PCIe 5.0 SSDs: Faster on Paper, Marginal in Practice
The latest generation of PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs has seen aggressive price cuts, with Samsung's 990 EVO Plus 1TB dropping to $119 and Crucial's T700 1TB hitting $129. These drives promise sequential read speeds of 12,000+ MB/s, nearly doubling the best Gen 4 options.
Sequential vs. Real-World Performance
Here's where it gets interesting. While sequential speeds have nearly doubled, the metrics that actually affect daily use have seen more modest improvements:
- Game loading times: 1-3 seconds faster than Gen 4 (often imperceptible)
- OS boot time: Virtually identical to Gen 4
- File transfers (large sequential): 40-80% faster for sustained transfers
- Application launch: No measurable difference
When Gen 5 Makes Sense
PCIe 5.0 SSDs are worth it if you regularly transfer large files (video editing, data science) or if you need sustained write performance. The improved controllers handle thermal throttling better than early Gen 5 drives.
Our Recommendation
For most PC builders, a Gen 4 drive like the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X remains the best value. Gen 5 prices are approaching Gen 4 territory though, so the gap is closing. By late 2025, Gen 5 could become the default recommendation.