Ever since it was revealed that AMD’s Zen 2-based Ryzen 3000 series processors would natively support next-generation PCI-Express 4.0 connections, there has been a lot of confusion surrounding the topic specific platform support, especially as it pertains to previous generation 300 and 400-series motherboards.
Today, the company has given some clarity on the topic as it broadly states there will be no PCIe 4.0 support on older motherboards, at all.
PCIe 4.0 Support – AMD’s Official Response
After Sweclockers.com originally broke the news, we reached out to AMD’s Robert Hallock for official comment and were given the official company position on the matter.
Users today may find a PCIe 4.0 option available in their pre-X570 motherboards. However, users should expect this option to be disabled when final retail BIOSes are released to implement full performance and stability for new 3rd Gen Ryzen processors. As pre-X570 motherboards were not designed with PCIe 4.0 in mind, their designs may be incapable of running PCIe 4.0 signaling with the requisite stability and performance. To ensure a reliable and consistent experience in the field, PCIe 4.0 will not be an option ultimately available to pre-X570 motherboards. Users may continue with a beta BIOS if they desire, but performance and stability cannot be guaranteed.
Robert Hallock, Senior Technical Marketing Manager, AMD
So, there you have it. If your motherboard received a BIOS beta that features support for PCIe 4.0, you can continue to use it, but your mileage may vary. However, if you want to use the latest AGESA updates for Ryzen 3000, you’ll have to give up PCIe 4.0 support on your older motherboard. In other words, if you want both PCIe 4.0 and the best possible performance and stability, you’ll have to invest in an AMD X570-chipset based motherboard.
