# My GPU is only using one PCI-E lane... and I have no idea how to fix it or if it's even fixable.



## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

New user, first time poster on these forums. I'm desperate for an answer to a problem that has been bugging me for months now.

Before I start, I should mention I'm not a hardware expert whatsoever (far from it, hence why I'm here). So if I phrase or say something that doesn't fully make sense, feel free to let me know.

Ultimately, I've been trying to fix a frame rate issue in Planet Coaster (a simulation roller coaster game made by Frontier). I posted a long and detailed explanation of the issues I'm experiencing on Planet Coaster's tech support forum. I suggest looking through it *here* to get a good overview of the problem, the various solutions I've tried, and other information. But at this point, I now believe there's a larger issue at stake with my hardware.

The devs at Planet Coaster have no idea how to fix my frame rate issue, but I'm being strongly led to believe it has to do with my GPU. Specifically, when I run a render test through GPU-Z, my Bus Interface reads "PCIe x16 2.0 @ x1 2.0" -- and I'm being told that it _should_ read "@ x16 2.0."

Here are my specs:

ASRock H81M-HDS mobo
Intel Core i7-4790K @ 4.00 GHz
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB
16 GBs of RAM
Corsair 500W CX500 PSU
Windows 10 64-bit

So does anyone have any idea why my GPU is running in a non-optimal way? And more importantly, does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix it?

(By the way, I posted this under General Hardware not knowing there was a more appropriate subforum to post it under. Mods, feel free to move this post if necessary.)


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## ZenZimZaliben (Mar 14, 2017)

Check your bios for settings in the PCI-E Configuration options. There might be a x16/x4/x1 option in there you can adjust or was adjusted. Also make sure the GPU is in the slot closest to the CPU.


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> Check your bios for settings in the PCI-E Configuration options. There might be a x16/x4/x1 option in there you can adjust or was adjusted.


Thanks for the suggestion, but that was something the Planet Coaster folks already suggested I look into. *Here's a link directly to that discussion.*

To summarize the discussion: The UEFI settings under PCIE1 Link Speeds are Gen1, Gen2, and Gen3. I tried all three and they did not solve the frame rate issues, nor did the Bus Interface show "@ x16 2.0."

Also, my GPU is in the correct slot, *as shown here.* My mother board in fact only has one slot into which my GPU could possibly be installed.


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## EarthDog (Mar 14, 2017)

Bios updated to the latest version?

So... everything else works fine except for this game? I'm wondering since it's not really graphics intensive and the other games work fine, the card isn't ramping up to 3d speeds and leaving the port in its lower speed state as well.

When you test on gpuz, it doesn't ramp up???


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> Bios updated to the latest version?


Yes. Through UEFI, I "Internet Flashed" (whatever that means) to the most up-to-date version 2.20.







http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H81M-HDS/?cat=Download&os=BIOS


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## ZenZimZaliben (Mar 14, 2017)

In the device manager under System Devices what does it show for PCIE Express Root Port? 

Oh wait so you are only seeing this issue with Only this one specific game and not all games?


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 14, 2017)

I'm pretty sure it should read x16 @3.0

 Your motherboard supports nothing higher than what you're getting

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H81M-HDS/

i see no gpuz screenshot, but from what he posted, it matches what Asrock says that board rates for...


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## Aenra (Mar 14, 2017)

Look at the 'Bus Interface' in the GPUz pic he uploaded, it doesn't say what it should be saying..

@ OP, are you sure the issue is only with this one game?

(stupid question: Is there any chance whatsoever there is something [dirt for example] blocking the actual GPU's pins from making proper contact with the PCIe mobo slot? And/or any chance something there has broken or been bent?)


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## LightningJR (Mar 14, 2017)

When I have that issue I usually fix it by reseating the GPU. I blow on the PCI-E slot too (like a NES cartridge)

Works every time


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> In the device manager under System Devices what does it show for PCIE Express Root Port?
> 
> Oh wait so you are only seeing this issue with Only this one specific game and not all games?


I wasn't entirely sure how to answer this question since I'm seeing more than one thing that reads Root Port, so I just took a screenshot of what I'm looking at.


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## newtekie1 (Mar 14, 2017)

Have you tried pulling the card out of the computer and re-inserting it?


