Question Do all PCIe versions need to be the same?

[YouFilthyHippo]

If I have a PCIe 4.0 GPU, and have a PCIe 3.0 SSD, will my GPU run at 3.0? If I have a PCIe 4.0 GPU, 4.0 SSD, and 3.0 SSD. Will my GPU run at 4.0 and the SSDs both at 4.0 or 3.0? Does the PCIe version have to be the same across all devices or does it matter?

 

[zinkles]

If I have a PCIe 4.0 GPU, and have a PCIe 3.0 SSD, will my GPU run at 3.0? If I have a PCIe 4.0 GPU, 4.0 SSD, and 3.0 SSD. Will my GPU run at 4.0 and the SSDs both at 4.0 or 3.0? Does the PCIe version have to be the same across all devices or does it matter?

It doesn't have to be the same across devices. The device will work according the to speeds of the PCIe version it's plugged into.

If the device is PCIe 4 and plugged into a PCIe 3 slot, it will operate at PCIe 3 speeds.
Same with the GPU. Just because your SSD is PCIe 3 it doesn't limit the GPU to PCIE 3 speeds (unless the GPU is plugged into PCIe 3 slot)

and if you have 2 SSDs, PCIe 3 & 4, they will work according to the pcie version they are, both don't need to be running on the same PCIe version. a PCIe 3 SSD and PCIe 4 SSD will work at their respective speeds and won't be limited to PCIe 3 unless the slot you're plugging it into on the motherboard is PCIe 3.

also note: if you plug a PCIe 3 device into PCIe 4 slot, the device will run at PCIe 3 speeds. so basically the theory is, which ever one (the device or the slot) has the lower PCIe version, it will run at that PCIe version.

 

[Moonstick2]

To be absolutely sure on what will happen, it's best to refer closely to your motherboard manual, and/or post the exact model here for advice. I'm not sure I've ever come across a board where a 3.0 drive forces a 4.0 graphics card into 3.0, but I've seen boards where it can halve the lanes from x16 to x8.