If your new graphics card is operating at 8x speeds, listed here are some troubleshooting suggestions

One of the finer joys of constructing a gaming PC is putting in your brand-new graphics card – the gadget that throws a show in your display screen and allows you to run video games at higher resolutions and settings. Much like each different desktop element, these playing cards are additionally responsible of not posing any issues till you go looking for them.
Sometimes, GPUs (Graphical Processing Units) are inclined to run at slower speeds (8x or under), proper out of the packaging. This might be for a variety of causes like motherboard points, defective GPU, and even points together with your CPU’s PCIe lanes. So, we’ve got listed under various troubleshooting methods so that you can resolve speed-related points together with your new graphics card.
How to verify in case your graphics card is operating on the desired speeds?
Using a free, downloadable software program known as GPU-Z, one may verify the specs or different particulars corresponding to its validation, reminiscence clock, and temperatures. Now, when you head over to the Bus Interface part, you’ll be capable to see particulars relating to the interface and the bandwidth.
GPU bandwidth caught at 8x. (Screenshot)
Here, when you see the worth as “PCIe x16 3.0 @ x16,” then all the pieces is working as meant. If not, you may find yourself seeing an “x8” on the finish, which is half the velocity. Most fashionable GPUs are inclined to set speeds on the lowest doable worth underneath gentle masses. So, we may run a stress check to verify if the worth rises underneath elevated masses.
Clicking the query mark (?) icon proper subsequent to the bus interface info masses up a render check. (Screenshot)
This might be executed by clicking the query mark (?) icon proper subsequent to it, which opens up a render check on a separate window, taking the GPU utilization to 99 or 100%. During this course of, if the worth adjustments to “x16,” you’re good. If not, you want to discover what’s inflicting the difficulty.

Check GPU set up
The very first thing to do can be to verify whether or not the GPU is put in on the topmost PCI-E x16 slot. Since most fashionable motherboards include multiple PCI-E slots, then the primary one runs on the most bandwidth, which is 16x. The second slot, nonetheless, runs at 8x velocity solely.
Make certain your graphics card is put in on the topmost slot i.e., the one with x16 PCIe lanes. (Image credit score: Rock Paper Shotgun)
Sometimes, the best issues like mud particles or remnants of guarantee stickers may result in this situation. Reseating the GPU after cleansing the connector contacts with isopropyl alcohol or an eraser is an effective way to eliminate the impurities and a few of the carbon. It’s additionally suggested to make it possible for the slot on the motherboard is clear, which could be achieved by blowing compressed air.
If your GPU requires exterior energy connectors, then make it possible for they’re plugged in correctly. Normally, if the 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe connector just isn’t absolutely plugged in or is defective, the pc refuses besides. However, there are circumstances the place the GPU will nonetheless work however run at comparatively decrease speeds.
Shared PCI-E Lanes
An NVMe SSD put in in your laptop may devour a few of the PCIe lanes of the CPU, inflicting your card to run at 8x velocity as a substitute of 16x. Unless your working system is put in on the NVMe SSD, which normally is, you may strive eradicating it from the motherboard and verify if the difficulty nonetheless persists. If not, then it’s in all probability resulting from different enlargement playing cards corresponding to a sound card, community card or an inner seize card.

APU paired with a GPU
If you could have an APU (CPUs that include built-in show) paired with a GPU, you’re very more likely to encounter this drawback. Most lower-end APUs have fewer PCIe lanes than CPUs. If we take AMD’s Ryzen 3 2200g or a Ryzen 5 2400g with Vega graphics for instance, you’ll discover that they solely have 12 PCIe lanes. 8 of that are reserved for the graphics card, whereas the remaining 4 are for storage (NVMe SSD).
Now, when you evaluate this to a CPU with out show like AMD’s Ryzen 5 1600 or a Ryzen 5 2600, you’ll discover that these have 20 PCIe lanes. Out of which 16 is reserved for the discrete graphics card, whereas the remaining 4 lanes are reserved for storage. So, the one method for a low-end APU proprietor to get full velocity (x16) is by getting a brand new, extra highly effective CPU.
Better processors such because the Ryzen 5 2600 have 20 PCIE lanes – 16 for graphics card and 4 for storage. (Image credit score: TechSpot)
Even then, normally, this drawback solely exists when you pair an NVIDIA card with an AMD APU. Pairing an AMD card with an AMD APU mustn’t carry this drawback to the floor. The AMD to AMD pairing will benefit from an 8x + 8x GPU configuration leading to a complete of 16x velocity.
Intel CPUs, then again, don’t devour PCIe lanes whereas energetic. So, it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s paired with an NVIDIA or an AMD GPU. As lengthy because it’s put in on the topmost slot, it ought to run at 16x velocity.

Disable USB 3.0 Turbo
The Turbo characteristic consumes the CPU PCIe lanes on the expense of some added increase in USB 3.0 velocity. This consumption may then end in slower GPU speeds. The characteristic is accessible on most older Gigabyte motherboards and could be disabled by way of the BIOS, underneath the Integrated Peripheral part.
GIGABYTE BIOS – USB Configuration underneath the Peripherals tab. (AnandTech – Screenshot)
Update BIOS
Finally, you may strive updating the motherboard BIOS. Using a USB flash drive, you may obtain the most recent bios out of your motherboard producer’s web site and safely boot into your PC to put in it. Updating the BIOS additionally has a bunch of benefits to it together with safety fixes and assist for newer {hardware}. Just be sure to don’t lose energy or are hooked to a UPS through the updating course of. Loss of energy halfway may result in your motherboard getting hard-bricked.

If not one of the above strategies work, it may imply that both your motherboard or your graphics card itself is defective. And even then, the distinction in speeds isn’t all that noticeable. If your system’s PCIe era is 3.0 or above, the efficiency distinction between an x8 and an x16 configuration is merely 1 to 2 p.c at most. That too, when noticed at 1440p gaming. Even a high-end graphics card corresponding to an RTX 3080 hasn’t been in a position to saturate all the x8 lane. A Titan V, nonetheless, can do it, albeit simply barely.