GeForce GTX 480 SLI PCIe performance - x16/x16 vs x8/x8

Posted on Friday, August 27 2010 @ 7:00 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Following HardOCP's gaming performance test between SLI and CrossFireX in a x16/x16 vs x16/x8 configuration, the site now takes a look at the performance difference between a GeForce GTX 480 SLI system in x16/x16 vs x8/x8.
Last week we showed you what the real-world gaming performance differences when we used SLI and CFX video card configurations in PCIe x16/x16 operation and x16/x8 operation. Our conclusions were simple, moving the secondary video card of a CFX or SLI configuration into a x8 PCIe slot did not degrade our gameplay experience, or cause significant changes in framerates. So if you have a motherboard that does not support x16/x16 or if you want to space your cards out in your chassis for better airflow, going x16/x8 is not a big deal even on a high end cards like the GeForce GTX 480 SLI.

In light of what we discovered, we wanted to take this testing even further and move to a x8/x8 scenario with two video cards. Why is this important? The fact is that many of today's users will find themselves in this situation if they go to use CFX or SLI.
You can read it over here. The site concludes that in real-world gaming tests the reduced PCI Express bandwidth makes practically no difference, as it's hard to spot a difference even at 2560 x 1600 with 4x AA. The reporter writes he had to scale his test up to 5760 x 1200 in order to get a noticeable impact on performance.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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