UL has released its PCIe 4.0 performance test for 3DMark with PCI-Express 4.0 graphics cards and motherboards on the verge of market launch. This latest addition is designed to test the bandwidth available to the graphics processor through the computer’s PCI Express interface.
The PCIe 4.0 Connection Interface will be launched this year and AMD will be the first to use it with its new X570 motherboards and Ryzen 3000 processors. A number of SSDs have also been announced to take advantage of this additional bandwidth.
In 3DMark, there will be a special test to measure bandwidth with PCI Express 4.0. To achieve this, the test turns bandwidth into the performance limiting factor by loading a large amount of node and texture data into the GPU for each frame. The ultimate goal is to transfer enough data over the PCIe 4.0 interface to fully saturate it. Once the test is complete, the end result will be a look at the average bandwidth achieved during the test.
Although actual gaming performance is unlikely to be limited by PCIe bandwidth, the test provides a repeatable and reliable way to measure PCIe bandwidth over generations and thus the performance of different hardware configurations. The PCI Express Feature Test is now available in 3DMark Advanced Edition and 3DMark Professional Edition and is compatible with any system that has a separate Direct X 12 compatible graphics card.