RTX 5080 FE instability! Reasons why you should know ⚠️

Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards are about to hit stores today. While early performance reviews have been somewhat disappointing for both GPUs, YouTuber der8auer reported issues with their review sample of the RTX 5080 FE, including failures to boot and unexpected crashes when operating in PCIe Gen 5.0 mode. After further investigation, Igor's Lab commented on this particular issue, which could be traced back to Nvidia's choice of a multi-PCB design for its Founders Edition models.

Packing 575W of power into a dual-slot package for the RTX 5090 required some creative engineering solutions. For starters, the RTX 5090 FE features three PCBs instead of one large one: one for the PCIe 5.0 x16 connector, one for the video ports, and the main PCB that houses the GB202 package, GDDR7 memory, and power delivery circuitry. We suspect these Modular boards have been connected using flat cables so as not to interfere with cooling. 🔌❄️

Der8auer's test bench used the Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. For reference, this same equipment is used for benchmarking of GPUs like the RX 7900 XTX, RTX 4080, RTX 4090 and even the RTX 5090, without any problems. At first, the RTX 5080 supposedly showed no signal. Restart and re-position the GPU several times I finally got it to work. With all the drivers installed the problem persisted as the GPU was not detected after another reboot. A vicious circle that ended up starting the GPU after much trial and error, but running at noticeably slow PCIe x8 Gen 1.1 speeds. ⚙️

After manually configuring the settings PCIe to x16 Gen 5.0 in the BIOS, plus additional reboots, the GPU worked successfully in PCIe 5.0 mode, only to crash/freeze later in Valorant, PUBG and Remnant 2. These issues can have several, if not many, suspects, including driver issues, incorrect BIOS settings, and faulty components - you name it. However, switching to PCIe Gen 4.0 will fix the issue. They eliminated all these problems. Since other GPUs performed fine in the same rig, by deduction, the problem likely lies with the RTX 5080 FE, in particular, its design. 🔍

A little more than performance, but many more PCIe issues – RTX 5080 FE Review – YouTube

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Igor's Lab mentioned in their review The RTX 5090 notes that signal integrity is crucial for Blackwell GPUs as they utilize PCIe 5.0, which doubles data rates to 32 GT/s. Common symptoms of PCIe connectivity issues include failures to initialize the graphics card, GPU, unexpected crashes or freezes; the same anomalies that der8auer faced. This issue is especially apparent if a riser cable is used with these GPUs, as you will need to downgrade to PCIe 4.0 speeds for stability. The Founders Edition's tri-PCB architecture, in a way, functions like a riser cable and is suspected of degrading signal quality. 📉

At the moment, this is just a theory and not a proven fact. However, if you are facing the same problem, a simple solution is to force a reduction to PCIe Gen 4.0 for the GPU in the BIOS, which supposedly implies a minor loss of performance. ⚙️⬇️

It is important to note that this downgrade may result in a slight decrease in GPU performance. However, in many cases, this performance loss is minimal and does not significantly impact the performance of the game. daily use or even performance in demanding tasks, depending on your specific needs. 🚀

Steps to force PCIe Gen 4.0 in BIOS:

1. 1. Restart your computer and access the BIOS/UEFI. This is usually done by pressing a key specific during boot, such as F2, Supr either Esc, depending on the manufacturer of your motherboard. 🖥️🔑
   2. Navigate to the section of advanced settings. This can vary, but is commonly found under menus like “Advanced,” “Overclocking,” or “System Configuration.” 🛠️
   3. Locate the configuration of the PCIe slot where it is installed your GPU. It may be labeled “PCIe Slot Configuration” or similar. 📌
   4. Change PCIe version from 'Auto' or the highest available to 'PCIe Gen 4.0'. Make sure to save changes before exiting BIOS. 💾🔄
   5. Restart your system and check if the issue persists. See if there are any stability improvements or if the issue has been resolved. 🔁✅

It is recommended that after making these changes, monitor the performance of your system and adjust as needed. If you experience a noticeable decrease in performance that affects your daily tasks or use of specific applications, you might consider reverting the settings to their original value or explore other alternative solutions. 🔍🔧

Always remember to back up your important information before making changes to it. system configuration and if you do not feel confident making these adjustments, consult a specialized professional. 📂🔒👨‍💻