X570 PCI-E lanes offer multiple data pathways for enhanced connectivity.
X570 PCI-E lanes offer multiple data pathways for enhanced connectivity.
You're dealing with a complex PCI-E configuration involving multiple GPUs and a crossfire setup. The main GPU is running at x16 while the discrete GPU is at x4, which seems unusual. You're curious about switching both to 8x lanes to see if it improves performance in Crossfire scenarios. It's worth noting that using one card at x16 and another at x4 might already be optimal, but adjusting lanes could help depending on the workload. Also, moving your M.2 drive closer to the CPU slot may increase available lanes on the PCI-E16x_2 port. Keep in mind that changing lanes won't necessarily boost performance if you're only using one card, and it's important to test thoroughly before making changes.
The top slot connects directly to the CPU; the bottom slot links to the chipset. X16 and X4 are the highest configurations available. The X8/X8 switch controls enabling PCIe splitting, which isn't needed here.
@AbydosOne Thanks again for your assistance. I recently purchased that board just a few days ago and swapped it for a Gigabyte Aorus Pro AX which supports x8/x8 between the PCI-E slots as I thought. I wanted to clarify for anyone else who might encounter this that boards with two PCI-E 16x slots are available for Crossfire in 8x/8x configurations. This isn't the original board you had, since the lower slot was 4x due to chipset limitations. I also researched further and found a forum discussion where someone tested various setups. They mentioned one version worked flawlessly while the other had significant issues. It seemed the buggy model could only handle 16x/4x, whereas the stable one supported 8x/8x. He also pointed out that "Frame Pacing" often caused problems during operation on the slower configuration. Thanks, Moto Fox