• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Irregular gpu usage and low framerate

Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
72 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 4570 3.2 GHZ
Motherboard MSI H87-G43M
Memory 2X 4GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) XFX r7 265 Core Edition 2GB
Storage Wester Digital Caviar Black 1002FAEX 1 TB
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Software Windows 10 64 bit
Gpu usage goes up and down up and down from 64% to 100%, its never constant.

I just upgraded my gpu from a gtx 550 ti to a r7 265 but Im having trouble with the framerate, it kinda feels there is a cap because in the witcher 3 (eurogamer console settings) the framerate goes from 23 to 31 max , 34 to 42 max in far cry 4 (high settings) and 27 to 43 max in gta v (eurogamer console settings). It doesnt matter if the scene is demanding or not, the framerate dont go higher than the numbers stated above.

This is the graph of the typical gpu usage after playing the witcher 3 for an hour, it goes from 64% to 100%:



The resolution I use is 1080p, vsync is off and the driver is up to date.

My gpu: http://cdn.agilitycms.com/xfx/MediaGroupings/298/R7-265A-CNJ_1.JPG
 
Last edited:

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!
Supporter
Joined
Mar 26, 2014
Messages
9,223 (2.52/day)
Location
Washington, USA
System Name Veral
Processor 5950x
Motherboard MSI MEG x570 Ace
Cooling Corsair H150i Elite
Memory 4x16GB G.Skill TridentZ
Video Card(s) Powercolor 7900XTX Red Devil
Storage Crucial P5 Plus 1TB, Samsung 980 1TB, Teamgroup MP34 4TB
Display(s) Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx + 2x AOC 2425W
Case Fractal Design Meshify Lite 2
Audio Device(s) Blue Yeti + SteelSeries Arctis 5 / Samsung HW-T550
Power Supply Corsair HX850
Mouse Corsair Nightsword
Keyboard Corsair K55
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Professional
Benchmark Scores PEBCAK
Temps say it all. It's throttling. Turn up the fan.
 
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
72 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 4570 3.2 GHZ
Motherboard MSI H87-G43M
Memory 2X 4GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) XFX r7 265 Core Edition 2GB
Storage Wester Digital Caviar Black 1002FAEX 1 TB
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Software Windows 10 64 bit
The max gpu temp with the fan at default (60% of speed) is 81c, when the fan is set to 100%, it doesnt past 67c but the results were the same after a minute, the coreclock also was jumping from 900 to 925 (the boost clock).

The max cpu temp doesnt past 68c.
 

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!
Supporter
Joined
Mar 26, 2014
Messages
9,223 (2.52/day)
Location
Washington, USA
System Name Veral
Processor 5950x
Motherboard MSI MEG x570 Ace
Cooling Corsair H150i Elite
Memory 4x16GB G.Skill TridentZ
Video Card(s) Powercolor 7900XTX Red Devil
Storage Crucial P5 Plus 1TB, Samsung 980 1TB, Teamgroup MP34 4TB
Display(s) Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx + 2x AOC 2425W
Case Fractal Design Meshify Lite 2
Audio Device(s) Blue Yeti + SteelSeries Arctis 5 / Samsung HW-T550
Power Supply Corsair HX850
Mouse Corsair Nightsword
Keyboard Corsair K55
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Professional
Benchmark Scores PEBCAK
Then the issue lies within your airflow in your case. What case do you have? What fans and how are they set up? These things are important.
 
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
72 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 4570 3.2 GHZ
Motherboard MSI H87-G43M
Memory 2X 4GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) XFX r7 265 Core Edition 2GB
Storage Wester Digital Caviar Black 1002FAEX 1 TB
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Software Windows 10 64 bit
The high temps I get is because of the gpu cooler: http://cdn.agilitycms.com/xfx/MediaGroupings/298/R7-265A-CNJ_1.JPG

My case is a generic one with a fan cooler pulling air out in the back (xclio), the max temp I got with my former msi gtx 550 ti cyclone II was 69C.

As I stated above, decreasing the temps by increasing the gpu fan speed did nothing.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
1,079 (0.24/day)
Location
Indonesia
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X570-E
Cooling NOCTUA NH-U12A
Memory G.Skill FlareX 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200
Video Card(s) ASUS RTX 4070 DUAL
Storage 1 TB WD Black SN850X | 2 TB WD Blue SN570 | 10 TB WD Purple Pro
Display(s) LG 32QP880N 32"
Case Fractal Design Define R5 Black
Power Supply Seasonic Focus Gold 750W
Mouse Pulsar X2
Keyboard KIRA EXS
Try to monitor your GPU clock speed (via Afterburner), if it fluctuates like the GPU usage then try to increase your power limit (just a little bit, 1-5%) on Afterburner.
 

