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

Gaming Performance is a lot less than expected

Xobu

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2024
Messages
28 (0.46/day)
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?
 
Joined
Aug 12, 2019
Messages
2,211 (1.14/day)
Location
LV-426
System Name Custom
Processor i9 9900k
Motherboard Gigabyte Z390 arous master
Cooling corsair h150i
Memory 4x8 3200mhz corsair
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 EX Gamer White OC
Storage 500gb Samsung 970 Evo PLus
Display(s) MSi MAG341CQ
Case Lian Li Pc-011 Dynamic
Audio Device(s) Arctis Pro Wireless
Power Supply 850w Seasonic Focus Platinum
Mouse Logitech G403
Keyboard Logitech G110
what resolution are you running at?
 

tabascosauz

Moderator
Supporter
Staff member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
8,161 (2.36/day)
Location
Western Canada
System Name ab┃ob
Processor 7800X3D┃5800X3D
Motherboard B650E PG-ITX┃X570 Impact
Cooling NH-U12A + T30┃AXP120-x67
Memory 64GB 6400CL32┃32GB 3600CL14
Video Card(s) RTX 4070 Ti Eagle┃RTX A2000
Storage 8TB of SSDs┃1TB SN550
Case Caselabs S3┃Lazer3D HT5
1920x1080. Sometimes I upscale to 1920x1200 because it looks better in my opinion but I rarely do so.

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.
 

Xobu

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2024
Messages
28 (0.46/day)
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.
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
 
Joined
Sep 3, 2019
Messages
3,532 (1.84/day)
Location
Thessaloniki, Greece
System Name PC on since Aug 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600 + ASUS ROG RX580 8GB >> MSI Gaming X RX5700XT (Jan 2020)
Processor Ryzen 9 5900X (July 2022), 220W PPT limit, 80C temp limit, CO -6-14, +50MHz (up to 5.0GHz)
Motherboard Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F39b, AGESA V2 1.2.0.C
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm Rev7 (Jan 2024) with off-center mount for Ryzen, TIM: Kryonaut
Memory 2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo GTZN (July 2022) 3667MT/s 1.42V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:280, B-die
Video Card(s) Sapphire Nitro+ RX 7900XTX (Dec 2023) 314~467W (375W current) PowerLimit, 1060mV, Adrenalin v24.10.1
Storage Samsung NVMe: 980Pro 1TB(OS 2022), 970Pro 512GB(2019) / SATA-III: 850Pro 1TB(2015) 860Evo 1TB(2020)
Display(s) Dell Alienware AW3423DW 34" QD-OLED curved (1800R), 3440x1440 144Hz (max 175Hz) HDR400/1000, VRR on
Case None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s) Astro A50 headset
Power Supply Corsair HX750i, ATX v2.4, 80+ Platinum, 93% (250~700W), modular, single/dual rail (switch)
Mouse Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software Windows 11 Home 64bit (v24H2, OSBuild 26100.2161), upgraded from Win10 to Win11 on Jan 2024
No surprises here

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


Example

1728286512896.png
 
Joined
Sep 11, 2019
Messages
270 (0.14/day)
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.
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2021
Messages
2,915 (2.08/day)
Location
Germany
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard ASRock B650E Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280
Memory 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB 6000 CL30 (A-Die)
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio
Storage 1TB Samsung 990 PRO, 4TB Corsair MP600 PRO XT, 1TB WD SN850X, 4x4TB Crucial MX500
Display(s) Alienware AW2725DF, LG 27GR93U, LG 27GN950-B
Case Streacom BC1 V2 Black
Audio Device(s) Bose Companion Series 2 III, Sennheiser GSP600 and HD599 SE - Creative Soundblaster X4
Power Supply bequiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500w Titanium
Mouse Razer Deathadder V3
Keyboard Razer Black Widow V3 TKL
VR HMD Oculus Rift S
Software ~2000 Video Games
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.
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
22,508 (6.03/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
System Name Tiny the White Yeti
Processor 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI MAG Mortar b650m wifi
Cooling CPU: Thermalright Peerless Assassin / Case: Phanteks T30-120 x3
Memory 32GB Corsair Vengeance 30CL6000
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Lexar NM790 4TB + Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 980 1TB + Crucial BX100 250GB
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Lian Li A3 mATX White
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Steelseries Aerox 5
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
VR HMD HD 420 - Green Edition ;)
Software W11 IoT Enterprise LTSC
Benchmark Scores Over 9000
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)
 
