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Gaming Performance is a lot less than expected

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Xobu

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Oct 6, 2024
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I have a ASUS ROG Strix 3080 10gb, paired with an I7-9700KF clocked at 5GHz, 32GB of RAM running at 3200MHz XMP, on an MSI Z390 Gaming Plus motherboard. Everything has the latest drivers and bios versions etc. What I was expecting from this "Beast" of a PC, was the ability to get around 100-120 FPS in AAA titles on high settings, and at least 240-300 FPS in Competitive games like CS2 on the competitive graphics settings. This seems to not be the case, as I have set most of the graphics in CS2 to low, but still only experience around 200-220 when I'm looking at the actual game and not up into the sky. The hardware is a bit old and has been used for 2-3 Years before I got my hands on it. Temps on a GPU doesn't run higher than 76C, while the game is utilizing 100% of the card. It is on a fresh Windows 10 installation as well Can someone guide me through this a bit?
 
what resolution are you running at?
 
Xobu said:
1920x1080. Sometimes I upscale to 1920x1200 because it looks better in my opinion but I rarely do so.
Click to expand...

A still somewhat CPU-bound game, running at an extremely CPU-bound resolution, with a card with lots of overhead with weaker CPUs (RTX 30/40), on an old CPU that quickly began to show its age (8C/8T). Not seeing anything surprising here.

9900K/KF was the only real SKU in that family with any real longevity, and even it's getting a bit long in the tooth.
 
tabascosauz said:
A still somewhat CPU-bound game, running at an extremely CPU-bound resolution, with a card with lots of overhead with weaker CPUs (RTX 30/40), on an old CPU that quickly began to show its age (8C/8T). Not seeing anything surprising here.

9900K/KF was the only real SKU in that family with any real longevity, and even it's getting a bit long in the tooth.
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Yeah I've been thinking of upgrading to the Ryzen AM5 platform. Do you have any idea of which CPU would fit well with my Graphics card, since I have no intention of upgrading that in the near future
 
No surprises here

9700K vs 5600 vs 12400F (RTX3060+RTX3080)


Example

1728286512896.png
 
That i7 is almost 6yrs old. If you are skilled enough to leverage more than 200 fps in CS2, you can try some upscaling to see if it is completely CPU bound, or if you can squeeze more out of it.
 
it's a 9 year old 8 core without HT combined with a almost half a decade old 700 dollar GPU. Not sure what you expected.
 
Let's keep things in perspective here - you are achieving 200 FPS.

You don't need 200 FPS to play CS2. Even competitively. Just because you can doesn't mean it'll make a sliver of a difference. (Spoiler: for 99,9% of CS players very high FPS is 100% placebo)
 
Xobu said:
Temps on a GPU doesn't run higher than 76C, while the game is utilizing 100% of the card. It is on a fresh Windows 10 installation as well Can someone guide me through this a bit?
Click to expand...
FYI: When a software says that a GPU is used for 100%, clocks must be taken into account. If reported GPU utilization is 100% while TDP/TGP is at maximum, only then it is really being used to the fullest. GPUs have multiple stages of clocks according based on the current demand for performance. 100% GPU usage at stage 3 means only 50% usage at stage 6. That is just an example.

I recall when I played some old game with RX 580 and saw GPU usage nearly 90%. But the GPU was not even spinning its fans. There was no way that such game would be able to utilize even half of the potential of RX 580. Then I saw the current clock was fluctuating around 700-800 MHz. So, it depends.

That means that even your RTX 3080 might report almost full usage while operating at lower than highest possible clocks. That GPU is being hold back by your CPU.
 
My watercooled 3080 TUF gets similar temps, yet that's with maximum stress and wattage. The CPU is holding back on your case.
 
The gpu is fine. The cpu is not.
It's slower than a 5600 which is not even considered a fast one.
So either get a 9900K but don't expect miracles, or leap of faith to a new platform.
 
You could also try a memory OC. RAM speed actually matters quite a bit when you're aiming for super high refresh rate gaming, and 3200MHz is on the slower side for DDR4. But like others have said... don't expect miracles.

