gen value CPU:
- Less than half the price of the i9-12900K, but still excellent performance at up to 4.9 GHz.
- 10 cores (6 Performance + 4 Efficiency): This core count makes it suitable for everyday multi-threading tasks, such as having tons of browser windows open.
- Virtualization features make it great for running virtual machines.
- Check the latest price of the Intel Core i5-12600K on Amazon
- For the Intel Core i5-12600K CPU, you'll need a motherboard with overclocking support to overclock the CPU. Motherboards with the Z690 chipset typically support CPU overclocking. Otherwise, you can use a motherboard with Intel's other 600-series desktop chipsets (e.g., H670, B660, H610).
- Our recommended motherboard to pair with the i5-12600K:
- PCIe 5.0 support
- It supports up to 128 GB of DDR5 memory!
- Three NVMe M.2 slots, which is excellent! These all run at PCIe 4.0 speeds.
- 2.5 Gb Ethernet port is faster than most home Internet speeds with room to spare for file transfers.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 offers 20 Gbps USB speeds!
- Check the latest price of the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS PRO on Amazon
Our Recommended AMD PCIe 5.0 CPUs and Motherboards
Best Feature CPU and Motherboard
- Our recommended feature-rich PCIe 5.0 CPU:
- This CPU has 16 cores, a 4.5 GHz base frequency, and 5.7 GHz max boost frequency.
- DDR5 memory support
- AM5 socket type
- Check the latest price of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X on Amazon
- Our recommended feature-rich motherboard to pair with this CPU:
- PCIe 5.0 support
- X670E chipset
- One 2.5 Gb Ethernet port
- Four NVMe M.2 slots and Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports
- Wi-Fi 6E provides fast connections to a Wi-Fi router.
- Bluetooth 5.2 support
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 offers 20 Gbps USB speeds and 12 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
- Check the latest price of the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Motherboard on Amazon
Runner-Up CPU and Motherboard
- Our recommended runner-up PCIe 5.0 CPU:
- This CPU has 8 cores, a 4.5 GHz base frequency, and 5.4 GHz max boost frequency.
- DDR5 memory support
- AM5 socket type
- Check the latest price of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X on Amazon
- Our recommended runner-up motherboard to pair with this CPU:
- PCIe 5.0 support
- X670E chipset
- One 2.5 Gb Ethernet port
- Four NVMe M.2 slots and Six SATA 6 Gb/s ports
- Bluetooth 5.3 support
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 offers 20 Gbps USB speeds
- Check the latest price of the GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master Motherboard on Amazon
What Is PCI-Express?
PCI-Express (PCIe) is an electrical bus used in nearly all modern consumer and server PCs. PCIe slots on desktop PCs allow for connecting various expansion boards, including graphics cards, sound cards, video capture cards, network/Wi-Fi cards, storage devices, and more. PCI-Express is the successor of PCI.
PCI-Express is currently the dominant bus for connecting expansion cards and devices (alongside USB, which is used for externally connected devices).
While you may recognize PCI-Express as the name used for the motherboard's expansion ports, the same bus is also used for computer storage interfaces. When PCI-Express is used for storage, the NVM Express (NVMe) storage protocol is typically used. In addition to PCIe slots, motherboards provide a high-speed PCIe connection to devices via connectors such as M.2 and U.2.
Learn more about storage types in Storage Type Comparison: M.2, U.2, NVMe, SATA, SSDs, HDDs
What Are PCI-Express Lanes?
PCIe lanes are connections between a PCI-Express expansion card or device and the CPU. PCIe lanes often communicate with the CPU via chipsets on the motherboard. Each PCIe lane is composed of 4 wires (two differential pairs).
With naming similar to a road, the number of lanes is referred to as the lane size, or how many lanes wide a link or port uses. A single lane is referred to as x1 or "one lane wide."
The maximum throughput (speed) is multiplied by the number of lanes. An x8 PCIe port has twice the throughput of an x4 port.
Some CPUs and motherboards provide PCI-Express lanes at multiple PCIe versions. In these cases, you can choose which devices need the most bandwidth to decide which should be connected to the highest version PCIe lanes. While laying out your system, keep in mind that PCIe speeds will be based on the lowest PCIe version between the slot/
You can insert a PCIe add-in card (AIC) into a slot that supports a higher number of lanes. In this case, it would use up to the number of PCIe lanes that the card has. For example, you could insert an x4 PCIe network card into an x16 PCIe AIC slot, and it would run at full x4 speed.
