Gigabyte Introduces B850 Motherboards with PCI-E 5.0 Support for Enhanced Bandwidth in Expansion Cards and SSDs

Gigabyte has recently introduced its B850 chipset motherboards, which come equipped with PCI-E 5.0 support, enhancing performance for contemporary computing systems.

Comprehensive PCI-E 5.0 Support Across All Gigabyte B850 Models

The advent of AMD’s 800 series motherboards has spurred manufacturers, particularly Gigabyte, to prioritize powerful features regardless of pricing tiers. The inclusion of the PCI-E 5.0 interface is notable across numerous 800-series motherboards; however, Gigabyte ensures that even its most economical options capitalize on the advantages of PCI-E 5.0.

With the launch of its B850 chipset motherboards, Gigabyte guarantees PCI-E 5.0 compatibility across every model. This ranges from the entry-level Gaming Series to the more robust AORUS B850 variants, empowering users to create high-performance gaming and productivity systems that are not only powerful but also future-proof, easily accommodating PCI-E 5.0 graphics cards.

Demystifying PCI-E 5.0: A Leap Forward in Connectivity

PCI-E (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a high-speed interface designed for expansion cards, including GPUs, SSDs, and network cards. Each new generation of PCI-E aims to deliver considerable performance enhancements, typically offering nearly double the bandwidth of its predecessor.

Introduced in 2019, PCI-E 5.0 succeeded PCI-E 4.0 across modern motherboards, including those with AM5 and LGA 1851 chipsets for AMD and Intel platforms. However, not all motherboards provide native PCI-E 5.0 support; some may revert to PCI-E 4.0. As leading GPU manufacturers like NVIDIA and AMD release their latest GPU series, such as the RTX 50 and RX 9000, which utilize PCI-E 5.0, many motherboard manufacturers are now incorporating this technology to keep pace.

PCI-E 5.0 offers significant bandwidth improvements, reaching up to 32 GT/s per lane and allowing for approximately 128 GB/s throughput in the x16 configuration. This heightened capability showcases the full potential of PCI-E 5.0 devices, including cutting-edge graphics cards and high-speed NVMe SSDs. While current performance improvements might be subtle, the advantages are expected to become increasingly apparent with the integration of faster components in the near future.

Enhancing Performance with Gigabyte’s B850 Motherboards

The Gigabyte B850 family is designed to fully utilize PCI-E 5.0 for graphics cards and NVMe SSDs, guaranteeing impressive performance boosts in both games and applications. The reduced latency associated with PCI-E 5.0 results in a more efficient data transmission rate between the CPU and GPU, ultimately reducing bottlenecks and enhancing graphical performance, particularly beneficial for high-resolution gaming and demanding tasks like 3D rendering.

Moreover, PCI-E 5.0 enables SSDs to achieve unparalleled read and write speeds, paving the way for storage manufacturers to release devices that hit up to 14.8 GB/s in read speeds and 13.4 GB/s in write speeds, such as the Samsung 9100 Pro series.

As many SSD developers pivot towards PCI-E 5.0 technology, the support offered by Gigabyte B850 motherboards is invaluable, providing a strong foundation for future-proofing builds that incorporate PCI-E 5.0 components.

Robust Design Features of Gigabyte B850 Motherboards

The B850 chipset motherboards from Gigabyte come equipped with at least one PCI-E 5.0 x16 graphics card slot and a PCI-E 5.0 M.2 slot for SSD deployment. Depending on the specific model, additional PCI-E x16 and M.2 slots may also support PCI-E 4.0.

For example, the B850 AORUS Elite WiFi7 model can accommodate PCI-E 5.0 for up to two NVMe SSDs when paired with the latest Ryzen 9000 series or previous-gen Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 processors. Mid-range boards like the B850 AI TOP are tailored for optimum performance, offering dual M.2 slots with support for multiple PCI-E 5.0 M.2 SSDs.

The Gigabyte B850 series also supports memory capacities up to 256 GB with speeds reaching 8600 MT/s, enabling both CPU and memory overclocking. This remarkable flexibility makes the B850 lineup a top choice for premium gaming and productivity builds, maximizing the efficiency of high-performance CPUs, GPUs, memory, and storage devices.

Several models within the Gigabyte B850 series also feature the ultra-durable PCI-E Armor known as PCI-E UD Slot X, ensuring additional support for heavy graphics cards such as custom RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs. Beyond high-performance slots for expansion cards, these motherboards come equipped with modern connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5 GbE LAN.

Explore the Array of Gigabyte B850 Motherboards

Currently, the Gigabyte B850 series encompasses over a dozen models across AORUS, Eagle, and Gaming lineups, each featuring unique designs and specifications. These motherboards are not only compatible with the latest graphics cards and NVMe SSDs but are also budget-friendly.