While browsing for a B550 motherboard, I discovered something I wanted to check...
While browsing for a B550 motherboard, I discovered something I wanted to check...
Apparently some motherboards will throttle your PCI-E 4.0 GPU slot from x16 to x8 if you populate 2 or more of the M.2 slots. Not just with PCI-E 4 M.2's either, just one PCI-4 and one PCI-E 3 will cause the GPU slot to gimp. If this is true I think it needs to be more clearly pointed out in product descriptions, if this is nonsense then that too needs to be dealt with and squashed. Anyone know which way this goes for sure?
This depends on the particular board, and checking the detailed specs or manual will show you the PCIe layout on the board. PCIe Gen 3 and Gen 4 use identical lanes, so it shouldn’t affect how many lanes devices get. Switching from x8 to x16 for a GPU usually doesn’t create a noticeable impact either.
I believed it did. If it seems unimportant, maybe it's just a small marketing angle. Or could there be a real difference in FPS, even if it's barely noticeable?
The deal stands at 4.0, which is double the speed of 3.0, and 3.0 is double the rate of 2.0. A 2080ti can barely exceed half of a 16x3.0 configuration, matching around 8x4.0—so you won’t be able to fully fill the bus even with a 3090 if it’s limited to x8. Advertising keeps moving forward. Cards are improving rapidly. If you shrink an x16 to an x8, you gain eight lanes free. An M.2 chip will consume only four slots, making it practical to double them both.
I also own an ASUS TUF Plus, but I suspect it's no longer functional. I purchased most of these components about ten months ago, intending to install them in November or December when the new GPUs were released, but we’ve seen that pattern before. I mistakenly left everything lying around until now, and the Mobo appears to have failed completely, so I’m starting anew. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wDbXwz
I think I'll go with x570. Usually it's not significantly pricier, and it lets you use two Gen 4 SSDs at full capacity, plus the GPU runs at x16.
Remaining a challenging decision. It's difficult to locate them with a Type-C port on the front cover.