Thanks a ton for the reply topgear.
Now you've given me some hope. I've done some research after your feedback and still unable to find how exactly I go about fixing the registry.
It would be awesome if you can share any site with the instructions if you are aware of any.
I got the following from Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Family - LGA-2011 Socket Datasheet, Vol. 1
Intel® Core? i7 Processor Family - LGA-2011 Socket Datasheet, Vol 1
- Support for PCI Express* 2.0 (5.0 GT/s), PCI Express* (2.5 GT/s), and capable of
up to PCI Express* 8.0 GT/s.
- Up to 40 lanes of PCI Express* interconnect for general purpose PCI Express
devices capable of up to 8.0 GT/s speeds that are configurable for up to 10
independent ports.
So, it does support upto 8.0 GT/s but they are careful not to use PCI express revision 3.0
I'll continue my research. Any additional help would be immensely welcomed.
Thank you.
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Results from my further research
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I did a lot of reading on this topic and I'm summarising my conclusion below just in case someone else faces the same problem and wants an answer.
It's indeed possible to use a registry hack to enable pci express 3.0 in SB-E CPUs.
As I was doing my research on this topic, there were different stages where initially I thought this won't work after reading so many comments on how it will not work.
But I assure you, I've done enough reading and found so many people who are actually using this registry hack to achieve PCI express 3.0 on a Sandy Bridge - E CPU.
Most people who are saying it won't work are just speculating without trying it out themselves.
Overall, the situation seems like this.
Intel developed SB-E CPUs with 8.0 GT/s capabilities which is PCI express 3.0 spec.
Somehow they are not officially declaring it as PCI express 3.0 for God knows what. Some say it's a marketing thing to sell the New Ivy Bridge CPUs. Some say it's still got problem working in that spec.
Nvidia also decided to not support PCI express 3.0 for the SB-E as intel itself is not certifying the SB-E CPUs for PCI E 3.0. Some certified developer from Nvidia claims it's a genuine problem and Nvidia is trying to resolve it.
Whatever the reason, there are enough people out there using the hack successfully.
The only thing is that you can't blame neither Nvidia nor intel if it's not working that good.
Other things to note are:
Bechmark softwares like "3DMark11" and "Unigine Heaven" are reported to perform sluggish after the hack. But that doesn't mean that the performance is decreased.
You can read from this link to get more detail on the actual experience of one guy who's using it.
*www.evga.com/forums/fb.ashx?m=1608533
Here's the registry hack to enable PCI-E 3.0 using the REGEDIT function within the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system from the link below.
*www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?&m=1607292&mpage=1
I'ven't tested it myself but I'm pretty convinced it works.
These are instructions on how to enable PCI-E 3.0 using the REGEDIT function within the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system:
Hardware requirements in order for these directions to work properly:
- Motherboard is PCI-E 3.0 hardware certified
- Graphics card (NVidia or AMD) is PCI-E 3.0 hardware certified (currently, NVidia 600 series cards and AMD 7000 series cards are PCI-E 3.0 hardware certified)
NOTE: I highly recommend you ensure the motherboard is updated to the most current BIOS version and that PCI-E 3.0 (GEN 3) is enabled within the motherboard BIOS settings.
CRITICAL!! Back up your registry before proceeding! This will ensure that you can restore your registry should you enter an invalid value or conduct one of the steps incorrectly.
Step 1: Update your graphics drivers to the latest version (doesn't matter if you use the WHQL or beta version) and restart your computer.
Step 2: Download the latest version of GPU-Z:
*www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/
Step 3: Run GPU-Z and verify that the “Graphics Bus interface” value shows PCI-E 2.0 for each card
Step 4: Disable SLI -or- Crossfire (if enabled). If SLI -or- Crossfire are not enabled, skip to Step 5
Step 5: Click on the Windows button (located on the lower left corner of the start bar)
Step 6: In the search index entry window, type in “Regedit” (the Registry Editor window will open)
Step 7: Select the following registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Video
Step 8: Identify the correct registry folders for each of graphics cards you have installed. There will be one associated folder for each card installed. To identify the correct folder for each card, you will need to review the names of each folder within the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/ CurrentControlSet/ Control/Video” registry directory. The folder associated with a graphics card will have three or more subfolders (depending on how many PCI-E slots available on the motherboard). The values listed for each subfolder will be 0000, 0001, 0002, 0003, 0004, and Video. Review only the subfolders labeled as "0000". You will know you have selected the correct "0000" subfolder when you see a registry labeled “DriverDesc” with a value that matches the graphics card you have installed. Example, the value in my “DriverDesc” registry value reads “NVIDIA Geforce GTX 680”.
Step 9: Right click on the folder labeled “0000”. Select “New”, then select “DWORD (32-bit) Value“, then enter “RMPcieLinkSpeed” for the name of the registry.
Step 10: Right click the “RMPcieLinkSpeed” registry you just created, then select “Modify”, then enter “4” as the data value and verify that the “Hexadecimal” option is checked under “Base”, and then select “OK”.
Step 11: Repeat steps 9 and 10 for each graphics card associated folder (named “0000”)
Step 12: Once you have completed creating the RMPcieLinkSpeed registry for each card, close the Registry Editor window and restart your computer.
Step 13: Once your system is back into Windows 7 operating system environment, run GPU-Z and verify that the “Graphics Bus interface” value shows PCI-E 3.0 for each card.
Step 14: Re-enable SLI -or- Crossfire as needed.
CONGRATULATIONS!! PCI-E 3.0 is now fully enabled within Windows 7
*UPDATE* Please note that if you update your graphics drivers, this registry hack will be undone and PCI-E 2.0 will be enabled again. Due to this issue, I added a step at the very beginning of these instructions to have you update the graphics drivers BEFORE doing the registry hack. Hopefully, this will save you a bit of time and hassle.
