Install PCIe 5.0 NVMe Drive: Guide to Maximum Speed

So, you’ve got your hands on a blazing-fast PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD. Lekker! But just plugging it in won't guarantee you those face-melting speeds you see in benchmarks. To truly unleash its power, you need a proper setup. This guide will walk you through how to install a PCIe 5.0 NVMe drive correctly, ensuring you get every last drop of performance for your rig, right here in South Africa. Let's get building. 🔧

Corsair MP600 PRO NH 4TB PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe M.2 SSD – High-Density TLC NAND – M.2 2280 – DirectStorage Compatible - Up to 7,000MB/sec - No Heatsink - Black / CSSD-F4000GBMP600PNH

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Dahua C800A 1TB 2.5" SATA 3.0 6 Gb/s 3D NAND Solid State Drive (SSD) / Read Speed Up to 500 MB/s / Write Speed Up to 470 MB/s / DHI-SSD-C800AS1TB

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Kingston Fury Renegade 4TB PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe M.2 Internal Gaming SSD with Heat Sink | PS5 Ready | Up to 7300MB/s | SFYRDK/4000G

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Kingston KC3000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 4TB SSD / High-Performance Storage for Desktop and Laptop PCs / SKC3000D/4096G

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Dahua L7 M.2 512GB NVMe SSD / Read: Up to 1,050 MB/s Write: Up to 895 MB/s / Shock-resistant and drop-resistant design / Aluminum body with heat dissipation / Dual Type-C/Type-A cable included / DHI-PSSD-L7-512GB

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Western Digital 4TB WD Blue SN5000 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD - PCIe Gen 4.0, M.2 2280, Up to 5,500 MB/s / WDS400T4B0E

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Before You Begin: The PCIe 5.0 Checklist

Before you even open your PC case, let's make sure your system is ready for this serious upgrade. A successful PCIe 5.0 NVMe installation depends on having the right supporting hardware.

• Motherboard Compatibility: You'll need a modern motherboard with a dedicated PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot. For Intel, this means a Z690, Z790 or newer chipset. For AMD, you're looking at an X670/E or B650/E board. Always check your motherboard manual to confirm which M.2 slot is the Gen5 one—it's usually the one closest to the CPU.
• CPU Support: The M.2 slot's speed is often tied directly to your CPU. Ensure your processor (like Intel 12th Gen or newer, or AMD Ryzen 7000 series or newer) supports PCIe 5.0 lanes.
• Cooling is Crucial: These drives get hot... seriously hot. Most compatible motherboards come with a built-in M.2 heatsink. You absolutely must use it. Some high-end drives even come with their own beefy cooling solutions. Without proper cooling, the drive will throttle and you'll lose all that incredible speed.

If you're still planning your build, it's the perfect time to browse the latest solid-state drives to find one that matches your new motherboard.

Your Step-by-Step Installation Guide 🚀

Got all the right gear? Awesome. Now for the easy part. Follow these steps carefully to install your PCIe 5.0 NVMe drive without any hassles.

Step 1: Power Down and Prep

Safety first! Shut down your PC completely, switch off the power supply unit (PSU) at the back, and unplug it from the wall. Press the power button on your case a few times to discharge any remaining electricity. It's also a good idea to use an anti-static wrist strap to protect your components.

Kingston KC3000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 1TB SSD - High-Performance Storage for Desktop and Laptop PCs / SKC3000S/1024G

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ORICO e7400 M.2 NVMe SSD - 4TB / PS5 Compatible / PCIe Gen4.0 x4 / Up to 7,400MB/s Read and 6,600MB/s Write Speeds / ORICO-e7400-4TB-GD-BP

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Kingston Fury Renegade 2TB NVMe SSD / M.2 2280 Form Factor / PCIe Gen5.0 / Up to 14,700MB/s Read / Up to 14,000MB/s Write / SFYR2S/2T0

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ORICO e7400 M.2 NVMe SSD - 1TB / PS5 Compatible / PCIe Gen4.0 x4 / Up to 7,400MB/s Read and 6,600MB/s Write Speeds / ORICO-e7400-1TB-GD-BP

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Western Digital SN850X NVMe Internal Solid State Drive - 2TB / Sequential Read, Write Performance - 7300MB/s, 6600MB/s / PCIe Gen 4 / WDS200T2X0E

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KLEVV Genuine G560 2TB Gen5x4 NVMe SSD / Up to 14,000MB/s Sequential Read / Up to 12,000MB/s Sequential Write / M.2 2280 Form Factor / Phison E26 Controller / K02TBM2SP0-G56

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Step 2: Locate the Primary M.2 Slot

Open your PC case and find the primary M.2 slot on your motherboard. As mentioned, this is typically the one located above your main graphics card slot, closest to the CPU, and is often covered by a metal heatsink.

Step 3: Install the Drive

Unscrew and remove the M.2 heatsink. You'll see the M.2 connector and a small standoff screw at the other end. Take your NVMe drive—whether it's a quality drive from ADATA or one of the other excellent brands—and slide it into the M.2 slot at a slight upward angle (about 30 degrees). It should click in firmly.

Step 4: Secure Everything

Gently press the drive down so the semi-circular notch at the end lines up with the standoff. Use the tiny screw you removed earlier (or the one that came with your motherboard) to secure it in place. Don't overtighten it! Now, peel the protective plastic film off the thermal pad on the underside of your heatsink and screw the heatsink back into place.

Unlocking Full Speed in Your BIOS and OS

Your drive is physically installed, but the job isn't done. You need to tell your system how to use it for maximum performance.

Re-connect your PC and boot straight into the BIOS (usually by pressing 'DEL' or 'F2' on startup). Navigate to the storage or advanced settings. You're looking for an option that controls the PCIe speed for your M.2 slot. Make sure it's set specifically to "Gen 5" and not "Auto". This forces the system to use the highest possible speed.

Kingston XS2000 4TB High Performance Portable SSD with USB-C | Pocket-Sized | USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 | External Solid State Drive | Up to 2000MB/s | SXS2000/4000G

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ADATA SU650 512GB 3D-NAND SATA 2.5 inch Internal SSD / ASU650SS-512GT-R

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KLEVV CRAS C930 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 Internal Gaming SSD with Heatsink / Compatible with PS5 / up to 7400MB/s with DRAM Cash / K01TBM2SP0-C93

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Teamgroup T-Force G70 PRO 2TB NVMe Internal Solid State Drive / Up to 7,400 Read Speed / Up to 6,800 Write Speed / Multiple Caching Systems Available / Patented Graphene Heatsink Technology / TM8FFH002T0C129

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Teamgroup CX2 2TB SATA Internal Solid State Drive / Up to 540 Read Speed / Up to 490 Write Speed / Advanced SLC Caching technology / T253X6002T0C101

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Corsair MP600 PRO NH 8TB PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe M.2 SSD – High-Density TLC NAND – M.2 2280 – DirectStorage Compatible - Up to 7,000MB/sec - No Heatsink - Black / CSSD-F8000GBMP600PNH

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Once you save and boot into Windows, you'll need to initialise the drive.

With modern games easily topping 100GB, choosing a spacious 2TB NVMe drive is a smart move for any serious gamer. When you're looking for raw throughput for editing 8K video or handling massive datasets, high-performance CORSAIR SSDs are built to deliver. Similarly, you can find other top-tier options from Kingston that offer a fantastic balance of speed and reliability.

That's it! Your PC is now equipped with some of the fastest storage on the planet. Enjoy those non-existent loading screens. ✨