GIGABYTE AORUS Z490 motherboards set to support PCIe 4.0

GIGABYTE's AORUS products are usually equipped with the latest technology and aimed towards gamers – with the company's upcoming Z490 motherboards being no exception. The lineup is reported to come with forwards-compatibility for PCIe 4.0.

Based on reports from VideoCardz, GIGABYTE's AORUS Z490 lineup will consist of 14 different boards that are confirmed to be compatible with PCIe 4.0. The article goes on to say that the motherboards' PCIe 4.0 functionality is “limited”, but that it's unclear what this actually means.

It's noteworthy that for PCIe 4.0 to work in the first place the motherboard needs to be outfitted with a CPU that is compatible with the technology – which translates to an Intel 11th generation Core ‘Rocket Lake' processor as we are not expecting the rumoured Comet Lake parts to support PCIe 4.0.

Image credit: VideoCardz

The “Gigabyte PCIe 4.0 hardware design” was also leaked on VideoCardz and is reported to be as follows:

• 2x PCIE 4.0 Slot (Reinforced PCIe 4.0 x16 or x8/x8 with lower impedance)
• M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slot (M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slot with lower impedance)
• PCIE 4.0 Turbo B-Clock (External clock generator for PCIe 4.0 overclocking)
• PCIE 4.0 Switches (Switch PCIe 4.0 x16 into PCIe x8/x8)
• PCIe 4.0 Re-driver (Boost & strengthen PCIe 4.0 signals to longer lengths)
• 3.3x Slot Signal Stability
• 4x Lower Low Signal Loss PCB

So far the pricing and the release date for the upcoming GIGABYTE's AORUS motherboards are unknown. 

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KitGuru says: How much does PCIe 4.0 compatibility mean for you? What are your thoughts on the new lineup from GIGABYTE?

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