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 14, 2017)

Aenra said:


> Look at the 'Bus Interface' in the GPUz pic he uploaded, it doesn't say what it should be saying..
> 
> @ OP, are you sure the issue is only with this one game?
> 
> (stupid question: Is there any chance whatsoever there is something [dirt for example] blocking the actual GPU's pins from making proper contact with the PCIe mobo slot? And/or any chance something there has broken or been bent?)



i see no gpuz screenshot, but from what he posted, it matches what Asrock says that board rates for...






if op is getting what he posted 





ӕolus said:


> my Bus Interface reads "PCIe x16 2.0 @ x1



hes getting what asrock has listed for that board, unless @op typo'd the OP


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## Aenra (Mar 14, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> i see no gpuz screenshot, but from what he posted, it matches what Asrock says that board rates for...



He did, look at post #5, bottom left.


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

LightningJR said:


> When I have that issue I usually fix it by reseating the GPU. I blow on the PCI-E slot too (like a NES cartridge)
> 
> Works every time



I resat my GPU several times when I was originally investigating whether it was installed in the wrong slot, as some people were suggesting. And yes, I even blew into it like an NES cartridge.



ZenZimZaliben said:


> In the device manager under System Devices what does it show for PCIE Express Root Port?
> 
> Oh wait so you are only seeing this issue with Only this one specific game and not all games?



Yes. All my other games run great. But as the devs at Frontier have repeatedly explained to me, Planet Coaster cannot be compared to games like BF1, GTA V, etc., precisely because it's a simulation game and very CPU-demanding.



Aenra said:


> Look at the 'Bus Interface' in the GPUz pic he uploaded, it doesn't say what it should be saying..
> 
> @ OP, are you sure the issue is only with this one game?



Yup. And here's the most insane part about this, guys: (I'm copying/pasting this from my Planet Coaster post)

I bought this game before Christmas and put about 15 hours into this game. After Christmas, I installed some new hardware, which included the i7, the GTX 1060, and 8 GB of additional RAM. Before I installed those upgrades, I was running Planet Coaster at a consistent 50-60 frame rate on an Intel Core i3, a SAPPHIRE DUAL-X Radeon R9 270 GPU, and of course 8 GBs less of RAM. ...

... my frame rate issues appeared only *AFTER* I substantially upgraded my system from lower end hardware that was arguably barely even at minimum spec. Explain that one to me. (I even reinstalled the lower end hardware and removed the added RAM to see if the game would work again as it did at ~60 fps. Yup. It did.)


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## newtekie1 (Mar 14, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> i see no gpuz screenshot, but from what he posted, it matches what Asrock says that board rates for...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



He should be getting 2.0 x16, not 2.0 x1 like he is getting.

The 2.0 x1 is for the small slot that won't even fit a graphics card.


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## Aenra (Mar 14, 2017)

So basically, your issue began after unmounting the old and mounting the new. Like three of us mentioned already, do try re-sitting your GPU? And while at it, check and see if there's anything bent, scratched or broken? Be it in the mobo slot, or the GPU?

About the GPUz, i meant that it should be showing the specific PCIe, but it's not.


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 14, 2017)

thats odd, id try to check the interface speed with another program possible.......it just says PCI express in his SS....

should look like this...except his board doesnt support this higher Rev..


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## ZenZimZaliben (Mar 14, 2017)

So if you run another game it works at 2.0 x16?


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 14, 2017)

ӕolus said:


> .


open your Nvidia control panel, and click system info in the bottom left corner, see what interface speed says there maybe?


like this...


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> thats odd, id try to check the interface speed with another program possible.......it just says PCI express in his SS....
> 
> should look like this...except his board doesnt support this higher Rev..


Yes, sorry. In the above screen, I'm not sure why the Bus Interface only reads "PCI-E Express." Here's another screen that may help. (FYI: I have GPU-Z running to the right of the example -- the one without the red highlight)


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 14, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> He should be getting 2.0 x16, not 2.0 x1 like he is getting.


i know, he posted differently in the OP tho, so i was confused...


ӕolus said:


> my Bus Interface reads "PCIe x16 2.0 @ x1



the 16 threw me off...


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> open your Nvidia control panel, and click system info in the bottom left corner, see what interface speed says there maybe?
> 
> 
> like this...


Next to "Bus:" it reads "PCI Express x16 Gen2"


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## ZenZimZaliben (Mar 14, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> Bios updated to the latest version?
> 
> So... everything else works fine except for this game? I'm wondering since it's not really graphics intensive and the other games work fine, the card isn't ramping up to 3d speeds and leaving the port in its lower speed state as well.
> 
> When you test on gpuz, it doesn't ramp up???



