PCI Express (PCIe) Generations Compared
Per-lane data rate, x16 bidirectional bandwidth and release year for each PCIe generation.
| Generation | Year | Per lane (GT/s) | x16 bidirectional (approx, GB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCIe 1.0 | 2003 | 2.5 | 8 |
| PCIe 2.0 | 2007 | 5.0 | 16 |
| PCIe 3.0 | 2010 | 8.0 | 32 |
| PCIe 4.0 | 2017 | 16 | 64 |
| PCIe 5.0 | 2019 | 32 | 128 |
| PCIe 6.0 | 2022 | 64 | 256 |
| PCIe 7.0 | 2025 | 128 | 512 |
Method & sources
Per-lane rate (GT/s) are PCI-SIG spec values, roughly doubling each generation. x16 bidirectional bandwidth is an approximate post-encoding figure. Release year is the year the generation's spec was finalized.
Source: https://pcisig.com/
Retrieved: 2026-09
FAQ
- What does "PCI Express (PCIe) Generations Compared" cover?
- It covers PCIe 1.0, PCIe 2.0, PCIe 3.0, PCIe 4.0, PCIe 5.0, PCIe 6.0, PCIe 7.0, compared across: Generation, Year, Per lane (GT/s), x16 bidirectional (approx, GB/s).
- What are the sources and methodology?
- Per-lane rate (GT/s) are PCI-SIG spec values, roughly doubling each generation.
- When was this data last updated?
- The data was retrieved/updated on 2026-09.