RX 550 apparently runs at PCIe x4 according to GPU-Z, runs games just fine (relatively), need advice

[emothxughts]

(Full PC specs below my profile pic)

I'm running a Sapphire Pulse RX 550 2GB card right now, while waiting for two of my other more powerful cards to come back from repairs. I noticed that sometimes, after hibernation, when I check GPU-Z, my card is running at PCIe x4 when it reports that it supports PCIe x8. It only goes up to PCIe x4 3.0 when I run the render test. When I restart my PC, it goes back to running at PCIe x8.

Thing is, even at this PCIe x4 state, it runs games just fine (for a weak card like this, that is). For example, I could easily hit 60 fps on Genshin Impact on 1080p 0.6 render resolution low settings, dropping to 40+ fps in some more intensive areas (which it also does in PCIe x8). I could even get to 75 fps in Black Mesa on 1080p low (75 fps because I'm on a 75Hz monitor). And absolutely no black screens or crashes either.

So I'm wondering, is this a bad reading from GPU-Z? Or is it for real, and that I'm seeing no difference with my card running at PCIe x4 because it isn't particularly powerful to begin with?

Edit: I should also mention that I have a wifi adapter card installed under the card.

 

[thewan]

if it just happens intermittently after certain conditions, such as yours, then its just a lane negotiation error between the motherboard and the gpu. It happens sometimes with some combinations of motherboards and gpus. But if it happens with all the gpus you try, you might wanna switch motherboards if it gets too annoying.

 

[izy]

(Full PC specs below my profile pic)

View attachment 278258

I'm running a Sapphire Pulse RX 550 2GB card right now, while waiting for two of my other more powerful cards to come back from repairs. I noticed that sometimes, after hibernation, when I check GPU-Z, my card is running at PCIe x4 when it reports that it supports PCIe x8. It only goes up to PCIe x4 3.0 when I run the render test. When I restart my PC, it goes back to running at PCIe x8.

Thing is, even at this PCIe x4 state, it runs games just fine (for a weak card like this, that is). For example, I could easily hit 60 fps on Genshin Impact on 1080p 0.6 render resolution low settings, dropping to 40+ fps in some more intensive areas (which it also does in PCIe x8). I could even get to 75 fps in Black Mesa on 1080p low (75 fps because I'm on a 75Hz monitor). And absolutely no black screens or crashes either.

So I'm wondering, is this a bad reading from GPU-Z? Or is it for real, and that I'm seeing no difference with my card running at PCIe x4 because it isn't particularly powerful to begin with?

Edit: I should also mention that I have a wifi adapter card installed under the card.

Your slot shows as x8 for some reason , did you try to do a bios reset?

 

[emothxughts]

Your slot shows as x8 for some reason , did you try to do a bios reset?

My mobo's sole PCIe GPU slot is rated for PCIe x16 3.0, it's just that my RX 550 card is rated for max PCIe x8 3.0 (see the TPU GPU database link in my OP). I updated my BIOS last November, to the latest one available on the ASUS site.

if it just happens intermittently after certain conditions, such as yours, then its just a lane negotiation error between the motherboard and the gpu. It happens sometimes with some combinations of motherboards and gpus. But if it happens with all the gpus you try, you might wanna switch motherboards if it gets too annoying.

I've seen this happen with my RX 580 under repair (actually it's already repaired and shipping back home). It's a PCIE x16 card, but it runs at PCIE x8 most of the time according to GPU-Z when it was alive. And a few times even went down to x4 (or was it x2). Also strangely enough like the RX 550, even with the bus interface reading changes, the RX 580 performed just as well as it should in games and benchmarks, if slightly slower due to my undervolts & underclocks to make it run a bit less hotter. Little to no difference in x16, x8 or even x4.

 

[Mr.Scott]

Check Windows power plan. Set to high performance and re-test.

 

[emothxughts]

Check Windows power plan. Set to high performance and re-test.

I changed the power plan from "AMD Ryzen balanced" to "high performance", still read PCIe x4. Restarted my PC, it got back up to PCIE x8. Will hibernate my PC, see what happens to the bus interface reading afterwards.

Edit: It stayed at PCIE x8 after hibernation. Also, one of the differences between the two power states is the Link State Power Management under PCI Express. Could that have something to do with it?