Several users of AMD’s X670E motherboards are reportedly facing performance issues when using PCIe Gen 5 and Gen 4 SSDs. Instead of the blazing-fast read and write speeds PCIe Gen 5 promises, users noticed that their SSDs are running at Gen 1 speeds.

The issue seems widespread as both Asus and MSI X670E motherboards are affected. Oddly enough, AMD’s B650, B650E, or even X670 motherboards are unaffected. Performance drop isn’t the only issue, as several users have also mentioned boot problems with Windows, where the system fails to recognize or boot from their PCIe Gen 5 SSDs.

According to memory and SSD maker Crucial, the issue is not with the AMD X670E chipset. Rather the problem is how AMD has designed the PCI-Express I/O of the X670E platform, specifically the PCIe Gen 5-capable M.2 NVMe interfaces connected to the CPU. The statement in question has been removed, but Wccftech archived it.

The company also suggests that users can move their drives to an M.2 Gen 4 slot connected directly to the X670E chipset and wait until motherboard vendors release a new BIOS firmware update.

As per some forum posts, running X670E motherboards with a graphics card in the first slot has led to reports of people experiencing similar issues. Switching to PCIe Gen 4 speeds or using a Gen 4 SSD resolved the problem, leading them to believe the issue was with Gen 5 SSDs. However, after testing different Gen 5 drives from various manufacturers, they discovered that the problem persisted, suggesting the issue might lie with motherboard compatibility.

There has been no official statement from AMD or any of the major motherboard manufacturers addressing the PCIe Gen 5 performance issue. However, based on user reports, firmware updates are being rolled out regularly, which could indicate that manufacturers are aware of the problem and working on a solution.

For AMD’s part, the company has emphasized the importance of PCIe Gen 5 in its future ecosystem of high-performance components, including its new X870 and X870E motherboards for the Ryzen 9000 series. It’s anticipated that updates from both AMD and third-party motherboard manufacturers will improve compatibility and performance for PCIe Gen 5 SSDs on X670E boards.

If you’re building a new system or upgrading an existing one, you may be wondering whether to invest in a PCIe Gen 5 SSD at this time, given the current issues with X670E motherboards. While these SSDs offer theoretical speed advantages that surpass Gen 4 drives, the reality is that most users won’t notice a huge difference in everyday tasks — especially if the SSD isn’t performing at full speed due to motherboard limitations.

For now, sticking with a PCIe Gen 4 SSD might be a safer bet for users who want reliable performance without the risk of boot failures or throttled speeds. Gen 4 SSDs still offer excellent read/write speeds (up to 7 GB/s) and are more than capable of handling demanding workloads, whether that’s gaming, video editing, or data processing.