New interface faces hurdles with graphics card launch
The GeForce RTX 5000 graphics cards are the first consumer models to harness the potential of the PCI-Express 5.0 bus. While this new connector offers higher bandwidth, it has been causing some issues in hardware operation.
The GeForce RTX 5000 series, part of NVIDIA's Blackwell generation, introduces several noteworthy innovations. A significant change is the support for the PCI-Express 5.0 bus, which is gradually becoming more common in computers.
The PCI-Express 5.0 bus provides twice the bandwidth of PCI-Express 4.0, but it demands a more sophisticated graphics card design. Unfortunately, these advanced requirements can lead to problems for computer users, affecting stable system performance.
Issues with the operation of GeForce RTX 5080 cards
Roman Hartung, a German expert in computer hardware overclocking - known as "der8auer" - shared a video showcasing tests of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics card.
According to the German overclocker, issues with the card emerged right at the start of testing. It was only after multiple disconnections and reconnections that the hardware could be launched, yet problems persisted. The card would revert to the slower PCI-Express 1.0 mode or would not be detected by the computer at all.
Hartung also attempted to enforce PCIe x16 Gen 5.0 mode via the motherboard's BIOS settings. However, these attempts resulted in unstable operation or system freezes during gameplay.
PCI-Express 5.0 may cause issues
As reported by Tom's Hardware, these problems could stem from various sources, like driver and BIOS configuration errors or faulty components on the test platform. Ultimately, switching the PCI-Express bus settings to 4.0 mode effectively resolved all issues. Such problems have not occurred with other cards utilizing PCI-Express 4.0.
It may be inferred that the new PCI-Express 5.0 bus, though significantly faster than its predecessor, requires a specially adapted card design. In the Founders Edition model, challenges may arise due to the use of three separate PCBs. Common symptoms from signal integrity issues include failed initialization of the graphics processor, unexpected crashes, and system freezes.
