Hey everyone! I recently built a new PC, and I'm having an issue. I have an AORUS X870E Pro motherboard paired with a Ryzen 9 9800X3D CPU and a Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card. For some reason, the RX 9070 XT is only functioning at PCIe 5.0 x8 instead of the expected x16. I've checked everything I could think of: I made sure there are no SSDs using lanes that could potentially interfere with the GPU, I examined the CPU socket for bent pins, and even adjusted the CPU cooler. I've cleaned the PCIe contacts, reset the BIOS, and tried different BIOS settings, but nothing seems to change. I also tested with another GPU, and it still runs at x8. I'm starting to think it might be an issue with the CPU or motherboard. What else can I do to figure out what's wrong or fix it before considering an RMA? Thanks in advance for your help!
3 Answers
It’s also possible that your motherboard is at fault. If you've confirmed everything else is fine and it still runs at x8, it might be a good idea to contact support. Just to clarify, when you're checking GPU-Z, make sure your system is under load — sometimes the speeds can drop when idle!
Have you checked which M.2 slots you're using? If you have an SSD in the second or third slot, it might share lanes with your GPU, causing it to drop to x8. Also, be sure to reset the CMOS by taking out the battery; it's a solid troubleshooting step that you might not have tried yet. It can sometimes clear up these weird issues!
I used the CPU-direct M2_A slot which doesn’t share lanes, so I think that’s not the issue. I haven’t done the battery reset yet, so maybe I should give that a shot!
Just a heads up: if you're not using a riser kit and you're only running one M.2 drive in the first slot, a failing board could indeed be at play here. Given you've tried multiple GPUs and the issue persists, it points more towards the motherboard than anything else!
Good point! I usually check GPU-Z when gaming, but I'll keep that in mind for future checks.