Joined
Jul 24, 2024
Messages
255 (1.88/day)
System Name AM4_TimeKiller
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 5600X @ all-core 4.7 GHz
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B550-E Gaming
Cooling Arctic Freezer II 420 rev.7 (push-pull)
Memory G.Skill TridentZ RGB, 2x16 GB DDR4, B-Die, 3800 MHz @ CL14-15-14-29-43 1T, 53.2 ns
Video Card(s) ASRock Radeon RX 7800 XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Samsung 990 PRO 1 TB, Kingston KC3000 1 TB, Kingston KC3000 2 TB
Case Corsair 7000D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Power Supply Seasonic Prime TX-850
Mouse Logitech wireless mouse
Keyboard Logitech wireless keyboard
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?
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.
 

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
12,857 (2.94/day)
Location
Jyväskylä, Finland
System Name 4K-gaming / media-PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X / Intel Core i7-6700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero / Asus Z170-A
Cooling Arctic Freezer 50 / Alphacool Eisbaer 240
Memory 32GB DDR4-3466 / 16GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) RTX 3080 10GB / RX 6700 XT
Storage 3.3TB of SSDs / several small SSDs
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Corsair 4000D AF White / DeepCool CC560 WH
Audio Device(s) Creative 2.1
Power Supply EVGA G2 750W / Fractal ION Gold 550W
Mouse Logitech MX518 / Logitech G400s
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO / NOS C450 Mini Pro
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro / Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores They run Crysis
My watercooled 3080 TUF gets similar temps, yet that's with maximum stress and wattage. The CPU is holding back on your case.
 
Joined
Apr 14, 2022
Messages
749 (0.77/day)
Location
London, UK
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard ASUS B550M-Plus WiFi II
Cooling Noctua U12A chromax.black
Memory Corsair Vengeance 32GB 3600Mhz
Video Card(s) Palit RTX 4080 GameRock OC
Storage Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB + 980 Pro 2TB
Display(s) Acer Nitro XV271UM3B IPS 180Hz
Case Asus Prime AP201
Audio Device(s) Creative Gigaworks - Razer Blackshark V2 Pro
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse Razer Viper
Keyboard Asus ROG Falchion
Software Windows 11 64bit
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.
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2023
Messages
112 (0.21/day)
System Name EnvyPC
Processor Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard Asus ROG Strix B650E-I Gaming WiFi
Cooling Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 White / be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 120mm (x2), 140mm (x3)
Memory 64GB Klevv Cras V RGB White DDR5-6000 (Hynix A) 30-36-36-76 1.35v
Video Card(s) MSI GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Gaming X Trio White Edition
Storage SK Hynix Platinum P41 2TB NVME
Display(s) HP Omen 4K 144Hz
Case Lian Li Dan Case A3 White
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound BlasterX G6
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G600 White
Software Windows 11 Pro
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.
 

Outback Bronze

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Messages
2,031 (0.42/day)
Location
Walkabout Creek
System Name Raptor Baked
Processor 14900k w.c.
Motherboard Z790 Hero
Cooling w.c.
Memory 48GB G.Skill 7200
Video Card(s) Zotac 4080 w.c.
Storage 2TB Kingston kc3k
Display(s) Samsung 34" G8
Case Corsair 460X
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply PCIe5 850w
Mouse Asus
Keyboard Corsair
Software Win 11
Benchmark Scores Cool n Quiet.
So either get a 9900K

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.
 
Joined
Apr 14, 2022
Messages
749 (0.77/day)
Location
London, UK
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard ASUS B550M-Plus WiFi II
Cooling Noctua U12A chromax.black
Memory Corsair Vengeance 32GB 3600Mhz
Video Card(s) Palit RTX 4080 GameRock OC
Storage Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB + 980 Pro 2TB
Display(s) Acer Nitro XV271UM3B IPS 180Hz
Case Asus Prime AP201
Audio Device(s) Creative Gigaworks - Razer Blackshark V2 Pro
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse Razer Viper
Keyboard Asus ROG Falchion
Software Windows 11 64bit
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.

I agree but I don't know if the OP has the available budget for a new platform.
 
Joined
Feb 1, 2023
Messages
49 (0.07/day)
Processor Ryzen 7 9800x3d
Motherboard Asrock X870E NOVA wifi
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 g2 LBC
Memory Gskill Trident Z Neo DDR5 6000 2x32GB
Video Card(s) Inno3d 4070 TI
Storage 4 TB SSD Samsung 990 Pro + 2 TB SSD Samsung 980 pro + Toshiba 18TB
Display(s) MSI MAG274QRF-QD
Case Antec Flux Pro
Audio Device(s) Creative Soundblaster AE-9
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W
Mouse Razer Basilisk V3
Keyboard Razer Blackwidow V3
Software Windows 10 Pro
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.
 
