I'm completely new to building PCs and want to make sure my parts are compatible. I'm planning to use a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, an AMD B850 motherboard, 32GB of RAM in a 2x16GB kit, and an RTX 5070 Ti. My biggest question is about storage. I'd like at least 3TB and was considering a 4TB Kingston NV3 M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD rated around 6000 MB/s read and 5000 MB/s write. Some search results claim I need a Gen5 SSD to avoid bottlenecks or lag, but that doesn't sound right to me. Does Gen4 make sense for gaming, and do the brand, NAND type, or advertised speed matter much?
3 Answers
A good Gen4 NVMe drive will be more than fast enough for gaming. Gen5 SSDs can have higher benchmark numbers, but they generally don’t provide noticeably faster game loading and cost more. Even a Gen3 NVMe or SATA SSD is usually fine for games, so don’t worry about storage bottlenecks here.
If you want at least 3TB, a 4TB drive is the simplest option. Otherwise, you could combine a 2TB and 1TB drive. Also verify the motherboard socket and memory support: the 7800X3D requires an AM5 motherboard and DDR5 RAM. For a new gaming build, a 4TB Gen4 NVMe SSD is a sensible choice, while Gen5 is mostly an expensive enthusiast upgrade.
The Kingston NV3 should work as long as your motherboard has a compatible M.2 PCIe slot, but check the specific model’s reviews and specifications before buying because budget SSDs can vary internally. You don’t need Samsung-level pricing either; several reputable brands offer dependable Gen4 drives at lower prices.
Gen5 can matter for very heavy file transfers, AI work, or video workloads, but for normal gaming and everyday use, the difference is hard to notice.