Confused by PCIE 4.0! Is my 'budget' AlderLake / 6500XT build okay?

JernauGurgeh · 1 Feb 2022 at 21:30

I've just built a system based around the Intel AlderLake i3-12100, on a Gigabyte H610M H mobo, with a Radeon 6500XT, and 16Gb 3200MHz RAM.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/gigabyte-h610m-h-intel-h610-ddr4-micro-atx-motherboard-mb-5ak-gi.html
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/sapp...ddr6-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-39s-sp.html

I heard that the 6500XT is somewhat crippled by PCIE 3.0, so made sure I got a mobo that was PCI 4.0 enabled.

However, I've got confused after seeing on a Gamers Nexus video that H610 is NOT PCIE 4.0 enabled, even though it clearly states on Overclocker's (and other store's) websites that the Gigabyte H610M H has 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16, and that the PCIEX16 slot conforms to PCI Express 4.0 standard.

I'm even more confused by going to the Gigabyte site and seeing that it the mobo is said to be 'PCIE 4.0 Ready'...

What the hell does that mean? Is that like the annoyingly consumer-unfriendly shenanigans that was the difference between 'HD Ready' and 'Full HD' back in the day?

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/H610M-H-DDR4-rev-10

Looking at the Intel website for the chipset, it says that it IS limited to PCIE 3.0

https://www.intel.co.uk/content/www/uk/en/products/sku/218829/intel-h610-chipset/specifications.html

So does this mean that my GPU is actually running at PCIE 3.0 speeds, and that I've unnecessarily spent all that extra cash on the latest CPU and mobo without needing to?

Do I need to get a B660 or H670 mobo to make sure my alleged POS 6500XT is running at full whack?

Thanks for any help you can give to this somewhat-out-of-touch-former-system-builder-turned-clueless-Mac-user.

GreatAuk · 1 Feb 2022 at 22:05

I think you're fine with the H610 motherboard. As I understand it the chipset lanes on H610 are indeed all pcie 3.0. However, the CPU lanes should be pcie 4.0, and the CPU lanes are the ones that go to the x16 slot.

Personally if I was building a budget gaming system I'd probably spec it exactly how you have done (unless getting an Nvidia FE card was an option, and it sounds like that's getting harder and harder), should be good for 1080p medium settings games at quite playable framerates with potential for higher resolution or settings down the line if gpu prices drop and you can upgrade.

mickyflinn · 1 Feb 2022 at 22:09

It clearly states its pcie4 for the gpu at x16 so it will be running at pcie4 all but x4 as the 6500xt is limited to that but working at its max potential.

The pcie4 lanes are from the cpu while the pcie 3 are from the h610 chipset.

JernauGurgeh · 1 Feb 2022 at 22:58

Thanks for your encouraging responses, and for clearing up my confusion.

I just looked at both my BIOS and the Radeon ~~bloatware~~ driver app and both state its connected at PCIE 4.0 X4, so I guess that's that.

It seems to be running pretty well... no problem running Metro Exodus or RE: Village at 1080p and even 1440p with settings dropped a little.

I understand why the 6500XT is considered a POS, but I feel its better than risking the same amount of cash on a secondhand older GPU, and it runs faster and a lot cooler and quieter than the RX580 I had on my previous machine (which I had swapped out for a 1660 not long before selling it all just before GPUGEDDON)

I had thought about holding out to see what the new Intel GPUs bring but just wanted something to get me up and running on a PC again.

GreatAuk · 1 Feb 2022 at 23:19

Yeah I think the 6500xt has been quite unfairly maligned. Sure if the market was how it was a couple of years ago then it would be a terrible product for the price. However, in a world where its closest competitor for new cards at the same price is a 1050Ti and even 1650's tend to be a bit more expensive, I think it's competitive. As long as we understand its limitations and try to reduce settings so it doesn't run out of memory etc, I think it's a reasonable card.

RTX 3050 beats it resoundingly, but then the RTX 3050 isn't available anywhere, and seems likely to be a £400 card for the foreseeable future, so in a completely different price bracket.

If Nvidia or Intel had a card available at a similar price which outperformed the 6500xt then obviously that would be the one to go for, but the fact is it's the best performing graphics card at that price point at the moment (assuming you don't need encoding functionality for streaming or whatever).

Tetras · 2 Feb 2022 at 01:22

Just to confirm what others already said, the Intel ARK specifications for the chipset are only for the PCI-E lanes from the chipset. Intel don't know what board it's going to be put in and what other features it will have.

I'd make the same decision as you if I was buying new, £200 is more than I'd be willing to spend on something second hand too and since you're buying a new system, you can avoid it's main issue.

JernauGurgeh · 2 Feb 2022 at 08:34

Tetras said:
I'd make the same decision as you if I was buying new, £200 is more than I'd be willing to spend on something second hand too and since you're buying a new system, you can avoid it's main issue.

Yep. I’ve managed to build a fairly capable new system featuring the latest ‘budget’ kit for around £550 (whacked into an old case I unearthed from my junk-filled box room). I’m pretty pleased really, and it’s a definite step-up from the flaky annoyance of BootCamping my 5 year old iMac.