Low GPU usage on EVGA GTX 780

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

Hi guys,

First off let me say thank you for taking your time to help me out,

Okay so, I recently built a new PC with an EVGA GTX 780.

After getting really crappy frames on Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy 14, Dragon Age Inquisition, I decided to install MSI Afterburner to monitor my temperatures and GPU usage.

Turns out only 30-40% of my GPU is being used but my temperatures are at around 40-50 degrees celsius.

Here are my specs:

ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CXM series CX600M 600W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Corsair CP-9020060-NA Power Supply

Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 84W Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I74770K

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

EVGA 03G-P4-2782-KR G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card w/ EVGA ACX Cooler

Any help is appreciated.

jafrankl · Dec 10, 2014

Watch the voltages under load. High, abnormal voltages can cause high heat and potential card damage. Also, manually adjusting the fan speed can help keep temperature down, but most cards I've used do operate in the 40-50°C range.

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

My voltage/temperatures are fine, I'm wondering maybe if it's the BIOS that needs updating, I believe the version I'm using is from 2013.

jafrankl · Dec 10, 2014

Always worth a check, but there's no guarantee this will fix anything. Typically just improves various protocols. Using EVGA's Precision X to turn up fan speeds will help keep temps low.

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

Well so far I have tried to, re-install drivers, opened up my case and switched graphic card slots, use MSI Afterburner to boost card performance and i still only get 30-40% GPU usage with crappy performance.

mykeloid · Dec 10, 2014

Did you download the Video drivers at the nvidia website?

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

Yes, I did download them from Nvidia's official website.

mykeloid · Dec 10, 2014

what's your case? have you checked your airflow?

sla70r · Dec 10, 2014

Did you make sure to go through your screen and performance settings and make sure to turn off any power saving options ? Turn off any type of power saving options.

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

My Case is Corsair Carbide Series 500R Arctic White Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case, the airflow is good.

Yes I have turned off any power saving options.

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

So updating my BIOS didn't seem to do anything, if anyone else has a solution it would be very appreciated.

sla70r · Dec 10, 2014

Seems very odd. What are your CPU usage % during this time ?

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

CPU usage right now is about 60%

17seconds · Dec 10, 2014

Honestly you haven't really expressed clearly what the problem is. Low GPU usage with high FPS on a game like Guild Wars would be normal and expected. Low GPU usage in itself isn't really a problem as long as FPS is high. "Crappy frames" doesn't really tell us much.

So what type of FPS are you getting?

I'm going to take a wild guess and say you're getting 60 FPS because you have VSync on. If so, turn it off and let us know what happens.

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

Well in a game like Guild Wars 2, outside of town I can achieve 60 FPS+ with VSync off, but if there's too much action I'll drop a couple frames.

In towns like Black Citadel or Lions Arch with a lot of players I'll drop down to like 20 FPS, I can't even get 60 FPS in towns on lowest graphics. My GPU Usage stays at 40%, so this means my card is not being used to its full potential and I'm getting crappy performance for it.

17seconds · Dec 10, 2014

That would be typical for online games where your fast PC has to wait for all those other players on crappy connections and outdated laptops.

What about your single player games like Dragon Age?

Frostybd · Dec 10, 2014

17seconds :

Dragon age gets around 30 fps on ultra, 60 fps on medium but dips to 40ish when there's a lot going on screen

17seconds · Dec 10, 2014

Frostybd :

Seems about right, depending on your game specific settings.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/dragon_age_inquisition_vga_graphics_performance_benchmark_review,7.html

"Our scores are average framerates so you need to take a margin in mind for lower FPS at all times. As such we say 40 FPS for this game should be your minimum, while 60 FPS (frames per second) can be considered optimal with a 60Hz screen. As you can see, the ultra quality settings look good, but are daunting even with a Full HD resolution. If you need Ultra Quality mode, we'd recommend a Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X or GeForce GTX 770 / 780 to start with."

Low GPU usage on EVGA GTX 780

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