PCIe 3.0 x4 / x16 ?

[rex9951]

I've not been keeping up with PC standards for some time now. I am looking at getting an internal SSD and want to know if a PCI Express 3.0 x4 based SSD would work in a PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot ?

I really only uses my PC for rather simple tasks, not demanding video games. I appreciate fast boot up time and fast response time. The prices on the SATA 3 SSDs I've looked at and the PCIe 3.0 SSDs vary by as little as $40. So, I'm wondering, am I going to notice a performance difference between the two given my type of PC use ?

 

[drtweak]

Yes all PCIe are backwards and forwards compatible along with the socket size. You could put a x16 card in a x1 slot and it will just run at x1 speeds.

as far as going with a PCIe SSD you won't see much difference between a PCIe SSD and a SATA 3.0 SSD as they are still somewhat limited. If you want fast speed then you need a NVMe card.

But honestly a normal SATA 3 SSD is more than enough that anyone really needs.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The answer to your first question is yes, a PCIe 3.0 x 4 solid state drive will normally work in a PCIe 3.0 x 16 slot providing the ssd requirements are met.

The answer to your second question is most mainstream consumers probably will not notice a performance difference between similar ssd's. The difference might be noticeable when transferring extremely large data files, when working with very heavy loads, or professional film editing.

As for fast boot up time, it will definitely vary. There are too many non-ssd factors and variables that can affect boot up time.