I'm currently using an Asus Prime Z690-A motherboard paired with an Intel i7-14700K processor. I've got some questions about the PCIe lanes. The x16 slot connects directly to the CPU and runs at 5.0 speeds, but I'm not sure if the m.2 slot also runs at that speed. Do I have enough PCIe lanes to support both the graphics card and the m.2 drive at high speeds? Would I need to use bifurcation to divert lanes from the GPU to the m.2 drive? If I simply plug in both a graphics card and an m.2 SSD, will they both operate at those higher speeds? I'm also trying to figure out if splurging on an m.2 PCIe 5.0 drive is a good investment. Thanks for your insights!
5 Answers
Honestly, it might not be worth it to go for the extra speed of the m.2 PCIe 5.0 drive unless you have specific heavy workloads that demand it. In typical scenarios, a PCIe 4.0 or even a PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive will perform almost just as well. Plus, your CPU has a total of 20 PCIe lanes, so you should be able to connect both a GPU and an NVMe drive at full speed without issues.
It really depends on what GPU you’re using. If you set up the m.2 drive for PCIe 5.0, your x16 slot may drop down to x8. I'm running a Z790 with my NVMe at x4 while my GPU runs at PCIe 4 x8 due to my older GPU, and honestly, I haven’t noticed any performance hits in real-world use. Benchmarks might show a difference, but for general tasks, it’s up to you to decide.
To clarify, your LGA 1700 setup has 4 lanes dedicated to PCIe 4.0 for the M.2 slot; only the x16 slot supports PCIe 5.0. If you want both to run at top speed, the M.2 slot may transfer lanes from the x16, which would hinder your GPU performance.
So it sounds like the benefits of a PCIe 5.0 drive might not justify the price since your motherboard doesn’t even support it in the M.2 slot. Looks like I can save some cash and stick with what's sufficient for my usage!
Exactly! Given your mobo capabilities, a PCIe 5.0 drive would be overkill. Better to invest in faster RAM or a better GPU!
If you’re into 4K video editing, then a Gen 4 drive is fast but Gen 5 could give you an edge. I found even at 4K, the Gen 4 was quick enough for editing without making me want to upgrade. So, unless you do 4K all the time, a Gen 5 drive might not be necessary at all.
That's actually what I'm working on! My drone shoots 2.7K/60 and 4K/30, but I want to upgrade to a GoPro for 4K/120. Might have to consider whether the extra cost of Gen 5 is really worth it.
Just a heads up, though—LGA 1700 CPUs only have 16 lanes for PCIe 5.0. The M.2 slot typically uses 4 lanes for PCIe 4.0.