I think earthdog is on to something here. If it works in other games, then it is not detecting this as a game needing full power.

You need to manually force it.

open the nvidia control panel

Go to 'Manage 3D Settings'

'Program Settings' tab

Find the .exe for the game having issues

Find the Feature 'Power Management Mode'

Set it to 'Prefer Maximum Performance'

Apply

Fixed.


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## EarthDog (Mar 14, 2017)

If jboydgolfer didn't have me on ignore...... it's like an echo chamber... but with instructions on the echo. He showed screenshots of gpuz without the tester running my thin skinned friend. 

 lBeing serious, I have unanswered questions and same with zim.... we could end this if those are answered and followed. 

The screenshot shows its in idle and not with the load test in gpuz... I'm betting it's the game amd zims instructions resolve it.


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 14, 2017)

ӕolus said:


> Next to "Bus:" it reads "PCI Express x16 Gen2"



 I must be missing something here because if it says PCI express GEN 2 X16 , then he's getting the speeds that the motherboard rates for on  asrocks website

Unless I'm reading their website specs incorrectly,which is possible


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> So if you run another game it works at 2.0 x16?


Well, what I meant was that I'm not experiencing any other debilitating frame rate issues in any other games.

Out of curiosity, I just ran Battlefront with GPU-Z running to see if my GPU was working at 2.0 x16.

Nope. It still reads PCIe x16 2.0 @ x1 2.0

So I don't think this issue is limited to Planet Coaster. I'm just not experience similar issues with other games.



jboydgolfer said:


> are you Running the render test when taking the screenshots??? cuz it wont say its highest speeds unless a graphic load is applied...just making sure..its happened before in the past with others asking same question


Sorry. In the last screen I posted, the render test was not running. I'll post another screen in a moment while running the render test.


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)




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## jboydgolfer (Mar 14, 2017)

ӕolus said:


>




i think someone else will need to help You, im unable to even understand what the issue is, best of luck with this , and i hope your next thread is under better circumstances .... Welcome to TPU.


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> I think earthdog is on to something here. If it works in other games, then it is not detecting this as a game needing full power.
> 
> You need to manually force it.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it, but unfortunately Planet Coaster is still running at 10-20 fps.


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## EarthDog (Mar 14, 2017)

Sorry for not sorting through the other threads you linked..

..but have you tried using CCleaner or DDU to wipe drivers clean then install the latest version ?


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## Aenra (Mar 14, 2017)

Beyond me too; the first GPUz pic you posted here showed something going wrong at least, i mean something to focus at 
The second one eliminates it, lol

Since however you actually -do- experience this elsewhere too as you just mentioned, i'd really take it off in your shoes, have a good look (flashlight if necessary), then resit it.


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## ZenZimZaliben (Mar 14, 2017)

Well then now it is time to narrow it down. If you have a spare PCIE video card..install it and see what it says. If it fails then its the motherboard...IF works then it is the 1060.


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## Vya Domus (Mar 14, 2017)

For my board if I change the CPU base clock it will switch to PCIe 2.0 1x and stay there regardless of any other PCIe related setting in the BIOS. So I suspect as well this is something to do with the BIOS , I haven't looked through all the comments but I suppose you did try to load default settings ?


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> Sorry for not sorting through the other threads you linked..
> 
> ..but have you tried using CCleaner or DDU to wipe drivers clean then install the latest version ?



Yes, I tried that.



Aenra said:


> Beyond me too; the first GPUz pic you posted here showed something going wrong at least, i mean something to focus at
> The second one eliminates it, lol
> 
> Since however you actually -do- experience this elsewhere too as you just mentioned, i'd really take it off in your shoes, have a good look (flashlight if necessary), then resit it.



I resat it again as you asked. I was as careful and deliberate as I could muster... but GPU-Z still says "PCIe x16 2.0 @ x1 2.0"

Out of curiosity, what does "take it off in your shoes" mean? I'm in my slippers, so perhaps I made a catastrophic mistake.


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## ӕolus (Mar 14, 2017)

Vya Domus said:


> For my board if I change the CPU base clock it will switch to PCIe 2.0 1x and stay there regardless of any other PCIe related setting in the BIOS. So I suspect as well this is something to do with the BIOS , I haven't looked through all the comments but I suppose you did try to load default settings ?


