SLI GTX 770s not getting high framerates

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conman860

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Sep 20, 2013
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Okay, so I have two EVGA GTX 770s running on my Desktop. 8 GB of DDR3 1600 RAM, an 80 Plus Bronze 850W PSU, an i5 2500k processor, and this mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135283

When I'm running higher-end games (Borderlands, Arma 3 etc.), my framerate is only ever hitting between 30-45 fps when with this power I should be hitting 60 fps on their highest settings (at 1920x1080 resolution). Even with V-sync off I'm still hitting these same framerates. Any ideas as to why?
 
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As said before, your CPU is overheating severely, causing it to throttle back on performance. You probably...
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deathengine

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PCIe 2.0 x8 will not be a factor at this resolution. Do you have an SLI bridge installed and SLI enabled in the control panel? Completely removed and re-installed the video drivers? You may also want to download precision X or afterburner to see if both cards are being utilized properly.
 
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conman860

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Yeah I have the bridge installed and SLI enabled. I didn't completely remove all the video drivers (nor do I really know how) but I started up the computer with a fresh OS and installed the drivers after all the hardware was installed. I just installed NVidia's new driver today as well, I just have yet to test it and Precision X doesn't seem to be telling me any real information. It jumps the usage and clock of the first GPU the second I start something up, and then doesn't even give me info for the second one.
 
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bystander

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Try running 3Dmark11 and post your results. Not just the Performance score, but the break down of the graphics and physics score.

I don't know about Borderlands 2 performance, but Arma 3 is no joke, and if you are expecting to play at max settings and getting high FPS, you are going to have to adjust your expectations. Many people that come here with your complaint are simply trying to use too high of settings, such as 8x MSAA or something equally demanding if not more.
 
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conman860

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With one I tend to hit 40 and stay there on almost all high-tasking games no matter what settings I have them at. Even the lowest settings keep me at the same framerate sometimes. I almost feel like it's a driver issue, I looked at NVidia's most recent driver notes and saw that they didn't do anything with the 770, only the 760 and 780 (even though the update advertises an increase in performance). Far Cry 3 runs at around 40 fps at max settings with one. Borderlands hits anywhere between 20 and 40 fps. The second card only increased my fps by around 15. Haven't been able to test out Far Cry 3 on both cards yet, but I'll give it a go. I also noticed that with Metro Last Light most of the time I'm hitting anywhere between 30 and 60,V-syncs on of course, but through the application. Not NVidia control panel. Not sure at all what's happening here. Do you think it could just be a driver issue?


Side note - Also, I've been monitoring my CPU as well just to check, and I've never hit above 80 percent usage unless it's CoD, which I have no framerate troubles with, so I don't think it's that.
 
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bystander

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These are clearly CPU bottlenecking symptoms. If settings do not change performance, and your CPU is hitting 80% usage (which is almost certainly maxing at least one core at that usage), your CPU is holding things back. What is it clocked at?
 
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conman860

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I don't overclock my CPU at all. How would I go about fixing this bottlenecking issue? I've heard of it before but have been a little afraid of overclocking my CPU just for the sole reason of potentially overheating.

The CPU is an i5-2500k (1155, if the pins/socket make a difference), so 3.3 GHz with a Turbo Boost of 3.7 GHz. I've heard of people OC to 4.9 GHz on this but I feel that could easily overheat given my basic CPU fan and case fans. There's a lot of room for air to escape and whatnot, I just don't want a ruined CPU. What would you recommend? And if you'd recommend overclocking, how should I go about doing that?
 
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bystander

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First off, find out what your CPU clock rate actually is in game. Perhaps your PSU is not good enough, and causing your CPU to operate at lowered clocks. Games like Arma 3 are extremely hard on the CPU, and just plain don't get great performance.

If you want to improve things, you'll need an aftermarket HSF for the CPU and to OC it, assuming you aren't just having issues at your current clocks. Definitely follow a good guide before OCing. You don't want to make a mistake. And in the future, if you have no plan to OC, you don't need to spend the extra money on a K series chip.
 
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conman860

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I knew about Arma 3. I never tried ultra graphics on that, let alone setting the MSAA up any higher. Arma 2 had the same problems. I was more concerned about Borderlands where I should easily be hitting FPS's well over 100 on this resolution at max graphics. I do turn PhysX low or off since the particles annoy me but all i really even want is 60 fps. I checked the CPU clock using CPU-Z in game and it was kicking up and down between 2.1-2.4 GHz and every now and then it'd jump up to 3 GHz or around that area. But only for a second. Whether these readings are correct or not I'm not sure since I'm just alt-tabbing out and looking real quick. But would that be a PSU problem then? (this is running Borderlands btw). If it is, wouldn't that mean that OC wouldn't work since I'd be running more power to my CPU?
 
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conman860

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Okay, this is using HWiNFO and RTSS to display this to me. But apparently my CPU cores are running anywhere between 1.9 GHz and 2.4 GHz, never reaching 3. The temp is around 96 C. Not sure whether that's too much or not. I have an 850W Bronze certified PSU. Link : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182072
At resting CPU temp is 50 C.
 
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baner711

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You will not hit 60 fps with arma 3 maxed maybe 40.Nothing is ever a given with sli or crossfire
 
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Mousemonkey

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That's not right and neither are your CPU clockspeeds, you need to check the BIOS settings as something is amiss.
 
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conman860

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What should I check/change in the BIOS exactly?
 
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Mousemonkey

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I can't tell exactly what to look for as I don't know what your BIOS options are but I would start with the CPU power management settings and BCLK/PEG settings myself.
 
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bystander

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It may be that your HSF is not properly installed. Those temps are way too high for a CPU. I definitely think it may be time to purchase a decent aftermarket CPU cooler and properly install it. Your CPU is throttling due to excessive temps.
 
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conman860

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So my CPU isn't fried, I just need a better way of cooling it. Easy enough. Self-contained liquid cooling system would work fine right?
 
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conman860

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Okay. Going to shut down and check right now.
 
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conman860

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Messed with BIOS settings, didn't change my readings.... Also, Garry's mod is giving me 30 fps when I play TTT, jumping and stabilizing around 45 then going down to 30 and then jumps up to 60 for about 5 seconds. I turned down ALL of the video settings with no difference in the framerate. There's something going on here. I have SLI off for this one because I definitely don't need that, and CPU usage is mainly around 40%, sometimes jumping up to 80 but that doesn't last long... With my old 660 ti I was able to record with fraps at 60 fps on Gmod. I don't understand the logic here, a better GPU causes it to get worse?
 
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bystander

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As said before, your CPU is overheating severely, causing it to throttle back on performance. You probably accidentally knocked the HSF on the CPU loose when installing the new GPU. You need to remove it, reapply TMI and put the HSF back, though it might be worth putting on an aftermarket HSF so you can take advantage of the K version of your CPU, which is meant for OCing.
 
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conman860

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Okay, so I just got a liquid cooler for my cpu. apparently at start up my resting temp is now 25 C, so there's a big change there. Gonna check a game later when I get the chance.
 
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