XPS 8300 and PCI-E showing 1.1 x 16 PCi-e GPU-z

Hey Fulwider8--LOL

This is a Reply to my Reply...

If anybody reading this and you decided to check you GPU-z.....please respond with your results. I would be interested to see if it is possible that either--I have a bad board or maybe a bad card.

any help would be appreciated...I am pulling my hair trying to figure this out....1.1 x 16 is super old and even my older socket 775 runs at 2.0 x 16..

Me again--This is what I found out, for all you people interested.

It just so happens I have 2 of these XPS 8300....So I decided to try my video card in the other. Same exact issue. Card is running at 1.1 x 16, and even under load run the same way. But this time I noticed something odd, that I never bothered to check.

Each XPS runs a mini-pci wireless card. My Card is only running at 72mbs.....suppose to be running at 150mbs. Ok-so I pulled the card and placed it in my laptop. Under the same settings as the XPS...it was now running at 150mbs in my Dell Laptop. That's weird....The Mini PCI-e card is running at Half just like my video card. Card in both XPS will only run at 72mbs...I even tried the wireless card from my laptop in both.

I am pretty good with computers, and if I had to guess. For some reason the XPS 8300 is running all PCI-e lanes at Half speed. Even under load, both parts are running at half.

1.1 x 16 is the same as running at 2 x 8 on the lane....This is ok for my video card, because the performance difference between the 2 is maybe 3 to 5%. Not a big deal, But if your trying to run a better card, or a PCI-e 3.0 card, I can see issues. maybe a loss of 25-30% running at 1.1 x 16.

If I also had to guess, what the issue might be-It has to be In Bios. I bet if Dell got together with a few of these XPS 8300 and figured out a Bios update. You would have a ton of Happy Customers..This computer is suppose to run at 2.0 x 16 pci-e. I am sure this is a simple fix.

Please help me out here DELL....Is there something I am missing?

OK......I am well aware of the speed of a Router. When a wireless N device runs at Half speed. "As explained above". It runs at 72meg. Dell XPS 8300 comes with a wireless N Card, and my router is wireless N Capable. Card runs at full speed In My laptop"as explained above"....and runs at 72 megs In both dells.

I am pretty convinced that all PCI_E lanes are running at half speed. I have tested 2 dell XPS 8300..with 2 different cards..and tested those cards in other PC's I own.

Thanks for the Clarification on Wireless N and G...But That was not My question and That was not my issue.

Simple question or Issues

Video Card is running at 1.1 x 16----The card should be running at 2.0 x 16.....Running at half speed...

please read above-I tried to trouble shoot it myself

Wireless N card is running at 72 megs......instead of 150...running at Half speed....Wireless N card is In the dell's Mini-PCI_E

Please read above-I tried trouble shooting myself..

I am in no way and computer Tech-But I've worked on computers going on 12 years...so I know a thing or 2 about the issues..I know the std trouble shooting procedures.

I believe this is either a Bios Issue...or Dell's Specs for the Computer are wrong...

1.1 x 16 is old Technology.....I have old computers with Core 2 dous That run on 2.0 x 16 on the PCI-e Lane.

Should be a simple fix for Dell, If they offer a Bios Update..Just hoping to validate My info with somebody else having issues-and how the fixed it. If by chance a Dell Moderator is reading this, maybe they can pass on the word to there Techs...and offer me a solution.

Thanks again for trying to help

150 MEG is only available on 802.11N routers.  72 meg would be 802.11G.

Ok me again,

I was hoping to find another XPS 8300 user out there somewhere and I guess-Either they have no idea-they have any issues. Or there just the average googler....Join and respond!!!!

I have finally come to the conclusion, that This is probably one of the worst Mistakes Dell has produced. "sorry for my frustration".......After a week of reading other post, and looking up images of GPU-z and XPS 8300"with Cards". I have found that half the people out there are Just blind to the issues. While the PC still runs great, to the average Joe-It would seem there are no issues. But to people like myself, That build and work on these things 24/7. You notice the little things. I came here to compare notes, and I have tried on a few other sites. It is almost like the XPS is a Hush Hush Computer. With the start of the Cougar Sandy bridge bug.....Mine is a Revision 3, and not affected. With the ton of issues with the PCI-e running in 1.1 x 16. Tons of Post are started......and I never see any solutions.

Well this post will remain the same. I am done trying to figure it out. It runs great, and I guess running at Half speed should be the norm.

My issues-----PCI-E running at 1.1 x 16, instead of the advertised 2.0 x 16 or next gen.....

My next issues-----Internal Wireless is running at 72mbs instead of the advertised 150mbs-Wireless N

And the New issue----I decide to upgrade the Hard drive"because I upgraded everything else, trying to figure out the issues myself-----And This computer Runs the 2tb seagate 64mb Cache 4k......Sata 6-----At Sata 3 --32mb cache and I believe only 512 instead of 4k......Again at Half speed

I tested all my parts on 4 different computers to make sure it was not hardware.

2 dell XPS 8300 --both are the newer revision 3....Both run the same as above

1 asus H67---runs the card and hard drive as advertised

1 dell E6400--running the same wireless card at 150mb speeds////

Both dell XPS 8300's I tested-Ran at above specs"half speed"......................................

I can not figure out a solution, I have tried everything-Newer Chipset drivers--newer RST drivers---Everything you can think of-swaping sata cables...different PSU's....You name it, I tried it.....There is no fix or solution....

I guess i will just leave well enough alone, and not let my OC'd get in the way....

Thanks for reading and feel free to email me if you have any issues with yours....I can tell you everything I tried and it might save you some time and trouble...