I have indeed tried this. I loaded the default settings in UEFI and unfortunately it had no effect.


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## Ferrum Master (Mar 14, 2017)

Could you take pictures of your GPU pcie slot parts. Both sides... I have a feeling about missing parts.


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## Vya Domus (Mar 14, 2017)

ӕolus said:


> I have indeed tried this. I loaded the default settings in UEFI and unfortunately it had no effect.



At this point to me the only thing left to blame is the motherboard slot, it wouldn't be the first time I have heard of partially broken PCIe slots causing similar issues. If you are willing to do it maybe try an OS reinstall , all kinds of weird issues I have seen being fixed by this , including some that I have encountered which I could not figure out for the life of me.


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## INSTG8R (Mar 14, 2017)

I'm gonna take a left here and ask have you installed the latest chipset drivers for your Motherboard?


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## xorbe (Mar 14, 2017)

What are the gpu clocks while the offending game is running? Post screen cap of MSI AB chart.

spool up your CPU: Control Panel -> power -> max perf -> cpu min 100%

spool up your GPU: nv cp -> 3d settings -> prefer max perf (not just one *.exe)

If both of those maintain top clocks, and MSI AB chart looks good, then something is tweaked in your PC setup, malware, etc.


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## Jetster (Mar 14, 2017)

Whats your heaven 4.0 score at max settings 1080

Or is it just the one game?


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## jaggerwild (Mar 14, 2017)

Try a different PCI-E Slot.


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## Jetster (Mar 15, 2017)

If its just the one game then it must be coding right?


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## dorsetknob (Mar 15, 2017)

jaggerwild said:


> Try a different PCI-E Slot.


OP only has one PCIx16 Slot and one PCIx1 Slot

1 x PCIe 2.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 
so kind of pointless trying other Slot


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## ӕolus (Mar 15, 2017)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> Well then now it is time to narrow it down. If you have a spare PCIE video card..install it and see what it says. If it fails then its the motherboard...IF works then it is the 1060.


I just reinstalled my old Sapphire Radeon R9 270and ran a render test. It reads:






Out of curiosity, I booted up Planet Coaster with my old graphics card installed. And guess what?

*The game runs perfectly.
*
So doesn't that rule out the possibility that the motherboard is the issue?

And wouldn't this also rule out that my PCI-E lanes are the issue, here? I'm getting the same @ x1 2.0 reading with my Radeon R9 270 as I got with my GTX 1060, and the game works fine.

Is it possible I'm getting a misreading from GPU-Z, and I'm _actually _running at x16 2.0? I've read elsewhere that GPU-Z has given people inaccurate readings on this _exact_ topic.


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## revin (Mar 15, 2017)

I'd do a fresh install just to eliminate any other issue before the dreaded thought of a bad card


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## ӕolus (Mar 15, 2017)

Jetster said:


> If its just the one game then it must be coding right?


Honestly, that's what I've suspected from the very beginning. That the game itself is just poorly optimized.

But don't bring that up with Frontier devs because they'll flip out and basically tell you you're an idiot.



INSTG8R said:


> I'm gonna take a left here and ask have you installed the latest chipset drivers for your Motherboard?


Yes, all my mobo drivers are up-to-date.



revin said:


> I'd do a fresh install just to eliminate any other issue before the dreaded thought of a bad card


A fresh install of what? The game? Because I've tried that, like, 10 times.

The GPU? I've resat the thing maybe a dozen times now.


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## revin (Mar 15, 2017)

*@aeolus* could you go ahead and fill out your system spec's it's too hard to back track to find them Thanks

Windows


ӕolus said:


> A fresh install of what? The game? Because I've tried that, like, 10 times.
> 
> The GPU? I've resat the thing maybe a dozen times now.


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## EarthDog (Mar 15, 2017)

Please dont triple post.. add to your posts with the edit function... mods will get ya!


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## ӕolus (Mar 15, 2017)

revin said:


> *@aeolus* could you go ahead and fill out your system spec's it's too hard to back track to find them Thanks
> 
> Windows


I've actually done that already. I was originally running Planet Coaster (and encountering this PCIe issue) on Windows 7.

Someone suggested upgrading to Windows 10 because it was possible the game would run better.

So I shelled out the cash and I did a clean install of Win10. But it didn't affect either the game's performance or the PCIe issue.