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast
Supporter
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
13,909 (2.43/day)
Location
Louisiana -Laissez les bons temps rouler!
System Name Bayou Phantom
Processor Core i7-8700k 4.4Ghz @ 1.18v
Motherboard ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax T40F Black CPU cooler
Memory 2x 16GB Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Xc
Storage 1x 500 MX500 SSD; 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 4TB WD Black; 1x400GB VelRptr; 1x 4TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s) HP 27q 27" IPS @ 2560 x 1440
Case Fractal Design Define R4 Black w/Titanium front -windowed
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster Z
Power Supply Seasonic X-850
Mouse Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)
The high temps I get is because of the gpu cooler: http://cdn.agilitycms.com/xfx/MediaGroupings/298/R7-265A-CNJ_1.JPG

My case is a generic one with a fan cooler pulling air out in the back, the max temp I got with my former msi gtx 550 ti cyclone II was 69C.

As I stated above, decreasing the temps by increasing the gpu fan speed did nothing.

Actually, by what you said it seems to help temporarily, then temps are going up, correct?

If this is the case, then what @Toothless says is correct, you need better case airflow. One fan in the back is not going to do it. What case do you have? You either need more fans in the correct places, and/or need a new case.
 

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!
Supporter
Joined
Mar 26, 2014
Messages
9,223 (2.52/day)
Location
Washington, USA
System Name Veral
Processor 5950x
Motherboard MSI MEG x570 Ace
Cooling Corsair H150i Elite
Memory 4x16GB G.Skill TridentZ
Video Card(s) Powercolor 7900XTX Red Devil
Storage Crucial P5 Plus 1TB, Samsung 980 1TB, Teamgroup MP34 4TB
Display(s) Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx + 2x AOC 2425W
Case Fractal Design Meshify Lite 2
Audio Device(s) Blue Yeti + SteelSeries Arctis 5 / Samsung HW-T550
Power Supply Corsair HX850
Mouse Corsair Nightsword
Keyboard Corsair K55
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Professional
Benchmark Scores PEBCAK
Try to monitor your GPU clock speed (via Afterburner), if it fluctuates like the GPU usage then try to increase your power limit (just a little bit, 1-5%) on Afterburner.
Won't help if his GPU is already running hot. Actually your theory will make it run hotter. His rig is throttling and what he needs is more airflow or better cooling, or both.
 
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
72 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 4570 3.2 GHZ
Motherboard MSI H87-G43M
Memory 2X 4GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) XFX r7 265 Core Edition 2GB
Storage Wester Digital Caviar Black 1002FAEX 1 TB
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Software Windows 10 64 bit
Try to monitor your GPU clock speed (via Afterburner), if it fluctuates like the GPU usage then try to increase your power limit (just a little bit, 1-5%) on Afterburner.

I did that but the temps doesnt affect the usage regardless if it is 69c with the fan set at 100% or 77c - 81c with the fan set on auto (60%) , after a minute the gpu usage is the same as the image above.

Actually, by what you said it seems to help temporarily, then temps are going up, correct?

If this is the case, then what @Toothless says is correct, you need better case airflow. One fan in the back is not going to do it. What case do you have? You either need more fans in the correct places, and/or need a new case.

Yes, it does help with the temps and I'm conscious that the temps I get are on the high side, however, that temp reduction doesn't solve the main problem.
 
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
72 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 4570 3.2 GHZ
Motherboard MSI H87-G43M
Memory 2X 4GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) XFX r7 265 Core Edition 2GB
Storage Wester Digital Caviar Black 1002FAEX 1 TB
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Software Windows 10 64 bit


Thats a 10 minute gameplay result (the witcher 3), and it started to go from 64 to 100 after a minute, power option in control panel was set to High Performance, the pc case was opened and the gpu fan speed was set to 85, same result...
 

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
13,147 (2.96/day)
Location
Concord, NH, USA
System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
How much system memory are you using when that occurs? It's not unrealistic for my system memory usage to go over 8GB when playing Farcry 4, even more so when stuff is open in the background. The Witcher 3 uses 3GB just loading up in Novigrad so, dips in performance could be you start hitting the swap file. Swapping to a spinning drive is detrimental to performance.

@Toothless I think if it were overheating, it would be dropping the clocks. It would still be at 100% load. Dips in load is probably something else causing a bottleneck.
 
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
Messages
6,401 (1.44/day)
Location
Florida
System Name natr0n-PC
Processor Ryzen 5950x/5600x
Motherboard B450 AORUS M
Cooling EK AIO - 6 fan action
Memory Patriot - Viper Steel DDR4 (B-Die)(4x8GB)
Video Card(s) EVGA 3070ti FTW
Storage Various
Display(s) PIXIO IPS 240Hz 1080P
Case Thermaltake Level 20 VT
Audio Device(s) LOXJIE D10 + Kinter Amp + 6 Bookshelf Speakers Sony+JVC+Sony
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 80+ Gold 650W
Software XP/7/8.1/10
Benchmark Scores http://valid.x86.fr/79kuh6
Something else might be using your gpu while you game.

Use the ! on afterburner look at (Active 3D process) when you game. should only be the games exe.
 
