GTX 660 Poor Performance - BF4

FairZ · Dec 31, 2013

Hello all,

I've been playing BF4 and noticed that I only get around 60FPS while playing on low settings, but that cannot be correct. I really don't know where to start looking for a problem, so I figured I'd come here. I currently have an Alienware x51, and I know you shouldn't buy Alienware, because it's overpriced, but I did and I its what I'm stuck with... plus I really don't know that much about hardware.

Computer Specs:
Intel i7-3770 @ 3.40 GHz
16GB RAM
Nvidia GTX-660
Windows 7, 64-bit.

I do have all of the latest drivers!

Brantyn Gerik · Dec 31, 2013

60 fps on low will correlate to about 30 fps on high, which is about what that card should be putting out. Also to get clear framerate measures, make sure v-sync is off

Brantyn Gerik · Dec 31, 2013

http://www.bf4blog.com/battlefield-4-retail-gpu-cpu-benchmarks/

If you want more performance, overclock your card by 50mhz on the core and 100 mhz on the memory (this is a very minimal overclock and shouldn't cause any problems in your system unless you are already pushing your power draw from your power supply

FairZ · Dec 31, 2013

Brantyn Gerik :

Thanks for the advice! Two questions though:

1. How would I know if I'm "pushing the power draw"?

2. Could you supply me a guide on how to overclock?

Sorry, I'm still pretty green on PC gaming.

Brantyn Gerik · Dec 31, 2013

Ok, well to know if you are pushing the power draw, you literally have to take the side panel off and find out what power supply you have.

as far as overclocking goes, i'll just give you a quick typed out guide

download msi afterburner (is just the simplest to use, though there are many others out there) and download unigine valley

start with a +50 mhz on the core clock, and then run unigine maxed for about half an hour, and if you get no crash, then bump up the core clock by another 10 mhz and repeat the process.

keep repeating the process untill you finally have it crash. When it does crash, dial back the clock from the speed that it crashed at by 20mhz. this is now your stable core clock overclock (restart computer and retest this clock speed)

do the exact same thing with the memory clock after you have found your max stable core clock (leave the cock clock at it's max stable while you continue to overclock the memory)

After you find the max for both, doing core clock first, then mem clock, you will have successfully achieved your max stable overclock without touching the voltages (tweaking voltages is easy enough, but should be done with extreme caution as it will cause much higher jumps in temperature and will reduce the longevity of your graphics card)

azzazel_99 · Dec 31, 2013

you should be getting more than that. I got 55 fps with all my settings on ultra except lighting and AA (in lockers) on my gtx560ti evga. Other levels i play on High with lighting on low and AA off but all other settings on high and hold normally 60fps.

FairZ · Dec 31, 2013

Brantyn Gerik :

Okay, downloaded MSI afterburner, and it sounds simple enough to do. I'll start working on that now.

As for the power supply, I believe I have a 330 watt supply.

Brantyn Gerik · Dec 31, 2013

Not at 1080p you didn't lol. Sorry but that card simply will not hit those numbers on ultra at 1080p

Brantyn Gerik · Dec 31, 2013

ok, with a 330 watt power supply DO NOT OVERCLOCK. The PSU may even be part of the problem with your system (if you ever have $50 laying around, find a 500 watt power supply on sale and replace it). That is about the only suggestions i can give you at the moment

azzazel_99 · Dec 31, 2013

want a pic? I have the evga gtx560ti classified and have it heavily overclocked. With lighting turned up its drops me pretty bad but i can give you a screen shot if you want lol. I promise ya im pulling (and it bounces) 50-60fps depending on whats going on around me but for the most part even under heavy stuff i hold above 50. AA and lighting are what put the most draw on the gpu.

FairZ · Dec 31, 2013

Brantyn Gerik :

AHH! Okay, reset the MSI to the default settings, and stopped the overclock.

I'll have to look into replacing the power supply, but I think I read somewhere that it's hard to do.

Brantyn Gerik · Jan 1, 2014

Not hard to do at all if you have any common sense, and make sure the power supply that you buy has the appropriate connectors. other than that, it is a simple matter of plugging in the appropriate connectors (there really arent that many) and routing the cables neatly which is a personal preference thing

rolandzhang3 · Jan 2, 2014

Dell/Alienware actually underrates their PSU wattage so your Alienware would be running on an equivalent of a regular 400-450W PSU which is technically enough to power your system, but leaves you little to no headroom for overclocking

Also with a 660, I'd expect much more than 60FPS on low, I'd try a clean reinstallation of your current drivers using driver fusion and whatnot since the 660 should definitely pulling better frames in this game

[strike]If for some reason you still want to upgrade your PSU (which will still net you no benefits in the game which would probably be a software/driver issue) then I'd look towards these

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg620m

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9[/strike]

(Slimline X51 case, PSU upgrade not really viable unless you'll run it outside the case)

Even at stock settings the GTX 660 should have no problem at all with playing BF4 at high settings at 60FPS (the OEM version is just a nerfed GK104 chip but performance should still be roughly the same)

t21 · Jan 2, 2014

yep that's bf4 anyway you would need overclock your gpu as Brantyn Gerik state it which will results getting more fps ,bf4 not just gain from gpu clock but memory clock as well , but the game really face bad optimisation as the other games these year but it's the better bit , also many players don't reach 99 load @ gpu usage with bf4 as I said bad optimisation results in bad play experience and even more bad with cards that need it the most

next time build your own rig , and even if u don't know much by time you will learn and community here can help you how to build your own system and get the most out of it

FairZ · Jan 2, 2014

rolandzhang3 :

This seems to have worked for me! Did a clean install, FPS has improved quite a bit. Playing medium settings with around 80+ fps. Thanks!

rolandzhang3 · Jan 2, 2014

Very nice of you to unselect my answer my friend, did I offend you in any way?

FairZ · Jan 2, 2014

rolandzhang3 :

I have no idea how that happened, fixed it!

rolandzhang3 · Jan 2, 2014

Cheers, it wasn't you who did it so it's good

Also, your current setup should last you a fair while, the proprietary placement of parts inside the Alienware would be tough for upgrading, but there should be some upgrade options down the road (the slimline case would be a problem when it comes to upgrading a PSU, which would be nearly impossible to fit inside the small case)

If you're going to build in a few years time (still nice to watch even if not building in the near future)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Js2A1qdB8

GTX 660 Poor Performance - BF4

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