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## ZenZimZaliben (Mar 15, 2017)

ӕolus said:


> I've actually done that already. I was originally running Planet Coaster (and encountering this PCIe issue) on Windows 7.
> 
> Someone suggested upgrading to Windows 10 because it was possible the game would run better.
> 
> So I shelled out the cash and I did a clean install of Win10. But it didn't affect either the game's performance or the PCIe issue.



So the issue is with the code. The developers and support will not admit it. Pretty clear they didn't optimize it


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## ӕolus (Mar 15, 2017)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> So the issue is with the code. The developers and support will not admit it. Pretty clear they didn't optimize it


Thank you.

This has been driving me insane because they really had me convinced that the problem was exclusively on my end.


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## newtekie1 (Mar 15, 2017)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> So the issue is with the code. The developers and support will not admit it. Pretty clear they didn't optimize it



No, that is not the case at all.  Planet Coaster just relies more heavily on the PCI-E bus than other games.  Some games will run just fine on a GPU that is only running at x1, other games will struggle.

At the same time, a stronger GPU will be bottlenecked greatly by running at x1 while a lower end card won't.  This is why the game runs just fine on the old R9 270.  The R9 270 is not bottlenecked by the x1 slot speed.  And, IIRC, Planet Coaster also auto adjusts game settings to match the graphics card, so it will run smoother on the R9 270, because it is automatically turning down some game settings.

The problem is the slot is only allowing graphics cards to run at x1.  This is a problem that needs to be fixed, not something to just blame on the developers of the game.

Now, the problem can be a lot of things.  Some times it can be a damaged video card, but we already eliminated that possibility by switching cards.  Since both cards have the problem, we know it isn't caused by the graphics cards.

That leave a few other possibilities.  

The PCI-E slot on the motherboard itself could be damaged.  This is hard to test for.  
The card might not be going all the way into the slot like it should.  OP, I suggest making sure the back tab is clicking into place when you insert the graphics card.
The new CPU could be faulty.  The PCI-E lanes are connected directly to the CPU.  If the CPU is bad it might not be activating the PCI-E lanes like it should.
The CPU cooler could be over-tightened(if you are using non-stock cooling).  I've seen this happen.  Again, because the PCI-E lanes are connected to the CPU, if you over-tighten the CPU cooler it can actually cause the motherboard to flex.  This causes a bad connection between the CPU and the motherboard, and the PCI-E lanes to not work properly.

My next step would be to put the old CPU back in, with the stock cooler.  Then see if you are getting an x16 link with the graphics card.  If you are, put the 4970K back in, with the stock cooler, and see if that gives you the x16.  If it does, then put your aftermarket cooler back on, if you were using one, but don't tighten it as much.


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## Aenra (Mar 15, 2017)

@ӕolus just an expression, "were i in your shoes", as in "if i were you" 

May sound like a chore after all the effort you've already put in, but i'd take newtekie's advice.

Also, you haven't fully filled out your sys specs. Do you by any chance own an nvme? Plug that in where your GPU's meant to be. Open up its software suite, see what it reads as (you're looking for something similar to GPUz's PCIe reading) and/or run a crystal mark and post the results here.
Barring that, do you have a Thunderbolt expansion card maybe? A firewire? They too will do, same trick, plug them in the GPU's slot; we're just testing speeds, ie the actual lane's potential.

edit: and totally random, lol, but i didn't ignore you when you tagged me. Lost internet connectivity. Dog had fight with LAN cable. Dog won.


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## toilet pepper (Mar 15, 2017)

A shot in the dark here. It is pretty much hard to find a game where a dev would not optimize for nvidia. I've seen a lot of games that would work like crap on amd but not nvidia. Without anything running afaik gpuz would still report the correct pcie. I would suggest reseating the cpu as well and try the eraser method on the pcie connector of the 106o.


Edit: typo. Using my phone.


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## ӕolus (Mar 18, 2017)

These are good suggestions. It's not too much of a chore if I can actually find the answer to all this, or at least narrow down where the problem lies.

I'm out of town at the moment, but as soon as I'm back tomorrow or Monday, I'll try newtekie1's tips.


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## JalleR (Mar 18, 2017)

It could also be that you have bend some of the pins in the motherboard when you swapped the cpu, but what newtekie1 said is what you need to do, but be careful the pins on the motherboard is bending easily...

good luck


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## davidm71 (Mar 24, 2017)

Run HWInfo64 and drill down the pci-e bus tree listings and see what it says for comparison against gpu-z. Sounds like a faulty pci-e lane.


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