PCIe Gen 5 SSDs Explained: Speed, Heat, and Compatibility

Thinking about a PCIe Gen 5 SSD for your rig? The promise of loading screens vanishing in a blink is tempting, hey? But before you drop some serious ZAR on these next-gen speed demons, there’s a catch. These drives are not just fast... they're fiery. Let's break down the real story behind PCIe Gen 5 SSDs in South Africa—the incredible speed, the surprising heat, and what your PC actually needs to run one.

Adata Mars 980 Storm 1TB NVMe SSD / PCIe Gen5 x4 / Up to 14,000MB/s - 13,000MB Sequential Read/Write / SMAR-980S-1TCI

R3699.00In Stock

ADATA SE920 1TB External Solid State Drive / Up to 2000 MB/s Read Speed / Up to 3,700 MB/s Write Speed(3,200 MB/s with Thunderbolt 4) / USB4 USB-C Interface (Backwards Compatible with USB 3.2/2.0) / SE920-1TCBK

R2999.00In Stock

Western Digital SN8100 4TB NVMe Internal Solid State Drive with Heatsink / Read Speeds up to 14,900 MB/s / Write Speeds up to 14,000 MB/s / TCG Opal Security Encryption / nCache™ 4.0, Game Mode, and Adaptive Cooling / Includes SanDisk Dashboard & Acronis® True Image™ Software / WDS400T1XHM

R10499.00In Stock

Kingston SNV3S 1TB NVMe SSD / Up to 6,000MB/s Read / Up to 4,000MB/s Write / PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe / M.2 2230 Form Factor / SNV3SM3/1T0

R1999.00In Stock

Dahua L7 M.2 2TB NVMe SSD / Read: Up to 1,050 MB/s Write: Up to 945 MB/s / Shock-resistant and drop-resistant design / Aluminum body with heat dissipation / Dual Type-C/Type-A cable included / DHI-PSSD-L7-2TB

R2699.00In Stock

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

R1299.00In Stock

So, What's the Big Deal with PCIe Gen 5 SSDs?

At its core, PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is the super-highway inside your computer that lets components like your graphics card and SSD talk to your processor. Each new "Gen" or generation doubles the speed of that highway.

Think of it like this:

• PCIe Gen 3: A solid two-lane road.
• PCIe Gen 4: A speedy four-lane highway.
• PCIe Gen 5: An eight-lane autobahn with no speed limit.

This massive bandwidth boost allows PCIe Gen 5 SSDs to hit theoretical read/write speeds of over 12,000 MB/s, nearly double the ~7,000 MB/s cap of their Gen 4 predecessors. It's a staggering leap in performance, but it comes with new considerations.

ADATA SE920 1TB External Solid State Drive / Up to 2000 MB/s Read Speed / Up to 3,700 MB/s Write Speed(3,200 MB/s with Thunderbolt 4) / USB4 USB-C Interface (Backwards Compatible with USB 3.2/2.0) / SE920-1TCBK

R2999.00In Stock

ADATA SU650 2TB 3D-NAND SATA 2.5 inch Internal SSD / 520MBs/450MBs - Read/Write Speed / ASU650SS-2TT-R

R1999.00In Stock

Western Digital 1TB WD Blue SN5000 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD - PCIe Gen 4.0, M.2 2280, Up to 5,150 MB/s / WDS100T4B0E

R1999.00In Stock

KLEVV CRAS C910 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 Internal SSD with Heatsink, up to 5000MB/s (K01TBM2SP0-C91)

R1799.00In Stock

Western Digital Blue SA510 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (SSD) / Superior Performance / Multitasking / WD F.I.T. Lab Certified / WDS500G3B0A

R899.00In Stock

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

R8499.00In Stock

Unlocking Ludicrous Speeds: Is It Worth It? 🚀

Let's be honest: for most gaming scenarios right now, the difference in loading times between a top-tier Gen 4 and a new Gen 5 drive can be a matter of seconds, if that. Modern games aren't yet fully optimised to take advantage of this new frontier of speed.

So, who actually benefits?

