How to find out if my system is bottlenecking?

PingMeh

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Feb 15, 2014
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I have an fx6300 and gtx770, Im running bioshock at everything on untra settings and getting over 100 fps, but my gpu usage somethimes reach about 90%+, while my core(6cores) ussage are about 40-70% each (six of them) and constantly changes, and sometimes i will have below 50 fps drops (with 100% core ussage, all 6 of them) during loading times and below 60 fps for like 2-3 secs in some sections

Temps on 62c for processor and 72c on gpu.

btw I did the MSI afterburner and HWiN test for the cores and gpu ussage
Any ideas?
 

OnkelCannabia

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Nov 9, 2013
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For CPU you could lower the resolution and see how it affects the frame rate. Other than that you might want to look at benchmarks for you components and take a close look at the minimum values. Lastly you can find out about GPU intensive settings and CPU intensive settings and play around with them.
 

PingMeh

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does getting 60fps below means that there is a bottleneck somewhere? cause i mean im playing bioschock fine in 100fps with random drops on fps (not often) but like low fps during loading ( 20-30 fps).

each of my cores run on 60 to 80% (but 100 on all cores during loading) and 60 - 90%+ on my gpu...
 

PingMeh

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@ahmedkhalifa1999: so based on getting 100+ fps and everything on ultra means...i have no bottleneck? even if my gpu is at 100% and my cores are like from 40 - 70% load???

 

Amangoel23

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PingMeh,the answer is simple.
The reason you are getting the drops are because of thermal throttle.As you said your cpu hovers around 62C which is the max safe limit of that cpu,so sometimes it'll bump up 3-4C and will cause your cpu to throttle back/not perform as effectively hence bottlenecking your gpu and the only way to correct this is by getting a better cooler,reducing the overclock,undervolting if any.
A cheap 30-40$ cooler will work like the hyper 212 evo or hell even any after market cooler will net better results then the stock one.
 

PingMeh

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I do have an aftermarket cooller, the hyper tx3...i know its not as good as the 212 but ive read many reviews saying its a decent cooler (well atleast better than the stock)...So is running my cpu on 62c will harm my overall system?
 

PingMeh

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Thx im kinda new to building PCs, this really cleared my conceptions.
 

PingMeh

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Well i did purchase an aftermarket cooler. Is there a way to lower down temps with out purchasing any new hardware at the moment? Btw thx alot for the help
 

Amangoel23

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well if you still have your previous thermal paste,try cleaning the thermal paste and reapplying it.I think you've either put too much thermal paste/or too little causing u high temperatures.That's the only real solution here
 

Omegaclawe

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Probably more an issue of case cooling. If you're sitting in a tiny case with poor airflow the components are going to heat up fast. The cheapest (and possibly most effective) thing you should do is cable management; prevent cables from blocking the airflow through your case. Additionally, any fans that are close to each other should blow the same direction, if they do not, this can cause air loops and be worse than no fans at all. This includes your power supply fan. Typically, you want fans on the front/bottom/sides to blow air into the case, and those on the top and back to blow air out of the case. A Modern PSU should always blow air out of the case. This can easily be done at the same time as the cable management. Typically, case fans blow towards the sticker, and the fan blades curve the opposite direction of the air flow (it's "scooping" the air and pushing it out). Additionally, make sure the CPU fan, if not blowing towards the motherboard itself, is blowing towards an exhaust fan.

If that isn't effective enough, the cheap solution is to add more or better fans. Typically, fans will run you between $2 to $10, though some can be as much as $30+. Avoid the lighted ones because they are usually (but not always) lower quality, and you pay extra for those lights. Additionally, low-quality thermal compound can be problematic, as can poor applications. Replacing it with, say, the top rated Arctic MX-2 can run you about $8, and while it might be able to get about 5C reduction on the really cheap stuff that likely came with the cooler, you'll see a maximum of about 2C over other high quality compounds, like Arctic Silver 5, or you could even lose some temperature in that case if your application is poor.

The next step up in cost is to get a better CPU cooler (e.g. 212 EVO, which is roughly $40), and then replacing it with a waterblock probably costs about as much as replacing the case itself for better cooling.

Either way, hopefully you can find some cheap/free methods to help. CPU's usually don't run all that hot.