PCIe 7.0 Promises Faster Speeds. But Where's PCIe 6?

PCI Express 7 is close to finalization, according to the PCI Special Interest Group, with an expected release later this year. The technology standard, which underpins the performance of motherboards on modern devices, has continuously doubled the data transfer speed on devices with each iteration (16 GT/s in PCIe4.0, 32 GT/s in PCIe 5.0, etc.). 

PCIe 6 was released as a standard in 2022, offering a data rate of 64 GT/s. While this would undoubtedly provide a performance boost to devices and productivity, it’s not commercially available outside of high-end data center and enterprise markets. Part of the problem is architectural: PCIe 6 has tighter power constraints than PCIe 5-enabled devices, and has greater complexity, representing a challenge for consumer motherboards. Another part is market focus; the standard’s usage of PAM4 signaling introduces higher design costs. 

PCIe7 has the potential to leapfrog its previous iteration, with another doubling of data transfer speeds (128 GT/s). Unfortunately, as we’ve seen with PCIe6, new standards can take years before being fully supported or even worth releasing to the consumer or business market. 

In short: If you’re looking forward to seeing a jump in data transfer speeds, don’t hold your breath. PCIe 5 is likely to be the de facto standard in hardware and the practical choice for most users, at least in the short term.

Not sure if your existing hardware is suitable for your needs? Wondering if it’s time to upgrade? Nodal can help! Contact us today.