For PC enthusiasts investing in a PCIe Gen 5 solid-state drive (SSD), speed is paramount. However, some users with AMD X670E motherboards are reporting dishearteningly low read and write speeds with their Gen 5 SSDs, which could undermine the performance they expected from such a premium investment.
Forums are buzzing with complaints from owners of MSI and Asus motherboards equipped with the X670E chipset, indicating that their high-speed drives are being throttled to PCIe Gen 1 speeds. This means that instead of achieving the anticipated read speeds of 10GB/s or more, these drives are performing at a meager 1GB/s on an x4 lane. Such drastic reductions in speed not only negate the benefits of upgrading to Gen 5 but also result in performance levels comparable to much older storage technology, raising significant concerns for users relying on high-speed data access.
WCCFTech has cited a now-removed statement from a Crucial representative, which suggested that the issue might stem from the “first” M.2 slot on the motherboard. This slot often shares PCIe lanes with the primary PCIe expansion slot, where users typically install their graphics cards. Consequently, moving the SSD to a different M.2 slot might alleviate the speed throttling but could also mean sacrificing performance by reverting to Gen 4 speeds.
Some users have found relief with recent BIOS updates from MSI, claiming that these updates resolved the speed issues. However, others are still experiencing the problem despite the updates. For those facing difficulties with their newly upgraded AMD-based desktops, trying to relocate the SSD to a different slot may be a viable troubleshooting step, but it’s equally crucial to ensure that all data is backed up securely before making any changes.
