Your graphics card will remain an X8 from an X16 if you install another M.2 SSD.
Your graphics card will remain an X8 from an X16 if you install another M.2 SSD.
You're asking about how adding a new M.2 SSD might affect your graphics card's performance. Based on what you've shared, it seems your current setup already has lane sharing happening due to multiple M.2 drives and other expansion cards. Upgrading to a Gen 4 slot for the new card should help free up lanes, but it depends on the exact specifications of both the new card and your existing configuration. It's unlikely to completely eliminate lane sharing unless you significantly increase the number of lanes or use a different drive type.
I agree with your assessment, but remember that many entry-level to mid-range cards start at just eight lanes. This covers models like the 4060 Ti, 4060, and 3050.
Newer systems typically offer 20x lanes from the IOD or uncore of the CPU, a component once called the North Bridge that was merged into the processor during the mid-DDR3 era. For AM4/AM5 models, these 20x connectors run from the CPU level into 16x and 4x paths, supporting primary PCIe expansion and an M.2 port. The remaining 4x of the total 24x is assigned to the chipset, originally referred to as the South Bridge—hence the name, since it used to be two parts. Intel’s configuration differs slightly, but I don’t know of any LGA 1700 CPU lacking this arrangement; its DMI link to the chipset offers higher bandwidth than standard PCIe. DMI essentially matches PCIe speeds, so DMI 4.0 8x provides comparable performance to PCIe 4.0 8x.
Confirmed, it's a Gigabyte RTX 4060. R7 5700X, 16GB, Gigabyte B550, 1Mb SSD, 1HDD. Appreciate the details!