Graphics Card Slot Reading As Pcie X1 Instead Of X16...

[rpgsearcherz 5]

I have contacted HP about this and was escalated higher and higher through support until one of the people just said "if the port is PCIE x16 then everything will be PCIE x16. Ignore whatever programs you are running that say otherwise."At the same time, every diagnostic program I have run says the opposite of her claim. My card is for some reason only running at x1 speed, and it is causing tearing in my graphics while watching videos and stuff. Yesterday after a reboot it went up to x8, then next reboot to x2, and now it is stuck back at x1 again.I am wondering if anyone knows of any solution to the problem. Reading online I have mostly read only about updating the BIOS, but that had no effect for me.The card I am using is an 8800GT Alpha Dog Edition by XFX, and the PC is an HP p6228p.I have no idea where to go from here. I am wondering if maybe it is a faulty video card or something.Some also claimed to try resetting the battery in the PC but I am not seeing how that would resolve anything. Unless I am missing something?Thanks guys, and any input would be greatly appreciated.

[truefusion 3]

Did you just get this graphics card or did you have it for a long time and it is now showing signs of PCIE x2? And am i to assume that nothing else but the graphics card is taking up the x16 slot (you should verify this)? According these specifications, you only have one x16 slot (this is usually the one closest to the processor), the others being x1, and that you have a 300 watt power supply. Assuming you have the card in the x16 slot, then perhaps it is the case that your power supply cannot fully support all the hardware you have on there and the jumping around from x8 to x2 could be the motherboard trying to balance out the power to all parts. You could try purchasing a better power supply, or if you know someone with a better power supply, to test it out with theirs. If the better power supply does the trick, then it was the power supply. If it doesn't, then it is probably the motherboard. You can know it is the motherboard if you try to put a card that you know works in there and see if it shows similar signs.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

I have had the card for over a year but did not have any issues in the past. In fact, I do not have the graphics issue on Windows, only Linux (which is when I started looking up the tearing issue). When I found out it could be the PCI bus not reading properly I ran diagnostics on Linux and found that it was at x1, so I loaded Windows and did diagnostics there -- same issue.As for the slot, it would only fit in the x16 one.I did not even think about the PSU but that could definitely be the culprit. I just noticed a little while ago that my card is now reading at x8 but my DVD Burner does not seem to be being recognized properly (I'm trying to burn a DVD and it is no longer reading the discs, but when it reads the card at x1 then it works fine it seems)...The sucky part is that since this is not a custom built PC, it is hard to find another PSU that can take the place of the one that came with it. I may end up having to just sell the PC and do another custom-built one. It would probably help with a lot of these headaches anyways since at least then I know what's going on with the system.Thanks for the help though. This is a situation I never even knew about before, and it would definitely explain why my games have been slower on this PC (with faster CPU/more ram) than on my old PC (which was custom built -- it's where I pulled the graphics card from). It's amazing how much you can know, yet still not know much, lol.

[OpaQue 15]

i have assembled PC for many years for a living and what Truefusion says is absolutely correct.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

I am leaning mostly towards the PSU, as it is still fluctuating -- it's still changing from x1 to x2 to x8 and randomly in between those. I am going to reseat the video card when I'm finished with my current project, and I'll see if that has any effect on it.Opa, from your experience, do you think that if the issue *is* that it's not getting enough power, me leaving it as-is (with the power issues) will cause harm to anything in the PC? More or less how important do you think it is to resolve the problem as soon as possible?

[rvalkass 5]

do you think that if the issue *is* that it's not getting enough power, me leaving it as-is (with the power issues) will cause harm to anything in the PC? More or less how important do you think it is to resolve the problem as soon as possible?

HP's website doesn't provide enough detail on the power supply to determine what the exact effect would be of leaving it as it is.

The graphics card requires a 6-pin PCIe power connector, and is also slightly overclocked from the stock specs, according to reviews. This means that it is drawing more power than if the specs had been left at their factory defaults. So, most obviously, check that the card is seated correctly in the socket and that the power connector is fitted correctly.

The PCIe power connector delivers a 12v power supply to the graphics card. The power supply could be designed in one of two ways: single rail or multiple rail. HP do not say which they use on their website. Single rail means that all 12v power supplies come from the same circuitry and all affect one another, but is generally more efficient. Multiple rail means that only a few 12v supplies are connected to each other, so your PCIe power supply doesn't affect the hard drives or CPU for example. If the power supply you have is single rail then overloading that rail will affect the stability of every component in your PC. On a multiple rail power supply, it will only affect the stability of components on the same rail.

Using the handy PSU calculator and plugging in your PCs specs, you'll see that a 300W PSU is the bare minimum to power that system. I would suggest upgrading to a 450W or 500W PSU from a reputable brand, if possible, to ensure stability. It will also run more efficiently - PSUs are often most efficient at between 50% and 75% of their full load.