Asus R9 290X DirectCU II is throttling?!

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to505

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Jan 10, 2013
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First I would like to say I'm a newb at computer tech, and I get all my info on reading sites like tom's hardware. So please excuse me if I'm understanding things wrong.

I purchased my 290X DirectCU II from amazon back in early Feb. My main usage with my PC is gaming. I've been playing games like battlefield 4, thief, skyrim, and now AC4.
Here's the issue, I've been using GPU-Z.0.7.5 program to monitor the GPU core clock.
It keeps fluctuating (sporadically) from low 800 to 1040 (during gaming) and 300-500 (idling). To my understanding this is called throttling and based on reviews and guides online, this card shouldn't have throttling problem at all. Am I understanding this incorrectly?
Here's my pc specs:
CPU: i5 2500K @ 3.30Ghz
GPU Driver: 13.12 Catalyst
Default GPU clock: 1050Mhz (I did not overclock it)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3
8gb Ram
Win7 64bit

Any way to fix this? Did I receive a faulty one? Any info and help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your time,
Tim
 
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Shneiky

Shneiky

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Aug 21, 2011
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That is perfectly normal for a 290X. The core clock always fluctuates. It is how the drivers handle it. But you might want to take a look at:
1 - Your FPS. Is it consistent? Or do you have major FPS drops?
2 - The temps? Is the GPU hitting 95 C?
 
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T

to505

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Jan 10, 2013
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10,510


Thanks for the responses!
1 - most games I have consistent FPS (with maxed graphics) except for AC4. There are some moments where my game runs smoothly and some moments it would drop and lag. These moments usually happen during heavy graphics area like jungle and stormy seas. I understand this game is very demanding but the fact that I noticed the average core clock is 900Mhz during the heavy graphics area concerns me.
2 - temps are consistently at 60-70 degrees.

So I guess this is normal then and I shouldn't panic?

Thanks for everyone's time again,
Tim
 
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T

to505

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Jan 10, 2013
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10,510


Thanks for the link. Thing is, unless I'm reading the charts wrong, majority of the seconds the card maintains 1050Mhz except for some spikes that drops as low as early 700's. Whereas my card, majority of the seconds it stays within 880-950Mhz with some occasional spikes that reaches 1050 during heavy graphics and early 1000Mhz during lighter graphics. So I'm getting opposite rates...
I am certain it's not because of the temps because it stays within 60-70 degree. I also tried both performance and quiet mode, with the same effect (quiet being slightly worst).

-Tim
 
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rolli59

rolli59

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Oct 27, 2007
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There is always a chance that you have a bad card (maybe cooler install gone wrong) since this is same in uber and quiet mode, I would contact Asus support and see if they have explanation.
 
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