PCIe 5.0 SSDs Don't Boost Game Frames: Tom's Hardware Tests
Tests in 11 AAA games show that moving from SATA to PCIe NVMe, or from PCIe 4.0 to 5.0, barely affects FPS, but noticeably cuts load times.
Upgrading to a PCIe 5.0 SSD for higher game frames is a marketing trap. Research from Tom's Hardware, published in Quasar Zone, confirms: for most games, the storage interface doesn't matter.
What was tested and what was found
The team tested 11 popular AAA titles: Forspoken, Alan Wake 2, Ratchet & Clank: Time Travel, Spider-Man 2, Starfield, Doom: Dark Ages, Dead Space Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077, and others. The comparison included drives on SATA, PCIe 3.0, PCIe 4.0, and the newest PCIe 5.0 interfaces.
The results are clear: average FPS (frames per second) is practically independent of the SSD generation. The difference between SATA and PCIe NVMe, as well as between PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0, is invisible during gameplay.
However, there is a nuance you cannot ignore: the 1% Low FPS metric. Here, SATA drives really lag behind NVMe. The limited bandwidth of the SATA interface can cause micro-stutters when large textures are loaded instantly in a game.
Why PCIe 5.0 doesn't work in games?
Modern games mostly work with small data blocks (32–64 KB) and use random disk access. The high sequential read/write speed advertised by PCIe 5.0 SSD manufacturers is practically unused in current game architecture.
Therefore, upgrading from PCIe 4.0 to PCIe 5.0 gives a theoretical speed boost, but the difference in real-world load times remains minimal.
What does this mean for buyers?
If your budget is limited, it's better to invest in a graphics card, processor, or RAM. For gaming, a standard PCIe 4.0 SSD with good price-to-volume ratio is enough. Buying a top-tier PCIe 5.0 drive doesn't pay off in gaming right now.
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