Joined
Sep 3, 2019
Messages
3,532 (1.84/day)
Location
Thessaloniki, Greece
System Name PC on since Aug 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600 + ASUS ROG RX580 8GB >> MSI Gaming X RX5700XT (Jan 2020)
Processor Ryzen 9 5900X (July 2022), 220W PPT limit, 80C temp limit, CO -6-14, +50MHz (up to 5.0GHz)
Motherboard Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F39b, AGESA V2 1.2.0.C
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm Rev7 (Jan 2024) with off-center mount for Ryzen, TIM: Kryonaut
Memory 2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo GTZN (July 2022) 3667MT/s 1.42V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:280, B-die
Video Card(s) Sapphire Nitro+ RX 7900XTX (Dec 2023) 314~467W (375W current) PowerLimit, 1060mV, Adrenalin v24.10.1
Storage Samsung NVMe: 980Pro 1TB(OS 2022), 970Pro 512GB(2019) / SATA-III: 850Pro 1TB(2015) 860Evo 1TB(2020)
Display(s) Dell Alienware AW3423DW 34" QD-OLED curved (1800R), 3440x1440 144Hz (max 175Hz) HDR400/1000, VRR on
Case None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s) Astro A50 headset
Power Supply Corsair HX750i, ATX v2.4, 80+ Platinum, 93% (250~700W), modular, single/dual rail (switch)
Mouse Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software Windows 11 Home 64bit (v24H2, OSBuild 26100.2161), upgraded from Win10 to Win11 on Jan 2024
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.
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
10,796 (1.73/day)
Location
Austin Texas
System Name stress-less
Processor 9800X3D @ 5.42GHZ
Motherboard MSI PRO B650M-A Wifi
Cooling Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO
Memory 64GB DDR5 6000 CL30-36-36-76
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 FE
Storage 2TB WD SN850, 4TB WD SN850X
Display(s) Alienware 32" 4k 240hz OLED
Case Jonsbo Z20
Audio Device(s) Yes
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse DeathadderV2 X Hyperspeed
Keyboard 65% HE Keyboard
Software Windows 11
Benchmark Scores They're pretty good, nothing crazy.
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%.
 

Xobu

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2024
Messages
28 (0.46/day)
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!
 
Last edited:

Xobu

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2024
Messages
28 (0.46/day)
So you expected a lot more ? performance? fps? Because of what? because of tiktok AI BS?
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.
 

Xobu

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2024
Messages
28 (0.46/day)
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)
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.
 
Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Messages
6,862 (4.76/day)
Location
São Paulo, Brazil
System Name "Icy Resurrection"
Processor 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900KS Special Edition
Motherboard ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX ENCORE
Cooling Noctua NH-D15S upgraded with 2x NF-F12 iPPC-3000 fans and Honeywell PTM7950 TIM
Memory 32 GB G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB F5-6800J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK @ 7600 MT/s 36-44-44-52-96 1.4V
Video Card(s) ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX™ 4080 16GB GDDR6X White OC Edition
Storage 500 GB WD Black SN750 SE NVMe SSD + 4 TB WD Red Plus WD40EFPX HDD
Display(s) 55-inch LG G3 OLED
Case Pichau Mancer CV500 White Edition
Power Supply EVGA 1300 G2 1.3kW 80+ Gold
Mouse Microsoft Classic Intellimouse
Keyboard Generic PS/2
Software Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2
Benchmark Scores I pulled a Qiqi~
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 :)
 

Xobu

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2024
Messages
28 (0.46/day)
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 :)
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.
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
4,632 (0.94/day)
Location
in a van down by the river
Processor faster at instructions than yours
Motherboard more nurturing than yours
Cooling frostier than yours
Memory superior scheduling & haphazardly entry than yours
Video Card(s) better rasterization than yours
Storage more ample than yours
Display(s) increased pixels than yours
Case fancier than yours
Audio Device(s) further audible than yours
Power Supply additional amps x volts than yours
Mouse without as much gnawing as yours
Keyboard less clicky than yours
VR HMD not as odd looking as yours
Software extra mushier than yours
Benchmark Scores up yours
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
what refresh rate is the monitor capable of?
 
Top