What is PCIe 5.0 and Do You Really Need It in 2025?

Everything You Need to Know About PCIe 5.0 in 2025

As PC hardware continues to evolve at lightning speed, one new word that keeps coming up in 2025 is PCIe 5.0. It’s on the latest motherboards, NVMe SSDs, and even GPUs. But what exactly is PCIe 5.0, and do you actually need it for your gaming or creative setup this year?

Let’s break it down in simple terms and help you decide if PCIe 5.0 is worth it for your next upgrade.

What is PCIe 5.0?

PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is the technology your PC uses to connect key components  like your GPU, SSD, and other expansion cards  to your motherboard.

PCIe 5.0 is the fifth generation of this standard, and it doubles the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0. That means:

- Up to 32 GT/s (gigatransfers per second) per lane

- Up to 64 GB/s total bandwidth on a 16-lane connection (like your GPU slot)

In practical terms, PCIe 5.0 allows faster communication between your hardware, especially for high-speed SSDs and next-gen GPUs.

Where Will You Find PCIe 5.0 in 2025?

As of mid-2025, PCIe 5.0 is starting to become a mainstream feature on:

- Motherboards with Intel 14th Gen and AMD AM5 (Ryzen 7000+)

- NVMe SSDs like the Crucial T705 and Samsung 990 Pro Gen5

- Next-gen GPUs like the RTX 5080 and upcoming RTX 5090

You’ll also find it in high-end workstation systems where massive data throughput is required.

What Are the Real-World Benefits?

Faster Storage Speeds

The most noticeable impact of PCIe 5.0 today is with Gen5 NVMe SSDs, which can reach read/write speeds of over 12,000 MB/s. That’s a huge leap from Gen4 drives, especially for:

- Game load times

- 4K/8K video editing

- Large file transfers

But here’s the catch: most gamers and casual users won’t feel a massive difference compared to Gen4 SSDs in day-to-day use.

Future-Proofing for GPUs

Right now, even the most powerful graphics cards (like the RTX 5080) don’t saturate PCIe 4.0, let alone PCIe 5.0. But as we move toward AI workloads, higher-resolution gaming, and more bandwidth-heavy ray tracing, PCIe 5.0 gives you room to grow.

Think of it like upgrading your highway. You may not need all the lanes today, but you'll be glad they're there as traffic increases.

So... Do You Actually Need PCIe 5.0?

Here’s a quick way to decide:

 

Our Recommendation

If you’re building a new PC in 2025, it’s a smart idea to go with a PCIe 5.0 capable motherboard, even if you’re not buying Gen5 SSDs or GPUs yet. It future-proofs your system and gives you upgrade flexibility later.

Ready to Upgrade?

Whether you’re picking a new SSD, motherboard, or GPU, check out our latest selection of PCIe 5.0-compatible components at Anigma. We’ve got the latest Gen5 drives, next-gen GPUs, and AM5/LGA 1700 motherboards ready for your next build.

Summer is the perfect time to give your setup a speed boost  with Gen5 power under the hood.