The 9700K can only do so much.
 
gffermari said:
So either get a 9900K
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It's a 9700k with HT so with all due respect prob not worth it as HT doesn't really add a whole lot to games. Better off throwing that money into a new platform.

Zen 5 is here, and Arrow Lake S this month.
 
Outback Bronze said:
It's a 9700k with HT so with all due respect prob not worth it as HT doesn't really add a whole lot to games. Better off throwing that money into a new platform.

Zen 5 is here, and Arrow Lake S this month.
Click to expand...

I agree but I don't know if the OP has the available budget for a new platform.
 
The 3080 is till very capable, but the i7 9700KF is a bit old, on such low settings you are probably cpu limited, which explains the lack of gaming performance. Time to upgrade your cpu+mobo+ram combo.

That said, 200 fps is still more than enough so if you only play CS2, you can still wait a bit.
 
Like shown in the video I posted earlier the CPU is clearly the bottleneck.
3080 is still a capable GPU equal to 4070/7800XT

The gaming performance of 9700KF+3080 is low but not trash though.
The OP can wait a few months until Q1/2 2025 for new stuff to be released and settle in prices, like ArrowLake and 9000X3D.
If those 2 are successful releases and any user cant afford them, all the existing hardware prices will drop fast.
 
open the nvidia geforce experience in game (ALT+R), and it will show you the CPU and GPU load and clocks.

If you see your GPU % is below 95% then that's the system bottlenecking somewhere else. CPU can bottleneck at less that 100%.
 
Thanks for all the support. Yes I believe the CPU is clearly the bottleneck, and overclocking can only do so much. I'll definitely need to upgrade the mobo+ram+CPU. Like I said before, I was thinking something on the AM5 socket, as it is still supported, and allows future upgrades without breaking the bank. I would love to hear any recommendations for CPU, Motherboard and RAM as I am fairly new to all of this. I'm probably willing to spend $1000 at the max, but would prefer something around the $500 range. As for the motherboard, I don't want to pay any extra for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, as I already have a card capable of that. And of course an ATX motherboard would be preferred. As for the Memory, it would probably be best to opt in for some DDR5. Maybe not at the highest speeds though. I feel like 32GB running at 4800MHz is maybe more than enough for what I'm trying to achieve right now. I have the Lian Li O11DX case if there should be any compatibility issues. Should I opt in for a new PSU aswell? I believe I have the Corsair RM750e PSU. Let me know!
 
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tommesfps said:
So you expected a lot more ? performance? fps? Because of what? because of tiktok AI BS?
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No but I know that the RTX 3080 is a great card. Sure it might not hold up to the new games quite like it did a few years back, but it still has good performance, especially in more of the older games which I'm interested in playing. Titles such as Watch Dogs 2/Legion etc.
 
Vayra86 said:
Let's keep things in perspective here - you are achieving 200 FPS.

You don't need 200 FPS to play CS2. Even competitively. Just because you can doesn't mean it'll make a sliver of a difference. (Spoiler: for 99,9% of CS players very high FPS is 100% placebo)
Click to expand...
I agree. 200 FPS isn't necessary, but when I'm pairing it with a 240Hz monitor, I want to at least get the display rate that my monitor is capable of, in order to get the smoothest experience possible. I don't mean to sound ignorant, it is simply preference and opinion that takes over.
 
This system is more like an angry house cat than an actual beast at this point mate. I think you're just asking a wee bit too much out of it :)
 
Dr. Dro said:
This system is more like an angry house cat than an actual beast at this point mate. I think you're just asking a wee bit too much out of it :)
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Personally I don't think I'm asking that much more out of it. I remember hearing about the 9700-9900K's being beasts of their time, and since CS is a game from that time that just got a simple overhaul, I think it should be capable. Maybe it's been worn too much from its couple of years in service before I got my dirty hands on it.
 
Xobu said:
This seems to not be the case, as I have set most of the graphics in CS2 to low, but still only experience around 200-220
Click to expand...
what refresh rate is the monitor capable of?
 
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