scarface_810
gridironcpj
EVGATech_JosephL
Gotta love GamersNexus' thorough reviews: http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/2488-pci-e-3-x8-vs-x16-performance-impact-on-gpus
As much as I like Gamersnexus, this test is not thorough. The set of games is limited and does not accurately cover the broad spectrum of different demands. I have yet to come across convincing results to suggest there's "no difference" between 16x/16x and 8x/8x. I've personally found limitations with 16x/8x. I can only imagine how 8x/8x would be limiting in those scenarios.
thanks do you thick i solud have gotting x99.. win you found limitation with 16x/8x is it mosty 4k idk if i will get a 4k mabey 1440 or ues 3 1080p monitor
This was at 3440x1440. I'll give you another link to a thread where the performance drop is even worse. Specifically, x16/x16 PCI-E 2.0. Note that x16/x16 PCI-E 2.0 is equivalent to x8/x8 PCI-E 3.0. Note that the performance drop is larger if using a g-sync display (g-sync on or off, it doesn't matter) and if you're not using an HB SLI bridge.
https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1369&start=20 I also posted about this back in 2014 on here when I had dual GTX Titans (original). This was with 2560x1440, so honestly the resolution doesn't make a difference. Like I said before, there would be no point in updating PCI-E over time if demands didn't increase over time. The "x8/x8 is more than enough" doesn't hold up very well in 2017. Heck, it didn't hold up very well in 2016... or 2015.... or 2014 (see how old the thread I linked is). Soon enough, we'll have PCI-E 4.0 (hopefully with Skylake-X) and that will have double the bandwidth of PCI-E 3.0.
Now, to answer your question of "should I have gotten X99?" It depends.
Are you using a g-sync monitor? This will eat up a little bandwidth, even if g-sync is turned off.
If not, will you be using one in the future? If so, expect a performance hit right off the bat. This has been tested.
Are you willing to sacrifice some performance to keep your current setup? The hit depends on the application.
Do you plan on using the same CPU and mobo combo for quite a while? The performance hit will only get worse over time since games are becoming more demanding.
Do you have an HB SLI bridge? If not, you'll want one to alleviate some of the communication between graphics cards through the PCI-E lanes.
post edited by gridironcpj - 2017/04/02 01:00:28