PCIe x16 switching to x8 even if no 2nd GPU connected?

pcle x16 slot   Dan pcle x16 slot

A slot can provide multiple lanes, from 1 lane in the smallest slot to up to 16 in the largest slots Using two graphics cards normally entails

Nope pcie slots are designed so the pins of the shorter cards match up with the pins on the front end of a longer slot It is a interesting x8, x16 PCIe Gen 3 bandwidth, 1 GBs, 2 GBs, 4 GBs, 8 GBs, 16 GBs PCIe Gen 4 Does PCIe Gen 4 make PCIe NVMe SSDs faster? PCIe Gen 3 was unable to

the slot shop PCIe SSD Performance; EZ-Latch：PCIe x16 Slot & Connectors with Quick Release & Screwless Design; Fast Networks： LAN & Wi-Fi 6E A PCIe x8 card will fit in any PCIe x8 or PCIe x16 slot PCIe cards larger than the PCIe slot may fit in the smaller slot but only if it is open