This was on 2 Dell XPS 8300....Purchase around 7/2011.....and of course...NO Warranty...LOL

This is not an answer, but I am having the same issue.  I purchased my xps 8300 a couple of months before you and it came with an ATI radeon HD 5770 card.  I'm not really a gamer, so I noticed no issues with graphics until a friend began playing with my system and said it seemed 'slow' on 3D gaming for the hardware.  We ran gpu-z with the same results as you - running the stress test made no difference, card won't display as 2.0 x 16 even at 99% gpu usage.  3D mark 11 scores come in at about 1/2 of what would be expected as well.  Catalyst 11.8, which comes with the most recent Dell approved drivers reports the card as 2.0 like the pcie bus, but the performance is coming in at 1.1 levels.  I am hardwired from the gigabit ethernet port to my DSL router/modem, so I don't know if the wireless card is running slow.  I've checked all over the internet for solutions, but can't find much pertinent information.  I've checked all connections, etc. and they seem fine; made sure all drivers, etc. are up-to-date with the Dell website.  The system has always worked without glitches, but there's obviously some issue here.  I hope someone out there can help us figure out a solution!  In the meantime I'll pray to the computer gods and keep searching the net for clues.  

Now this is what I am talking about...Reason I come to the user to user forum site>>>>>>You get more than one person to confirm, That all the past weeks hair pulling was not in vain>>>>>LOL

I figured out the wireless Card Issue......I had no idea, that dell has a card, That the wireless N does not max at full speed. The Card I have, is a max of 72.....and that's wireless N....I am just used to Wireless N meaning 150-300mbs speeds....So I found a DW 1703....wireless N and Bluetooth.."I will tell you how it goes after I install"....

As for my Hard drive....I am still at a loss, I ran G-part and it claims the drive is running at Sata 6g....But no matter what I do it installs in windows at sata 2---32 mb cache....and 512 instead of 4 k........I threw in a drive from another computer to test>>>it runs at sata 6gb...so it might be the drive...not being compatible with this model-XPS 8300

I have a feeling the drive running at sata 3 has to do with the drives new Advanced Format 4K sector standard...No matter what I do....Install RST during installation....Running a up to date windows 7 Installation....Drive will Not Align or Run at Sata 6...But if I put this drive in one of my other computers....Installs with no one issue...""Compatibility">>200%<<<-Just don't think a 4k is gona work in sata 6 on this machine>>>But Sata 3 is fine...You could never really use sata 6, unless you have a ssd.

On to the Card, until somebody can prove to me there Video card on a dell XPS 8300 is running in PCI-E 2.0....I am almost certain it is running at 1.1 x 16.....and like you AMD control center says card buss 2.0...today I will run a few more test....because last night, I had to do a clean install again.....This time I used a USB for installation.

No change in settings....But unit seem to respond a lot better....There are a few test I can try to test the PCI-E Buss and I will test them today........Last night I even Ran the DELL Troubleshooter, tester thingy majiger"....and all it said....Card is running in "x16"-did not say 1.1 or 2.0....just x16????

BUT>>>>>>>>>>With both Cards, Your 5770 and mine-6850 oc>>>>>>>>>>Both Card would not benefit any higher performance benchmarks.....PCI-E 1.1 and even 1.0 is 250 MB/s. Our Cards if any would only see a 3% to 5% decrease in performance from a 2.0. But if I was ever to upgrade to a better Card.....7950 or even a 7850, the hit in performance would be 35% to 45%. I am running the latest 13.4 in CCC. Update your drivers and try your test again...Might be because your running 11.8......Even if we could figure out the 2.0 x 16, we would not really see no difference...

Same with the Sata 3g and sata 6g>>>>unless we are using a SSD with read and writes of 500/500, we wouldn't see any performance increase. A spinning Hard drive would never bottleneck sata 3g....

I like how fast these 2 dells I have are, and with all the parts I have, all these settings are Fine. But It leaves o room for upgrading my video card. I have read So may post, and have not found a solution to this. Also I am not a computer Tech, So I could be 200% wrong about the PCI-e speeds for our cards.....and the same with the Sata 3gb.....This is just what I figured out with my week of Research...

Thanks for Responding, I am so glad-I am not the only one having these issues...Let me know how it goes....

Computers I have tested all components with---2 x Dell XPS 8300 and a ASRock H67M.."Same Chipset and pretty close in specs and drivers".....I had a Dell XPS 8100 Last week....and the PCI-E ran at 2.0...and that was a socket 1156.???

Good Luck to all who respond!!!!

Sorry, I am still looking for the correct program to measure the speed of the PCI_E....

Been looking threw post....and reading Test.....and and and and.....>>>>>>LOL<<

But here is a quick comparison...Just to ease anybody's mind that reads this...

Microsoft did some testing on a GTX 580.....Trying to figure out the saturation of PCI-E and all that good jibberJabber....and this is what one of the test results was on the 580...

Max throughput was 6.2-"to the CPU"...and back to the video card was 5.61gb/sec......

1 x 16 or 1.1 x 16 pci-e max throughput is 6.4gb/sec......" I also read somewhere 8gb"....but either way.....

Not sure if I am reading this correct, But it looks like if that card can run at max on a 1.1 x 16, I almost certain alot of the amd's and higher end Nvidia's can to......

I still can not find a formula or a calculator to figure out the Cards PCI-e Saturation. Would be nice if one of the smart guys out there could come up with one for use all>>>>LOL

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to the guy above....Just a comparison question....or 2......

Do you have all 4 dimms Populated? and if you do....1066 or 1333, or 1600 running in 1333?????

In Gpuz......does it say 1.1 x 16 or just x16.....I am beginning to think this just might be a GPU-Z Bug--"No Proof yet"

I will update when I find a good tester>>>>