Hi all,
I used AI to summarize what I have tried, the problem, etc...
Issue: NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU negotiates PCIe x16 on cold boot but downgrades to x8 after Function Level Reset (FLR) during VFIO passthrough to a VM. The ASUS X870E motherboard's PCIe controller incorrectly interprets the FLR as link instability and permanently bifurcates the slot to x8 until the next cold boot.
Impact: 50% PCIe bandwidth loss in VM (x8 instead of x16)
System Information for Reference
Cold Boot (Host):
After Windows VM Start:
The reset itself completes successfully, but link re-negotiation results in x8.
3. Kernel Parameters Tested
I used AI to summarize what I have tried, the problem, etc...
Problem Statement
Issue: NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU negotiates PCIe x16 on cold boot but downgrades to x8 after Function Level Reset (FLR) during VFIO passthrough to a VM. The ASUS X870E motherboard's PCIe controller incorrectly interprets the FLR as link instability and permanently bifurcates the slot to x8 until the next cold boot.
Impact: 50% PCIe bandwidth loss in VM (x8 instead of x16)
System Specifications
- Motherboard: ASUS X870E (AM5, Ryzen 9000 Series)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (Device ID: 10de:2b85)
- Host OS: Proxmox VE 8.x
- Kernel: 6.17.4-1-pve
- PCIe Slot: PCIEX16_1 (CPU-attached, Gen 5 capable)
System Information for Reference
Code:
# Kernel version
$ uname -r
6.17.4-1-pve
# GPU PCIe info
$ lspci -nn -s 01:00.0
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: NVIDIA Corporation Device [10de:2b85] (rev a1)
# IOMMU groups
$ find /sys/kernel/iommu_groups/ -type l | grep 01:00
/sys/kernel/iommu_groups/14/devices/0000:01:00.0
/sys/kernel/iommu_groups/14/devices/0000:01:00.1
# Current vfio bindings
$ lspci -k -s 01:00.0
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation Device 2b85 (rev a1)
Kernel driver in use: vfio-pci
Kernel modules: nvidiafb, nouveau
# Secure Boot status
$ mokutil --sb-state
SecureBoot enabled (causing setpci lockdown)BIOS Settings
Code:
PCIEX16_1 Link Speed: Gen 4 (Forced - testing showed Gen 5 has same issue)
NATIVE ASPM: Disabled
CPU PCIE ASPM MODE CONTROL: Auto(Tried Disabled)
Clock Spread Spectrum: Auto(Tried Disabled)
SR-IOV: Enabled
IOMMU: Enabled
PCIE16x1: Forced x16 (to no effect)
M.2_2 / M.2_3: Gen 1 / Disabled (where possible)Diagnostic Evidence
Link State Behavior
Cold Boot (Host):
Code:
$ lspci -s 01:00.0 -vv | grep -P "LnkCap:|LnkSta:"
LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 32GT/s, Width x16, ASPM L1, Exit Latency L1 unlimited
LnkSta: Speed 32GT/s, Width x16 ← CORRECTAfter Windows VM Start:
Code:
$ lspci -s 01:00.0 -vv | grep -P "LnkCap:|LnkSta:"
LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 32GT/s, Width x16, ASPM L1, Exit Latency L1 <4us
LnkSta: Speed 32GT/s, Width x8 (downgraded) ← FAILED
```
**Key Observation:** Exit Latency changes from `unlimited` → `<4us`, indicating the PCIe controller transitioned through ASPM L1 state during the reset.
### Kernel Logs During Reset
```
[ 48.247349] vfio-pci 0000:01:00.0: enabling device (0002 -> 0003)
[ 48.247435] vfio-pci 0000:01:00.0: resetting
[ 48.348435] vfio-pci 0000:01:00.0: reset done ← 100ms reset, cleanThe reset itself completes successfully, but link re-negotiation results in x8.
Code:
A. Cold Boot vs. Hot Reset Behavior
Host Boot (lspci): LnkSta: Speed 32GT/s (or 16GT/s), Width x16 -> CORRECT
VM Start (gpu-z): Bus Interface: PCIe x16 4.0 @ x8 4.0 -> FAILED
B. Troubleshooting Performed (All Failed)
VBIOS: Dumped clean VBIOS (romfile=rtx5090.bin) to bypass ROM reading latency. Result: Still x8.
Kernel Flags:
Tried pcie_acs_override=downstream (Host crashed due to IOMMU grouping).
Forced pcie_acs_override=downstream,multifunction (Stable, but causes x8 split).
Signal Integrity:
Forced Gen 3 in BIOS. Result: Still dropped to x8. (Proves this is logic/firmware, not signal noise).
Disabled Spread Spectrum. Result: No change.
Windows Driver:
Disabled/Re-enabled device in Device Manager. Result: Stuck at x8.
Changed Power Management to "Off". Result: Stuck at x8.Troubleshooting Attempts (All Failed to Prevent x8)
1. Signal Integrity Testing
- Forced Gen 3 in BIOS: Still dropped to x8 (proves not signal noise)
- Disabled Spread Spectrum: No change
- Result: Rules out physical layer issues
2. VBIOS ROM Handling
- Dumped clean VBIOS to romfile=rtx5090.rom to bypass ROM read latency
- Result: Still x8
3. Kernel Parameters Tested
Code:
# Tried individually and in combination:
pcie_acs_override=downstream,multifunction # Caused x8 split
pcie_aspm=off # Already in use
pci=nocrs,noaer # No effect
pcie_port_pm=off # No effect
pci=pcie_bus_perf # Not yet tested4. PCIe Configuration Locking Scripts
Code:
setpci -s 01:00.0 CAP_EXP+0x10.W=0x0000 # Disable ASPM
setpci -s 01:00.0 CAP_PM+0x04.W=0x0000 # Force D0 state
setpci -s 01:00.0 CAP_EXP+0x30.W=0x0010 # Lock target width x16Questions for the Community
- Has anyone successfully worked around PCIe bifurcation on ASUS X870E boards with Gen 5 GPUs?
- Is there a way to completely disable vfio-pci device resets?We've tried:
- Module parameters: disable_vga=1 disable_idle_d3=1 nointxmask=1
- Module wrapper scripts
- Kernel parameters to disable PCIe reset mechanisms
- Can QEMU be configured to skip device resets entirely during passthrough? Are there hostpci parameters or machine-type options that prevent FLR?
- Secure Boot Lockdown: Our system is in lockdown mode (evidenced by "Operation not permitted" on setpci). Is there a way to disable PCIe config space protection while maintaining Secure Boot?