Question about PCIe 4.0 nvme and PCIe 3.0 motherboard compatibility

HTC · Dec 27, 2021

Can a PCIe 4.0 nvme be used in a PCIe 3.0 motherboard like a PCIe4.0 capable GPU can or do i need to look specifically for PCIe 3.0 if i want another nvme on my system, unless i change my board too?

Tomgang · Dec 27, 2021

Yes you can use a Gen 4 Nvme ssd in a Gen 3 m.2 slot. You will however not get the full speed of the Gen 4 SSD in a Gen 3 m.2 slot. you max out around 3500 MB/s in read/write, while Gen 4 can reach up around 7000 Mb/s in read/write. But it is all ways a good idea to tjeck if the SSD you want to use is backward compatable officially to be apselutely sure.

HTC · Dec 27, 2021

Tomgang said:
Yes you can use a Gen 4 Nvme ssd in a Gen 3 m.2 slot. You will however not get the full speed of the Gen 4 SSD in a Gen 3 m.2 slot. you max out around 3500 MB/s in read/write, while Gen 4 can reach up around 7000 Mb/s in read/write. But it is all ways a good idea to tjeck if the SSD you want to use is backward compatable officially to be apselutely sure.

So about the same thing that happens with a PCIe 4.0 capable GPU in a PCIe 3.0 motherboard, then.

Wasn't sure about this, which is why i asked.

Tomgang · Dec 27, 2021

HTC said:
So about the same thing that happens with a PCIe 4.0 capable GPU in a PCIe 3.0 motherboard, then.

Wasn't sure about this, which is why i asked.

PCIe pretty much dobble the transfer speed for each generation.

Here is a overlay from wikipedia. As you can gen for gen is dobble in transfer speed.

System Name	HTC's System
Processor	Ryzen 5 5800X3D
Motherboard	Asrock Taichi X370
Cooling	NH-C14, with the AM4 mounting kit
Memory	G.Skill Kit 16GB DDR4 F4 - 3200 C16D - 16 GTZB
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Pulse 6600 8 GB
Storage	1 Samsung NVMe 960 EVO 250 GB + 1 3.5" Seagate IronWolf Pro 6TB 7200RPM 256MB SATA III
Display(s)	LG 27UD58
Case	Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair TX 850M 80+ Gold
Mouse	Razer Deathadder Elite
Software	Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS

System Name	The beast and the little runt.
Processor	Ryzen 5 5600X - Ryzen 9 5950X
Motherboard	ASUS ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING - ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero X570
Cooling	Noctua NH-L9x65 SE-AM4a - NH-D15 chromax.black with IPPC Industrial 3000 RPM 120/140 MM fans.
Memory	G.SKILL TRIDENT Z ROYAL GOLD/SILVER 32 GB (2 x 16 GB and 4 x 8 GB) 3600 MHz CL14-15-15-35 1.45 volts
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE RTX 4060 OC LOW PROFILE - GIGABYTE RTX 4090 GAMING OC
Storage	Samsung 980 PRO 1 TB + 2 TB - Samsung 870 EVO 4 TB - 2 x WD RED PRO 16 GB + WD ULTRASTAR 22 TB
Display(s)	Asus 27" TUF VG27AQL1A and a Dell 24" for dual setup
Case	Phanteks Enthoo 719/LUXE 2 BLACK
Audio Device(s)	Onboard on both boards
Power Supply	Phanteks Revolt X 1200W
Mouse	Logitech G903 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse
Keyboard	Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum
Software	WINDOWS 10 PRO 64 BITS on both systems
Benchmark Scores	Se more about my 2 in 1 system here: kortlink.dk/2ca4x

System Name	HTC's System
Processor	Ryzen 5 5800X3D
Motherboard	Asrock Taichi X370
Cooling	NH-C14, with the AM4 mounting kit
Memory	G.Skill Kit 16GB DDR4 F4 - 3200 C16D - 16 GTZB
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Pulse 6600 8 GB
Storage	1 Samsung NVMe 960 EVO 250 GB + 1 3.5" Seagate IronWolf Pro 6TB 7200RPM 256MB SATA III
Display(s)	LG 27UD58
Case	Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair TX 850M 80+ Gold
Mouse	Razer Deathadder Elite
Software	Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS

System Name	The beast and the little runt.
Processor	Ryzen 5 5600X - Ryzen 9 5950X
Motherboard	ASUS ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING - ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero X570
Cooling	Noctua NH-L9x65 SE-AM4a - NH-D15 chromax.black with IPPC Industrial 3000 RPM 120/140 MM fans.
Memory	G.SKILL TRIDENT Z ROYAL GOLD/SILVER 32 GB (2 x 16 GB and 4 x 8 GB) 3600 MHz CL14-15-15-35 1.45 volts
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE RTX 4060 OC LOW PROFILE - GIGABYTE RTX 4090 GAMING OC
Storage	Samsung 980 PRO 1 TB + 2 TB - Samsung 870 EVO 4 TB - 2 x WD RED PRO 16 GB + WD ULTRASTAR 22 TB
Display(s)	Asus 27" TUF VG27AQL1A and a Dell 24" for dual setup
Case	Phanteks Enthoo 719/LUXE 2 BLACK
Audio Device(s)	Onboard on both boards
Power Supply	Phanteks Revolt X 1200W
Mouse	Logitech G903 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse
Keyboard	Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum
Software	WINDOWS 10 PRO 64 BITS on both systems
Benchmark Scores	Se more about my 2 in 1 system here: kortlink.dk/2ca4x