In various scenarios, a PCIe device may not use the maximum number of lanes for which the device was designed. For example, some motherboards have x8 PCIe ports that are only electrically wired for x4 lanes. In another case, a system may have limited lanes provided by the CPU, distributed based on availability or configuration.
Devices will negotiate the number of lanes to use, based on system availability, and should still perform fine at a reduced overall bandwidth in most cases. Refer to your motherboard's documentation and CPU specifications to determine PCIe lane quantities and allocations.
What Is the Latest Version of PCI-Express?
The latest available version of PCI-Express is PCIe 5.0. PCIe 5.0 CPUs are available from Intel and AMD.
Intel's 12th, 13th, and 14th generation Core CPUs provide PCIe 5.0 support for CPU lanes (i.e., one x16 or two x8 PCIe 5.0 slots) and PCIe 4.0/3.0 speeds for the remaining lanes.
AMD's Zen 4-based Ryzen 7000 desktop CPUs were their first to support PCIe 5.0.
PCIe versions such as 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 are sometimes informally referred to as PCIe Gen 3, PCIe Gen 4, and PCIe Gen 5. This naming is based on them being the third, fourth, and fifth generations of PCI-Express.
How Fast Is PCIe?
PCI-Express speeds are based on the PCI-Express version and the number of lanes used. One lane is referred to as x1, two lanes as x2, etc. PCI-Express technically supports up to a width of x32. However, most consumer motherboards have some set of these PCIe widths: x1, x2, x4, x8, x16.
| PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 5.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| x1 Bandwidth | 2 GB/s | 4 GB/s |
| x2 Bandwidth | 4 GB/s | 8 GB/s |
| x4 Bandwidth | 8 GB/s | 16 GB/s |
| x8 Bandwidth | 16 GB/s | 32 GB/s |
| x16 Bandwidth | 32 GB/s | 63 GB/s |
Intel's 12th generation CPUs currently provide PCIe 5.0 support for CPU lanes (i.e., one x16 or two x8 PCIe 5.0 slots) and PCIe 4.0/3.0 speeds for the remaining lanes.
The bandwidth for each PCIe 5.0 lane is 4 GB/s. 4 GB/s per lane means that if you use a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 device, it would have up to 64 GB/s of bandwidth available to it.
NVMe M.2 SSD cards use 2 or 4 lanes, which means they have 4–8 GB/s available to them with PCIe 4.0.
NVMe PCIe add-in cards can use up to 16 lanes in an x16 slot, thus having up to 32 GB/s of bandwidth available to them with PCIe 4.0.
In comparison, PCIe 3.0 has half of the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0.
| x1 Bandwidth | 1 GB/s |
|---|---|
| x2 Bandwidth | 2 GB/s |
| x4 Bandwidth | 4 GB/s |
| x8 Bandwidth | 8 GB/s |
| x16 Bandwidth | 16 GB/s |
Learn More About PCI-Express
Want to brush up on the latest PCIe products, versions, and features? Check out the articles in this PCI-Express series:
- What is PCIe?, What is PCIe 5.0?, and What is PCIe 4.0?
- Is PCIe 5.0 Worth It? and Is PCIe 4.0 Worth It?
- Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support PCIe 5.0?
- Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support PCIe 4.0?
- Which Motherboards Support PCIe 5.0?
- Which Graphics Cards Support PCIe 4.0?
- How Fast is PCIe 5.0? and How Fast is PCIe 4.0?
- Is PCIe Backward Compatible?
- Can I Put a PCIe x4 or x8 Card in an x16 Slot?
- Can I Use a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD in a PCIe 3.0 Motherboard Slot?
- Can I Use a PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD in a PCIe 4.0 Motherboard Slot?
- Can I Use a PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card in a PCIe 3.0 Slot?
- Can I Use a PCIe 3.0 Graphics Card in a PCIe 4.0 Slot?
- What is the Latest Version of PCIe?
- PCI vs. AGP vs. PCIe? Time to Upgrade!