PCI Express 4.0 The Manufacturers Want But Intel Not Start

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PCI Express 4.0: The "The Manufacturers Want But Intel Can't" Start.

Can Z490 PCI Express 4.0? And if so, can he? At the start of the chip set for Intel’s Comet-Lake-S-Cpus in socket LGA 1200, the topic is a real curiosity. While some manufacturers directly advertise all the mainboards, others mention it in footnotes and the next one completely silent, Intel says: No! An overview.

For Intel, it stays at PCI Express 3.0

A few weeks ago, when the first documents for the new Z490 mainboards came to the editorial staff under NDA, they offered a surprise: not everywhere, but in many places they were advertised with PCI Express 4.0. The first Cpus for the new platform based on Comet Lake-S still do not offer this standard, which has been known for months, more years. Behind the Cpus is in the core the fourth infusion of Skylake and progress follows the known scheme: more kernels, but no new features.

It is now officially said by Intel that PCI Express 4.0 does not exist. Intel released PCI.

Express 4.0 only with the next generation of processors, codename Rocket Lake-S, it is said in the rumor kitchen. However, this does not preclude the fact that the infrastructure of the new LGA 1200 socket, and therefore the appropriate mainboards, can already handle it.

The mainboard manufacturer is putting this in a difficult position, as Comet Lake-S with Z490 is the most important product start this year. Among other things, they want to advertise the longevity of their expensive flagship mainboards, including support for features that have not yet been announced. Therefore, PCI Express 4.0 definitely does not want to exclude any of the Oems.

Mainboard manufacturer with different procedures.

Even the most cautious manufacturer Asus told Computerbase that it would not officially comment, although this could change in the short term. This indicates that the manufacturer supports it on certain boards, but does not advertise it in advance.

PCI Express 4.0 is not a big issue in marketing, but it is already mentioned. Asrock will also label some of the mainboards as hardware ready". This is to be implemented via an appropriate sticker on the PCI Express slots, which can also hold PCI Gen4 Ssds. According to the computer base, however, this will only apply to the models Asrock Z490 Taichi, Phantom Gaming Velocita, Steel Legend and Extreme4 and the H470 Steel Legend.

Asrocks advertises Pcie 4.0 on some boards.

MSI is also strongly committed to PCI Express 4.0 and displays the feature in the marketing material accordingly. Many mainboards will support PCI Express 4.0, the flagship Z490 Godlike is also equipped with the updated version of the M.2 Xpanders, which also supports PCI Express 4.0.

MSI bet on PCI Express 4.0

Gigabyte goes full in marketing and notes like Asrock on the appropriate boards an appropriate note, which is available at Gigabyte Reserved for the Future". The information provided shows the advantages of Pcie 4.0 compared to previous solutions in theory. And how strongly the manufacturer ultimately relies on this, Gigabyte confirms on demand directly from Taiwan: All of the presented Z490 mainboards will support PCI Express 4.0, least for the first Pcie x16 slot.

Gigabyte Pcie 4.0 (Bild: Gigabyte)
Intel does not guarantee anything.

The problem is that Intel has not yet guaranteed that Rocket Lake-S will really be released for PCI Express 4.0 on the then old" 400s chipsets, as an OEM openly admits to the editors. Manufacturers are thus taking the risk that it will not work after all. Finally, new mainboards and chipsets will be sold again in the coming year, and the 500 series is already in the pipeline.


According to the topic, Intel reacts fast to almost sour. The manufacturer states that the Z490 chipset is not certified for PCI Express 4.0 and mainboard manufacturers are not allowed to discuss this issue. Mainboard manufacturers and Intel are fighting over this point at the start of the platform, because in the future they also want to sell Z590 mainboards, which will probably introduce the feature officially. Clear statements in all directions and openness would have led to much more understanding; the current situation is the complete opposite.

History could repeat itself.




In the end, it could end in a chaos similar to that of AMD at the start of the Ryzen 3000 in July 2019: Theoretically (and also practically) many B450 and X470 mainboards PCI Express 4.0 could easily offer, but in the end a bar for the AMD. The requirements were too uneven, Mainboard A was suitable and Mainboard B was not. A support nightmare would have been possible, so at the end of the AGESA update, only the new products with a 500er chipset were released centrally by AMD. None of the Oems had advertised for the launch of B450 and X470 with PCI Express 4.0.

However, it is said behind my back that the mainboard manufacturers were not completely unhappy about this, as anyone who wants to use Pcie 4.0 has to buy a new expensive X570 board. Here, too, the story could be repeated at Intel.

The situation with the Z490 boards is not completely comparable. Pcie 4.0 is not a new technology but has been on the market for a year. The only question that remains is, can they?

PCI Express 4.0 is not an argument for Z490
For customers, the Pcie-4.0 theme at Intel is difficult to impossible and therefore also easy to solve with a traditional guideline. As usual, there is no real future security for a product in the industry. If you buy hardware now, you should do it for the here and now and not for what may come, and that means: Z490 offers PCI Express 3.0. Today, however, neither Intel nor the mainboard manufacturers make friends with customers.