Nvidia’s crypto mining processor (or CMP) graphics playing cards have been launched again in 2021 to capitalize on the curiosity in cryptocurrency, and have been additionally locked down with supposedly no gaming functionality. Of course, nothing in the tech world might be locked down ceaselessly, and customers have discovered methods to get video games working on CMP GPUs now. But even a CMP card with RTX 2080 Ti ranges of cores cannot do nicely in video games thanks to at least one extra trick Nvidia had up its sleeve: eradicating PCIe lanes.The checks come courtesy of Professional Review (by way of Videocards), which bought its arms on the CMP 50HX that is successfully a cut-down model of the 2080 Ti. You’re not supposed to have the ability to run video games on the 50HX since Nvidia’s drivers do not work on it and it would not even have video ports. The workaround is to put in modified drivers, get video output from the motherboard, after which set Windows to make use of the graphics card as an alternative of the built-in graphics. It’s mainly like Optimus Technology from laptops, working on a desktop.Although Professional Review bought the 50HX working in video games, it had low utilization and carried out horrifically (although we do not have particular numbers). This is maybe as a result of of Nvidia’s elimination of PCIe lanes. The 2080 Ti usually comes with 16 lanes, however CMP GPUs have simply 4. That was high quality for mining Ethereum, however not so nice for gaming — particularly for those who’re doing rendering on the GPU after which transferring the completed frames over the PCIe bus to the Intel built-in graphics buffer.Normally, GPUs have extra PCIe bandwidth than they want, and reducing that bandwidth in half often would not cut back efficiency. But there are events the place the additional lanes and bandwidth are extra helpful, like Optimus Technology. It appears reducing the quantity of lanes by 75% is a bridge too far for a cut-down model of the 2080 Ti that sends frames over the PCIe bus. Professional Review tried to allow the opposite 12 lanes on the 50HX with a solder job, however wasn’t in a position to carry them again on-line.Between the dearth of GPU drivers, video ports, and PCIe lanes, CMP GPUs aren’t simply troublesome to hack; they do not even carry out that nicely. Of course, CMP was a short-lived experiment. You cannot get an Ada Lovelace CMP card since Nvidia stopped making them after it declared crypto had did not “carry something helpful to society.” They’re an attention-grabbing novelty at present, however not a critical various to straightforward gaming GPUs.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/crypto-mining-version-of-rtx-2080-ti-crippled-by-pcie-lanes-in-gaming-test
