Hi everyone! I'm currently using a Gigabyte GTX 1080Ti graphics card with a Thunderbolt 4 eGPU setup connected to my laptop. I've been getting around 90fps in Battlefield 5 at 2.8K resolution, which is impressive considering my laptop doesn't have its own dedicated GPU. However, I noticed that the GPU-Z tool shows my graphics card only utilizing PCIe x4 3.0, and I'm curious why that is. I've read that the GTX 1080Ti ideally supports up to PCIe x16 3.0, and while Thunderbolt 4 can manage PCIe x4 4.0, I believe my current setup is limiting the card to PCIe x4 3.0. My big question is whether there's any way to modify the GTX 1080Ti to take advantage of PCIe x4 4.0. I thought about doing a BIOS mod, but I couldn't find any relevant info online. Any insights would be super helpful!
3 Answers
Honestly, modifying the GTX 1080Ti to use PCIe 4.0 isn't feasible. It's designed for PCIe 3.0, and there's no way to upgrade that unless you replace it with a newer GPU that supports PCIe 4.0. Just how it is, unfortunately.
I'd recommend checking which enclosure you're using, as compatibility with PCIe 4.0 is still quite rare in many Thunderbolt setups. If you do find a PCIe 4 compatible enclosure, upgrading the GPU could definitely help you get better throughput, but the 1080Ti itself won't support it.
If you’re looking to really enhance performance, consider upgrading to an RTX 3000 series card or newer. They support PCIe 4.0, and while you might notice a bottleneck in some scenarios, the overall improvement would be worth it.
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