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
447 (0.14/day)
System Name My system is my pet?
Processor Intel Core i5 9400f 2.9GHz/4.0 Turbo (NoOC)
Motherboard Gigabyte Z370M D3H rev. 1.0
Cooling An okayish Cooler but it is better than Intel's stock
Memory Corsair Red Line 8x2 16GB 3000MHz (NoOC) DDR4-3000 15-17-17-35 (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15R) V1.35 ver 4.24
Video Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce MSI 980 Ti Golden Edition (NoOC)| Spare: GTX 650 Ti 1 GB
Storage Samsun 860 EVO 1 TB | Spare: WDC Black 930 GiB WD1003FZEX
Display(s) Asus VG248QZ 1920x1080 144hz 24" (Current: 60hz, because Contrast is lowered with 60+ Hz)
Case Corsair Air 540
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC892
Power Supply Corsair 850W RMi power supply (Overkill I know -long story-)
Mouse Logitech M187 wireless (First day of use 30-9-2021)
Keyboard Logitech K270 wireless
Software Windows 10 21H2 / Nobara Linux (Modified Fedora Linux)
Did you install some codec packs intentionally for your computer? Some media players also install codec packs in the system by your knowledge or not. Do you run Fraps too?
I am saying the first one above because I have seen people years ago complaining about such problems till they found out that K-Lite Codec Pack was the culprit.

(Note: 1- I am not that good with computers 2- My English isn't so good)
 
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
72 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 4570 3.2 GHZ
Motherboard MSI H87-G43M
Memory 2X 4GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) XFX r7 265 Core Edition 2GB
Storage Wester Digital Caviar Black 1002FAEX 1 TB
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Software Windows 10 64 bit
Try to monitor your GPU clock speed (via Afterburner), if it fluctuates like the GPU usage then try to increase your power limit (just a little bit, 1-5%) on Afterburner.

I did increase the power limit to 20% because as I understand , increasing that is not as risky as increasing the voltage, been playing for 40 minutes and no fluctuation whatsoever!, and the temps didn't increase at all (76-80c max).

What I don't understand is why I had to do that with a brand new gpu, was it the problem?, or is it the PSU?, at the end of the day Im forcing a setting to make the gpu work and that kind of worries me.
 

OneMoar

There is Always Moar
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Messages
8,740 (1.71/day)
Location
Rochester area
System Name RPC MK2.5
Processor Ryzen 5800x
Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus Pro V2
Cooling Enermax ETX-T50RGB
Memory CL16 BL2K16G36C16U4RL 3600 1:1 micron e-die
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE RTX 3070 Ti GAMING OC
Storage ADATA SX8200PRO NVME 512GB, Intel 545s 500GBSSD, ADATA SU800 SSD, 3TB Spinner
Display(s) LG Ultra Gear 32 1440p 165hz Dell 1440p 75hz
Case Phanteks P300 /w 300A front panel conversion
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply SeaSonic Focus+ Platinum 750W
Mouse Kone burst Pro
Keyboard EVGA Z15
Software Windows 11 +startisallback
slow gpu is slow power limit was kicking in to regulate thermals because the game is pushing the card so hard ...
 
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
72 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 4570 3.2 GHZ
Motherboard MSI H87-G43M
Memory 2X 4GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) XFX r7 265 Core Edition 2GB
Storage Wester Digital Caviar Black 1002FAEX 1 TB
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Software Windows 10 64 bit
Vsync is disabled and my system can handle console details...
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
1,079 (0.24/day)
Location
Indonesia
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X570-E
Cooling NOCTUA NH-U12A
Memory G.Skill FlareX 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200
Video Card(s) ASUS RTX 4070 DUAL
Storage 1 TB WD Black SN850X | 2 TB WD Blue SN570 | 10 TB WD Purple Pro
Display(s) LG 32QP880N 32"
Case Fractal Design Define R5 Black
Power Supply Seasonic Focus Gold 750W
Mouse Pulsar X2
Keyboard KIRA EXS
I did increase the power limit to 20% because as I understand , increasing that is not as risky as increasing the voltage, been playing for 40 minutes and no fluctuation whatsoever!, and the temps didn't increase at all (76-80c max).

What I don't understand is why I had to do that with a brand new gpu, was it the problem?, or is it the PSU?, at the end of the day Im forcing a setting to make the gpu work and that kind of worries me.

The same problem happened to me with my old 7790 and R9 270X, and it happened only with certain version of drivers (usually the newer one).
You can do an experiment by trying older drivers version and see if the problem persist.

If you're worried about increasing the power limit as high as 20%, try to reduce the power limit increase and check again if the problem persist.
I remember I can fix my old issues with just 1% power limit increase.
 
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
72 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 4570 3.2 GHZ
Motherboard MSI H87-G43M
Memory 2X 4GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) XFX r7 265 Core Edition 2GB
Storage Wester Digital Caviar Black 1002FAEX 1 TB
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 550w
Software Windows 10 64 bit
The same problem happened to me with my old 7790 and R9 270X, and it happened only with certain version of drivers (usually the newer one).
You can do an experiment by trying older drivers version and see if the problem persist.

If you're worried about increasing the power limit as high as 20%, try to reduce the power limit increase and check again if the problem persist.
I remember I can fix my old issues with just 1% power limit increase.

10% is the happy medium, no more going up and down, going back to older drivers did nothing.

Problem Solved!
 
Top