Quick Answer

Alberton gamers buy Gen 5 NVMe SSDs from Evetech with next-day South Rand delivery. Gen 5 NVMe drives deliver sequential read speeds of 10,000–14,000 MB/s — roughly double a Gen 4 drive — and prices start around R1,800–R2,500 for 1 TB at Evetech. A Z790 or X670E motherboard with a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot is required.

What You Need for a Gen 5 NVMe SSD

Gen 5 NVMe (PCIe 5.0 M.2) requires a compatible motherboard: Z790 or B760 (Intel 12th/13th/14th Gen) and X670E, B650E, or X870E (AMD Ryzen 7000/9000 series). Older Gen 4 boards do not have PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots. Check your specific motherboard's spec sheet before ordering.

Because Gen 5 SSDs generate significant heat at peak throughput (12,000–14,000 MB/s), most drives require a heatsink. Many come with an included heatsink; others rely on the motherboard's M.2 heatsink cover. Ensure your build has adequate airflow — sustained workloads on a Gen 5 SSD without a heatsink throttle performance noticeably.

Gen 5 NVMe SSD Options at Evetech

Crucial T705 1 TB (~R2,000): Sequential read 14,100 MB/s, write 12,600 MB/s. One of the fastest Gen 5 drives available. Comes with and without heatsink options — the heatsink version adds ~R200.

Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB: Note — the 990 Pro is a Gen 4 drive capped at ~7,450 MB/s. If you need Gen 5, confirm the drive explicitly lists PCIe 5.0 on the Evetech product page.

Seagate FireCuda 540 (~R2,200 for 1 TB): Sequential read 10,000 MB/s, write 10,000 MB/s. Solid mid-tier Gen 5 option with heatsink included in most SKUs.

FAQ

Do I actually need Gen 5 NVMe for gaming?

For most current games, no. Game load times differ by 1–3 seconds between Gen 4 (7,000 MB/s) and Gen 5 (12,000+ MB/s) drives. The real benefits of Gen 5 are in content creation (4K video editing, large file transfers) and future-proofing for game streaming from SSD that may appear in next-gen titles.

How much does a Gen 5 NVMe SSD cost in SA?

1 TB Gen 5 drives start around R1,800–R2,500 at Evetech. 2 TB options typically run R3,500–R5,000. Prices have dropped significantly from their R4,000+ launch levels in late 2023.

Will a Gen 5 NVMe SSD fit in my existing PC?

Only if your motherboard has a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot. Most motherboards released before 2023 do not. A Gen 5 drive in a PCIe 4.0 slot will work but run at Gen 4 speeds — you pay for Gen 5 and get Gen 4 performance. Verify your motherboard's M.2 slot spec before purchasing.

TIP

Tip

Install the Crucial T705 or Seagate FireCuda 540 in the primary M.2 slot (M2_1 on most boards) — this slot typically has the dedicated PCIe 5.0 routing from the CPU rather than through the chipset, giving the full 14,000 MB s read speed.