A peripheral interface circuit for handling graphics responses in an I/O node of a computer system. A peripheral interface circuit includes a buffer circuit coupled to receive packet commands. The buffer circuit includes a plurality of buffers each corresponding to a respective virtual channel of a plurality of virtual channels for storing selected packet commands that belong to the respective virtual channel. The peripheral interface circuit may determine whether a given one of the received packet commands is a graphics response belonging to a particular respective virtual channel. In response to determining that the given packet command is a graphics response belonging to the particular respective virtual channel, the buffer circuit may cause the given packet command to bypass the plurality of buffers.