Hey guys,

I have an Asus Z97-K INTEL Z97 (SOCKET 1150) DDR3 ATX MOTHERBOARD, with a EVGA gtx 1060 SC.

I checked GPU Z and it appears the card is only running on PCIe x16 2.0 rather than x16 3.0

I ran the render test and this still does not change. I also went into bios and there is no option to force gen 3, just auto, gen 1 and gen 2.

Does my hardware support PCIe x16 3.0 or am I doing something wrong?

Also sometimes GPU Z says my card is only running on PCIe x16 1.1 Why is this?

bcavnaugh
Inactive cards will show the lowest settings until used or active with a running program.
How are you setting the PCIe Slots in your Bios?
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 mode, gray)
Also on your Motherboard the PCIe Slots are Shared so what other PCIe device do you have installed?

*1: The PCIe x1_1, PCIe x1_2 slots share bandwidth with PCIe x16_2.
The PCIe x16_2 slot runs at x2 mode as default.  Please check BIOS for more configuration.

Bios Version 2902 2016/04/15 (Are you running this Bios?)
Is your Intergraded Graphics Disabled in the Bios? 

My GPU is in top gray PCIe 3.0/2.0 slot, I don't think I have any other PCIe devices installed.
I checked BIOS and it is currently set to auto, however there are options for gen 1 and gen2, no gen 3.
 
Not sure what bios version I am running, how would I check that?
 
I will check if integrated graphics are disabled, do I need to do this to enable PCIe 3.0?
 
 

Maybe you just need force gen3 via the registry...
 
#1 Press windows key + r to bring up the run box.
 
#2 Type regedit and hit enter.

#3 Goto  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Video 

#4 Identify the correct registry folders for each of graphics cards you have installed. There will be one associated folder for each card installed. To identify the correct folder for each card, you will need to review the names of each folder within the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Video” registry directory. The folder associated with a graphics card will have three or more subfolders (depending on how many PCI-E slots available on the motherboard). The values listed for each subfolder will be 0000, 0001, 0002, 0003, 0004, and Video. Review only the subfolders labeled as "0000". You will know you have selected the correct "0000" subfolder when you see a registry labeled “DriverDesc” with a value that matches the graphics card you have installed. 

#5 Right click on the folder labeled “0000”. Select “New”, then select “DWORD (32-bit) Value“, then enter “RMPcieLinkSpeed” for the name of the registry. 

#6 Right click the “RMPcieLinkSpeed” registry you just created, then select “Modify”, then enter “4” as the data value and verify that the “Hexadecimal” option is checked under “Base”, and then select “OK”. 

#7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 for each graphics card associated folder (named “0000”) 

#8 Once you have completed creating the RMPcieLinkSpeed registry for each card, close the Registry Editor window and restart your computer. 

#9 Once your system is back into operating system environment, run GPU-Z and verify that the “Graphics Bus interface” value shows PCI-E 3.0 for each card. 

Using i5 4460,
 
I may have solved the issue, reset BIOS to optimized defaults and it now shows as PCIe 3.0
 
However, my userbenchmark results have decreased...