Video card performance cut in half

SadSeven

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May 10, 2013
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I've been playing Guild Wars 2, but my FPS are so low that the game is unplayable (7-20). So I went to the support and after I gave them some information they asked, they said:
"The Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 card you are using is currently installed into a PCI slot that is only running x1 speed and the card has the ability to run at x16 speed. This means that the performance of your card is being cut in half. "
They also said:
"Bus Interface PCI --E 2.0x16 @ x1.2.0 <-- The first part of this line is what your graphics card is capable of running at. In this case x16 speeds. The numbers after the @ symbol are what the card is currently running at. In this case x1 speeds. "

I think my motherboard Intel DP55WB only has 2 PCI slots and it is connected to the right one (a blue one).
http://ark.intel.com/products/41162/Intel-Desktop-Board-DP55WB

I updated my motherboard and graphics card drivers, still no changes.

A little help would be great! :)
 

namdlo

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Jun 20, 2012
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What settings/resolution are you trying to run the game at?

There are other posts (google) about people having low fps with the GTS 250.

The game is also VERY CPU intensive - you've only listed that it's an LGA1156 motherboard - nothing about CPU or total memory.

Here are some performance metrics showing the some similiar cards in conjunction with a VERY high end cpu. It could be the possiblity of your "lower" end card and CPU are causing your fps issues.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/guild-wars-2-performance-benchmark,3268-4.html



 

SadSeven

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May 10, 2013
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I'm trying to run it at 1920x1080.
CPU: Intel Core i5 650 3.20 GHZ (dual core I think <-- I bought it as a dual core but resource monitor and other programs say it has 4 cores)
RAM: 8GB
Why does GPUz say this?:
Bus Interface: PCI --E 2.0x16 @ x1.2.0

If the problem is my graphic card, what would you recommend me then? (If I could get another to this computer, I don't know much about hardware sorry, I'm here to learn).
Thanks, tell me if you need more information.



Don't...

Bump posts


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/283384-33-read-first
 

SadSeven

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May 10, 2013
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(sorry for bumping)


Oh, so I do have a 4 quad core. o_O
I removed it, cleaned, even took some screws out to clean it better, installed it, and it is the same.
I think the problem might be in the motherboard now?

Another thing I noticed is that in the BIOS, it says Using x8/x16 (not exactly like this) instead of what it says in the GPUz.
 
It could be a BIOS issue, either with the card or motherboard but flashing either is a risky operation and not one I'd suggest you do yourself.
If you have access to another machine that can accept the GTS250 you could try your card in that machine, if it runs at the correct speed it would indicate a faulty motherboard.
If you have access to another PCI-E card that your machine will accept you could try that card in your machine, again if it runs only a x1 speed it would indicate a faulty motherboard.
If the reverse happens (your card+other machine=PCI=E@x1 and other card+your machine=PCI-E@x16) it would indicate a faulty card.
 

SadSeven

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May 10, 2013
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I'm not sure what flash means (is it the same as update?).
Anyway, I read the release notes of the BIOS update and it had a lot of PCI bug fixes, I thought it would solve, but it didn't... I updated it and in the GPUz it is still PCI-E 2.0 x16 @ x1 2.0 and in the BIOS it still says using x8/x16.
Now I think the problem is my graphics card, but before testing it on another computer (I'm not sure if I have one), does Link Width have anything to with this?
CPU-Z: Mainboard -> Grafical Interface -> Link Width: x1
CPU-Z: Mainboard -> Grafical Interface -> Max Supported: x16

Thanks for your help.
 
Yes, flashing I the same as a BIOS update, a risky procedure to suggest to someone with unknown technical knowledge.
The CPU-Z report is just telling you the same thing as GPU-Z: The motherboard has a 16 lanes available but only one is in use.
I'd now try to reset the BIOS, either by taking out the battery or using the reset jumper (if it has one). The motherboard documentation will tell you how to do this.
 

SadSeven

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May 10, 2013
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One quick question sorry...
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/18131/eng/DP55WB_TechProdSpec.pdf
In page 49:
"Do not move the jumper with the power on. Always turn off the power and unplug the
power cord from the computer before changing a jumper setting. Otherwise, the
board could be damaged. "

In page 50, I believe I have to put it in configure mode right?
"After the POST runs, Setup runs automatically. The
maintenance menu is displayed.
Note that this Configure mode is the only way to clear the
BIOS/CMOS settings. Press F9 (restore defaults) while in
Configure mode to restore the BIOS/CMOS settings to their
default values."
Press F9? So will this use energy from that small battery on the motherboard? o_O
Or moving the jumper will activate configure mode so when I turn it on I can press F9?
Or both?

Thanks a lot for your help, man! I'm studying informatics in college, I think I'll start learning about hardware next year. I just need to learn this earlier... Once again, thanks!
 
Looks like it goes like this:
Power down and remove the power lead, wait for about 30 seconds for any residual charge to drain out, move the jumper to the 'configure' position reconnect, boot up. You should be presented with the maintenance menu, sorry, you're on your own here but it should be fairly obvious what to do.
After powering down you'll have to disconnect the power lead, wait, and reposition the jumper before connecting up and powering up again.
 

SadSeven

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May 10, 2013
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I did everything right, but GPUz and BIOS still say the same thing. Is there anything else I can do to test the motherboard before testing the graphics card? I can give you any information you need. Btw is there any way I can give you a good reputation on this site? :)
 

Quaddro

Distinguished
Easy,
Just detach you graphic card from your motherboard,
Clean the dust (if any)
and the most important thing, clean the golden bridge with pensil eraser..

then reseat your graphics card to motherboard

And, voila, it will work @16x and your card will work with full performance..