Gaming rig built... but not running properly. Help!

Nodnarb247

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Dec 10, 2013
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So here's the situation... I just finished building this:

CPU: Core i7-4770K
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked (P/N 03G-P4-2883-KR)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X 16GB (2 x 8GB) 1866
Mobo: ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 1TB
Cooling: Corsair H100i

The idea was to build a computer that could handle any AAA game on ultra settings for at least the next 2 years, and everything is running relatively smooth, except for the very purpose it was built for: games on ultra settings.

I can run games on ultra, but they don't look quite ultra--and they aren't always running as smoothly as I'd like.

For example, I put the settings in Planetside 2 to ultra, but the game looks nothing like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaYNzn8PTl8

In comparison to that video, my game looks like it's running between Medium and High. I did do some research and found the copy and paste settings to make it "true ultra," as it was called on the site, but the game crashed and said my GPU, the fastest card on the market, wasn't good enough to run at those settings (seriously?).

For another example, I'm running Far Cry 3 on ultra settings, but it doesn't run as smoothly as it should--every now and then it stutters. Nvidia's GeForce Experience also optimizes Far Cry 3 on lower settings, which boggles my mind considering the hardware I have.

Nothing is overclocked, because I figured I wouldn't have to considering what I put into my computer--especially to run a game like Far Cry 3 on ultra with steady FPS.

Note, this is also my first build, so I'm sure that there's something that I missed. Just yesterday, I noticed that my monitor was running on 60Hz when it can run 144Hz. Once the change was made, games looked considerably better (noob mistake). So, again, it's probably something I'm not doing. I did install all the latest drivers, so, really, I have no clue what else is left.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Nodnarb247
 
Solution


The fact that you're seeing clock speeds of 500 and 324 MHz is very...

spawnkiller

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Jan 23, 2013
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You have some powerfull rig in your hand and i understand that you could be able to play everything at maxed out settind or almost that !!!

What drivers do you use (as the 780ti is somewhat new and maybe drivers aren't that good for now) and also, did you tried to customize your drivers settings ???

Did you put the 780ti in the 1st PCI-e slots (the 16X one if you have only one card)

Do you have another card running on this PC (as mine was still running my 560ti as the main card even if my 680 was in the 1st slot and the 560ti in the X8 bottom slot until i've make the driver update...)

have you tried to check if the clock we're right with GPU-Z and/or any other programs, maybe your card isn't even boosting and/or detecting 3d activities (it happens to me in the past that my cards where running eco clocks when i was gaming...) Was resolve by reinstalling the drivers and adjusting OCed clocks to stables one (even if they was totally stable with another driver before...)
 

Nodnarb247

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Dec 10, 2013
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Thanks for the reply!

1. Currently, I'm running the 332.21 WHQL driver. I did not try to customize any driver settings, because being new to all of this, 1) I wouldn't know where to start, and 2) I didn't want to tamper with something and potentially screw my computer up.

2. My 780 Ti is in the first PCI-e slot.

3. I don't have any other video cards installed on my computer.

4. As far as checking the clock, I think my card is on eco settings (I'm not entirely sure). When I first opened up GPU-Z, it was running at around 500 MHz. And then when I opened EVGA Precision X a few minutes later, it was running at around 980 MHz, but it ran down to 324 MHz.
 

apcs13

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Oct 2, 2013
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The fact that you're seeing clock speeds of 500 and 324 MHz is very troubling. Go into your BIOS and disable all cool and quiet or eco settings and see if that helps. Other than that, try completely wiping the drivers (google a guide, don't just uninstall) and reinstalling. If none of that helps it may be a defective card.
 
Solution

Nodnarb247

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Dec 10, 2013
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I went into BIOS and turned my settings to performance instead of standard. My motherboard also has an OC gaming profile listed, so I enabled that, as well. So far, my computer is definitely running faster. I just saw in a thread that EVGA Precision X downsamples the clock spead to save power, but that it speeds right back to where I need it to be when I game. So far, so good. I still am not sure why I can't run Planetside 2 at "true ultra" settings, though.