If you're considering building a new machine or upgrading your current gaming PC then you've likely heard the term PCIe 5.0 in relation to bandwidth, memory and components. But what does it actually mean? Furthermore, what does the current Peripheral Component Interconnect Express standard mean for computing in 2025?
The PCIe 5.0 standard is now supported by the best graphics cards (such as the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080) thanks to their PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, the first GPUs to do so. In contrast, Gen 5.0 SSDs (which are some of the best M.2 SSDs) have been widely available for over three years, with leading manufacturers making the most of the greatly increased bandwidth available for effective futureproofing.
