PCIe 5.0 Bandwidth Impact on Content Creation GPUs: A Deep Dive

2025-07-05
PCIe 5.0 Bandwidth Impact on Content Creation GPUs: A Deep Dive

With PCIe 5.0 GPUs now available, the impact of bandwidth on content creation applications is a key question. Testing reveals that in DaVinci Resolve, PCIe 5.0 x16, x8, and 4.0 x16 perform similarly, but reducing bandwidth to 4.0 x4 or lower significantly impacts performance. After Effects shows less impact, while Blender and Octane rendering are virtually unaffected. LLM benchmarks show limited bandwidth effects, but multi-GPU and system RAM interplay should be considered. In summary, for content creation, running a GPU at x8 on a PCIe 5.0 motherboard is usually fine, but beware of the 4.0 x4 bandwidth limitation on lower-end motherboards.

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Development GPU Performance

Puget Systems' Transparent Take on Tariffs and PC Pricing

2025-03-28
Puget Systems' Transparent Take on Tariffs and PC Pricing

Puget Systems openly addresses the impact of tariffs on its computer pricing. A 20% tariff increase has affected some components (motherboards, power supplies) by 20%, while others (CPUs) see less impact. Puget Systems is mitigating the effects through strategic inventory management, close supplier relationships, and absorbing some costs. They advise customers to consider early purchases to avoid potentially higher prices in June.

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Hardware

Puget Systems' Mineral Oil-Cooled PC: A Decade+ of Experimentation

2025-01-27
Puget Systems' Mineral Oil-Cooled PC: A Decade+ of Experimentation

Since 2007, Puget Systems has experimented with mineral oil cooling for PCs, iterating through multiple versions. Starting with a simple aquarium and inexpensive hardware, they refined their design with custom acrylic motherboard trays, efficient radiators, and dual-pump systems, achieving remarkable cooling performance and stability. While patent issues led to the discontinuation of sales, their persistent experimentation and contribution to the DIY community remain noteworthy.

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