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Should I switch my M.2 SSD to the Gen 5 slot?

August 31, 2025 5 answers
Asked by MysticalPenguin23
I recently built a new PC that has both a Gen 5 and a Gen 4 M.2 slot. Due to the confusing naming from ASRock and a cooler block over the slot, I ended up putting my drive into the Gen 4 slot. Now I'm wondering what I might be missing out on by not using the Gen 5 slot. Is Gen 5 really that much faster? I mostly game and don't work with huge files, so I'm not noticing anything major at the moment.
Asrock gaming performance Gen 4 Gen 5 Hardware m.2 slots SSD speeds

Answers

SpeedsterSam
If you actually have a Gen 5 drive, just switch it over! It’s a simple process and takes less than 5 minutes. Though, if you only have a Gen 4 SSD, then you’re not missing out on much.
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TechieTed87
If you don’t have a Gen 5 SSD, you won't experience any difference. The Gen 5 slot is designed for higher-speed Gen 5 drives, but it can work with older SSDs without any problems. However, if you do have a Gen 5 SSD, using it in a Gen 4 slot can bottleneck its performance. I’ve got a Gen 5 drive, and while gaming, it’s incredibly fast, but I haven’t done a direct comparison.
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GamerGal92
Honestly, for gaming, there’s pretty much no difference between Gen 4 and Gen 5. You won’t see much benefit just from playing games.
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FileMaster02
When it comes to game load and OS times, you won’t notice any significant differences. You’d really only see advantages in heavy file operations, like 3D modeling or video editing, where data transfer speed matters more.
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ChillCoder44
Yeah, I get that! I double-checked, and it turns out I only have a Gen 4 too. No worries!
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