HELP - MSI 3080 Gaming X Trio Terrible FPS Bad Performance

[NeedleBanger]

Hi there, I'm having a terrible time properly diagnosing the problem with my new gaming PC. I've been at this for 3 weeks with no luck. My next options are very expensive ones, this has seriously sucked all joy of gaming right out of me, I'll probably just throw in the towel instead. My time off work as been spent exclusively ripping my hair out instead of relaxing, absolutely 100% par for the course in my upside-down inside-out inverted life. I swear I live inside of a negative energy vortex or on the mass gravesite of a sick twisted satanic cult or something.

Anyways, here's my specs:
i9 10850k
MSI 3080 Gaming X Trio
Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Master
Corsair Vengeance 2x16 32gb @3200mhz
Corsair RM850X psu
Corsair 150i Pro XT cooler

3DMark Demo (Time Spy) score: 12639 (it says the average is 16866)
Graphics score: 12703
CPU score: 12291

All my driver's are updated. I'm using 3 separate cables to the GPU. XMP is enabled.
Most games were "Optimized" through GeForce Experience, but I've since used DDU to run a fresh install of the graphics card and ran it without GE with no difference in performance. If anything I'd say it was running better with GE installed and running their auto-tune & experimental settings.

Games performing properly @ 60fps 4K ultra:
Assetto Corsa
Assetto Corsa Competizione
Automobilista 2
Fortnite

Games performing sub-par in 4K high/ultra:
COD Warzone - very jittery 50 fps on Rebirth Island, 30 fps at best on the big map
Red Dead Redemption - >40 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 - >30 fps with any ray tracing enabled
Metro Exodus - >50 fps

I used 3DMark PCI EXPRESS test today and my bandwidth score was 0.76GB/s - that seems incredibly wrong.

 

[NeedleBanger]

Hello everyone thank you for your replies, I've narrowed this issue down! It's my top PCIe x16 slot, something is seriously wrong with it. I just put my video card into the second slot down from the CPU and ran 3DMark:

Time Spy score: 16361
Graphics score: 17377
CPU score: 12291
PCI EXPRESS test: FPS 6.8 Bandwidth 6.32GB/s

Obviously this is MUCH better than what I previously had, but now I have a whole new batch of questions!

- What's wrong with the proper x16 slot? Is it a simple bios setting or is the hardware fried?
- Is the second slot slower? I haven't tweaked anything in the bios except XMP
- Why does my CPU score still seem rather low?

 

[NeedleBanger]

My temps seem normal, 70-78 celcius under full load on the hardest hitting game, all 2160p high/ultra
I'm using an 850w power supply, do I really need more than that for a 3080?

When I run RDR2 & GPU-Z aimultaneously, under Bus Interface it says: PCIe x16 3.0 @ x1 3.0

 

[NeedleBanger]

I only use the one 3080 card, nothing else is taking up slots.

 

[NeedleBanger]

Yes use GPU Z. It will show what speed your slot is set at. I assume you are on PCI-3 with that Intel, but even so, PCI-E bus should not be saturated by your graphics card.

Any other slots populated on board, sucking up your bandwidth?

I don't even know the difference between PCI-3 and PCI-E, or how to change anything like that my bios may as well be in Chinese. I can flip buttons and move sliders in the bios but I definitely can't make any educated decisions in there. There must be an issue with the Bus Interface though given that low number in GPU-Z.

 

[NeedleBanger]

Card not fully seated in the slot and only the contacts for 1x PCIe touching?

What does GPU-Z say about your PCIe connections? Check the "Bus Interface" section on the 1st page of GPU-Z when you are running a game and confirm it says something like PCIe x 16 4.0 @ x16 4.0.

Yes use GPU Z. It will show what speed your slot is set at. I assume you are on PCI-3 with that Intel, but even so, PCI-E bus should not be saturated by your graphics card.

Any other slots populated on board, sucking up your bandwidth?

After doing that and with the card in the 2nd slot, in GPU-Z under Bus Interface it reads "PCIe x16 3.0 @ x8 3.0"
I'm assuming this is normal for this slot, and half of the speed that the top slot SHOULD be at?

 

[NeedleBanger]

I'm beginning to think I was sold a refurbished pile of trash from Gigabyte/Newegg. A dead giveaway were the fingerprints & scratches along the plastic covers , 1 bent pin surrounded by perfectly normal pins in a 1200 socket (not sure how that's even possible), and the plastic cover that prevented me from installing my GPU properly the first time. I'll be on the phone with Gigabyte tomorrow, thank you everybody for your time!!

 

[NeedleBanger]

Maybe you damaged it when you put the new gpu in

Oh no I treated it like a new born baby when I inserted into the slot, all this stuff was brand new! I even wore fancy little gloves and everything for this occasion haha. I did not mishandle it that's for sure.