• Content Creators: Video editors working with 8K RAW footage, 3D artists rendering complex scenes, and data scientists will feel the most significant impact. For them, time is money, and a Gen 5 SSD can slash project times.
• Future-Proofers: If you're building a brand-new, top-of-the-line rig and want it to be ready for future technologies like Microsoft's DirectStorage API, investing in a PCIe 5.0 drive makes sense.

For everyone else, especially gamers looking for the best bang-for-buck, a premium Gen 4 drive still offers phenomenal performance. For instance, a proven workhorse like the Klevv Cras C925G 1TB Gen4 NVMe SSD delivers lightning-fast speeds that will make any game load in a flash, representing the current sweet spot for value and power.

Taming the Dragon: Managing Gen 5 SSD Heat

All that speed generates a serious amount of heat. The controller on a PCIe Gen 5 SSD works incredibly hard, and without proper cooling, it will "thermal throttle"—slowing itself down to prevent damage. This completely defeats the purpose of buying a high-speed drive in the first place.

This is why you'll see most Gen 5 SSDs shipping with massive, chunky heatsinks. Some even come with small, built-in fans. Your motherboard's standard M.2 heat shield might not be enough to keep one of these drives running at peak performance under heavy load. When you're shopping, cooling isn't an afterthought; it's a primary feature. You can see the different cooling solutions implemented across our wide range of SSDs.

The Compatibility Puzzle: Will It Fit Your PC? 🔧

You can't just plug a PCIe Gen 5 SSD into any old motherboard and expect magic. To unlock its full potential, your entire platform needs to be ready.

Western Digital SN8100 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive - 4TB / Sequential Read, Write Performance - 14900MB/s, 14000MB/s / PCIe Gen 5 / WDS400T1X0M

R10499.00In Stock

Western Digital 2TB WD Blue SN5000 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD - PCIe Gen 4.0, M.2 2280, Up to 5,150 MB/s / WDS200T4B0E

R3499.00In Stock

Kingston KC3000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 512GB SSD - High-Performance Storage for Desktop and Laptop PCs / 7,000MB/s Read, 3,900MB/s Write / Includes Acronis cloning software / SKC3000S/512G

R1399.00In Stock

KLEVV CRAS C930 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 Internal Gaming SSD with Heatsink, Compatible with PS5, up to 7400MB/s with DRAM Cash / K02TBM2SP0-C93

R3999.00In Stock

Crucial P310 2TB NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD / Sequential read/write speeds up to 7,100/6,000MB/s / Integrated power loss immunity / Error correction code (ECC) / CT2000P310SSD8

R3799.00In Stock

Corsair MP700 PRO SE Hydro X Series 4TB M.2 PCIe Gen5 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD – M.2 2280 – Up to 14,000MB/sec Sequential Read – High-Density TLC NAND – Pre-Installed Water Block – Black / CSSD-F4000GBMP700PHXS

R13499.00In Stock

Core Requirements:

• A Compatible CPU: You'll need a modern processor that supports the PCIe 5.0 standard. This includes AMD's Ryzen 7000 series or Intel's 12th Gen Core processors and newer.
• A Compatible Motherboard: Your motherboard must have a dedicated M.2 slot that is wired for PCIe 5.0 speeds. This is typically found on higher-end boards like AMD's X670 and B650 chipsets or Intel's Z790 and Z690 chipsets.

Plugging a Gen 5 drive into a Gen 4 slot will work, but it will be limited to Gen 4 speeds. It’s a waste of potential and money. It's no surprise that innovative brands like Klevv are focusing heavily on developing products that align with these new, powerful platforms.

The Final Verdict for SA Gamers ✨

PCIe Gen 5 SSDs are an exciting piece of technology, offering a glimpse into the future of PC performance. However, in 2024, they are a niche product for most South African gamers. The high cost, strict hardware requirements, and significant heat output mean they are best suited for professionals and deep-pocketed enthusiasts building bleeding-edge systems.

For the vast majority of us, a high-quality PCIe Gen 4 SSD remains the smarter, more cost-effective choice, delivering more than enough speed to crush any game you throw at it.