Hey everyone! I'm relatively new to PC building and I have a question about the best NVMe M.2 SSD to use with a B450 Tomahawk motherboard. I realize this board is a bit outdated, but I'm running low on storage and want to add an NVMe drive for extra space, mainly for games. I've noticed a lot of the SSDs available are PCIe 4.0, and I'm unsure about what's compatible with my PCIe 3.0 setup. Also, does 'Gen3' simply mean it's compatible with PCIe 3.0? I feel a bit clueless and would like to avoid making a purchase mistake. I've heard great things about Samsung drives, so if anyone has recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
2 Answers
Yes, Gen3 and PCIe 3.0 are literally the same thing. You can definitely use a PCIe 4.0 SSD on a board that only supports PCIe 3.0—it just won’t perform at its max speed. I recommend checking out the Teamgroup MP44L for a good option. If you're willing to spend a bit more, the Samsung 990 Evo Plus is another excellent choice!
Great question! The good news is that PCIe is backwards and forwards compatible. So, if you get a PCIe 4.0 drive, it'll work with your B450 Tomahawk, just at the same speed as a PCIe 3.0 drive. Given the small price difference now, if you find a good deal on a 4.0 drive, go for it! And yes, Gen 3 is indeed the same as PCIe 3.0.
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