PCIe Bus Upgraded from Gen 3 to PCIe Gen 4

In collaboration with SOPHON, we have resolved a known issue: PCIe bus not reaching Gen 4 levels. This was a software issue and not hardware-related. So, we’re pleased to announce that the Milk-V Pioneer PCIe bus software has been successfully upgraded from Gen 3 to Gen 4.

Optimized PCIe Configuration

After receiving feedback from users and conducting extensive testing, we’ve changed the Milk-V Pioneer’s PCIe bus specifications. The bus has been upgraded from three PCIe x 8 slots to one PCIe x 16 slot plus one PCIe x 8 slot.

The reasons behind this change are:

• The mATX motherboard's compact size lacks adequate space for commonly used PCIe devices (e.g., TPU cards, large GPUs)
• x16 facilitates the installation of higher-speed PCIe devices
• PCIe x16 is backwards compatible with PCIe x8 devices

The benefits include:

• Support for higher-speed PCIe devices
• Compatibility with a wider range of PCIe devices
• Optimized layout for larger PCIe devices (e.g., high-performance GPUs)

Summary

Here are the adjusted Milk-V Pioneer motherboard specifications:

Milk-V Pioneer Motherboard

• Processor: SOPHON SG2042 (64-core C920, RVV 0.71)
• Memory: 4x DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 128 GB RAM
• PCI Express: *1x PCIe x16 slot (PCIe 4.0 x16) + 1x PCIe x16 slot (PCIe 4.0 x8)*
• Storage: 5x SATA
• Size: 24.4 x 24.4 cm
• Power: 1x standard 24-pin ATX power connector
• Ethernet: 2x RJ45 2.5 G
• Wireless: 1x M.2 E KEY (PCIe 3.0 x1 + USB 2.0)
• USB:
  • 8x USB3
  • 1x USB header for front panel (2x USB 3.0)
• Other:
  • 1x misc header for front panel power, reset, LED, etc.
  • 1x SPI Flash for BIOS
  • 1x MicroSD card for recovery or OS loading
  • 2x M.2 M-key 2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4)
  • 1x eMMC module connector

Milk-V Pioneer Box

The Box now utilizes the upgraded Pioneer board, with the following specifications:

• 1x Pioneer motherboard
• 128 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
• 1x 1 TB PCIe 3.0 SSD
• 1x Intel X520-T2 network card with 2x 10 Gbps RJ45 ports
• 1x AMD R5 230 graphics card with HDMI, VGA, and DVI
• 1x MSI A350 350-W power supply
• 1x CPU cooler with PWM Fan
• Slim, white enclosure with handle