Thanks CobraXP, yeah techpowerup ran a nice test of the PCI-e 2.0 X16, x8, x4 and x1.

I’m more interested in X16 compared to X8 and X4 in this test. Plus I’m testing with more GFX power.

I did finally get enough variation in the GFX scores between the x16, x8 and x4 2.0 slots to compare in a graph. 3DMark06 didn’t really show much of a difference in the GFX scores @default or max settings. 3DMark Vantage did show a difference in the GFX score both in the Performance and custom settings. Of course different systems hardware or clocks may change the results so your result may vary?

Each test was run at least three times (some four or five times) then each set of scores was averaged. That averaged score was entered into the graph.

System spec.
AMD Thuban 1090T@ 4.2GHz 14x300 (no special reason for these settings)
MB= ASUS Crosshair IV Formula bios 801
MEM= Corsair GT 2000 CL8 4GB
GFX= ASUS 5970@923/1203 MHz (air cooling)
Windows 7 64-bit
Chilled water cooling (CPU only)

This SS shows the system clocks used in 3DMark06 and Vantage.



SS of 3DMark06 custom settings


3DMark06 graph @ the above settings showing no real difference in the PCI-e tests



SS of the custom settings used in Vantage



Vantage graph @the above settings and @ Performance settings, there is a noticeable difference between the scores based on the PCI-e slot tested (x16, x8 or x4). Blue= Custom settings, Red= Performance settings