GTX 970 SLI Low GPU % Usage

mstringer06 · Feb 23, 2015

I just set up my 970's SLI and I'm really not happy about it. I'm playing Far Cry 4 and my GPU Usage % is low. On full settings at 1080p I'm usually somewhere in the range of 60-70 fps and occasionally drops down to mid 40's. My GPU % is on average usually somewhere around 50% and occasionally hits 70% but then for some reason randomly drops to 25-30%. The GPU power % is pretty low to (like 50% MAX) but I don't know if this has anything to do with it.

I know there are other articles about this, and I've read them and been trying to solve this for myself to no avail. I've messed with power settings, tried to overclock my CPU and RAM as much as possible so I don't get a bottleneck. My system right now is as follows:

- AMD FX 8350 (OC to 4.59 and under full load after 4+ hrs only reaches 40% load MAX)
-The GTX 970's SLI (Haven't really OC them besides using the preset overclock mode on MSI gaming app and messing with the fan profiles)
-32 GB of Corsair CMZ32GX3M4X1600C10 DDR3-1600, 8GB x 4 (It says on HWiNFO that they can clock up to 933.3 MHz but every time I try to bump them up the system wont start)
-ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 MOBO
-TOSHIBA DT01ACA300 3TB HDD
-Crucial CT512MX100SSD1 500GB SSD
-Corsiar CXM 750W PSU (Ordered a 100W XFX PSU for this build but it arrived DOA and I am currently waiting on RMA)

I know the Graphic Card's themselves are not faulty, because I tried them individually on same settings and they worked at 99% usage with around 50(ish) fps.

I've been banging my head against the wall here trying to figure this out. Is it possible its a power issue that will be resolved when I put in new PSU (here's hoping)? Either way I'm just trying to get the most out of what I paid for and it's extremely frustrating.

I had a screenshot of MSI afterburner on my computer but I'm new to Toms Hardware and I haven't figured out how to add it to post

Brillis Wuce · Feb 23, 2015

Have you tried KBoost? KBoost is a feature in EVGA PrecisionX that automatically sets your GPU's to 100% usage. Just be sure to monitor your temperatures while doing so.

mstringer06 · Feb 23, 2015

Brillis Wuce :

Yeah I tried that and it locked one at 50-60% usage (without any major fluctuations) and it locked the other at 0 %... Major disappointment. : / Any other suggestions anyone?

Brillis Wuce · Feb 24, 2015

Do you have Nvidia Inspector? There's an option in there to set a goal of a framerate. Set it for whatever your monitors refresh rate is.

stavros58 · Feb 26, 2015

Hi I ran two MSI 970's for a few days in SLI (I had borrowed a second one) and had no problems whatsoever although I was disappointed in the performance boost which was no more than 30%. Previously I had two 7870's in crossfire and the difference was on average 100% over just one card. TBH if it was me I wouldn't be buying or running two 970's anyway it works out costing more than one 980 you dont get 4 gig etc with a 970 as we are all finding out and its a better more reliable option and with a reasonable OC I bet you will get close to two 970's anyway. However back to your problem 1) is it an issue with Far Cry that it hasn't been optimised with SLI properly do other games have a problem. 2) Does your board have a addition power input called SLI / XFIRE Power Connector to be run from the PSU mine does. C) Have you checked both PCI-e slots separately to see if they are the problem. I see from the specs you ahve 2 x 16 PCIe 2.0 slots so that should be fine if they are working okay 3) It maybe your PSU but I ran 2 7870's no problem with a OCZ 750 bronze unit and they use more power than the 970's you are running and I didn't see an issue either when I ran the 970's in SLI for a few days your PSU is a reasonable one unless its getting a bit worn out so that probably isn't the problem.

mstringer06 · Feb 28, 2015

stavros58 :

Thanks for the reply as I still havn't fixed the problem.

I hear you about the whole better to buy a 980. I read alot on the internet that said this was a good idea with great performance for the money. Now, I'm starting to think that maybe I should of bought the 980 :/ The cards are non refundable and I really don't want to have to sit and wait until they both sell on ebay or w/e to possibly lose money and then go buy a 980. I wanted to get the graphics cards out of the way so I can start saving for other stuff (new ram, possibly a 4k monitor or TV, 7.1 surround sound etc.)

I don't currently have any other games becuase I just formatted my HDD and lost pretty much all of them. I don't have any games on steam or origin or uplay that would particularly push the graphics any how. I don't see any 'SLI input' on my MOBO and I went through the manual and I found no mention of it, even where it says how to hook up two cards in SLI. I have checked both cards individually in both slots and they work at 99-100% no problem. I just got my new psu back from RMA and its an XFX 1050w gold rated psu, so that shouldn't be an issue. After spending hours messing with settings in nvidia inspector and control panel i got them to either work at like 50% each or one at 90% and one at 10%. (And I can't get them back to working 50% each

)

So this is really starting to piss me off because that's $700 that I put on CC and have yet to even pay for.

Do you know any games that are well optimized for SLI that I could try to get a baseline for where I'm at?

I'll probably hold on to them until next line of GPU's come out (or maybe one or two after that) and sell them.

stavros58 · Feb 28, 2015

mstringer06 :

stavros58 :

Thanks for the reply as I still havn't fixed the problem.

I hear you about the whole better to buy a 980. I read alot on the internet that said this was a good idea with great performance for the money. Now, I'm starting to think that maybe I should of bought the 980 :/ The cards are non refundable and I really don't want to have to sit and wait until they both sell on ebay or w/e to possibly lose money and then go buy a 980. I wanted to get the graphics cards out of the way so I can start saving for other stuff (new ram, possibly a 4k monitor or TV, 7.1 surround sound etc.)

I don't currently have any other games becuase I just formatted my HDD and lost pretty much all of them. I don't have any games on steam or origin or uplay that would particularly push the graphics any how. I don't see any 'SLI input' on my MOBO and I went through the manual and I found no mention of it, even where it says how to hook up two cards in SLI. I have checked both cards individually in both slots and they work at 99-100% no problem. I just got my new psu back from RMA and its an XFX 1050w gold rated psu, so that shouldn't be an issue. After spending hours messing with settings in nvidia inspector and control panel i got them to either work at like 50% each or one at 90% and one at 10%. (And I can't get them back to working 50% each

)

So this is really starting to piss me off because that's $700 that I put on CC and have yet to even pay for.

Do you know any games that are well optimized for SLI that I could try to get a baseline for where I'm at?

I'll probably hold on to them until next line of GPU's come out (or maybe one or two after that) and sell them.

1LiquidPC · Feb 28, 2015

I've also read about SLI not properly working in FC4. Not sure if this has been addressed yet either. What's your 3Dmark score like? This should boost both GPU to 100%

RCFProd · Feb 28, 2015

Ubisoft games utilize SLI graphics very poorly or simply not at all. I'd blame it on Ubisoft on this one. However, I have a friend with GTX 970 SLI and he is also getting low usage on Battlefield 4, with this I mean under 60 fps on ultra preset on some maps. No clue how I can help him to improve that.

stavros58 · Feb 28, 2015

Hi seems to me given all your tests so far your GPU's are not communicating so as a long shot why not try replacing the SLI bridge it may be faulty and its a cheap solution if it works. Have you completly un-installed including the registry all the GPU software installed before the 970's were installed then reinstalled from scratch and have you run a reasonable GPU benchmark to test the cards in single set-up and SLI.

RCFProd · Feb 28, 2015

I'm sure his graphics cards are fine. Ubisoft is known to not support SLI well. The bad performance is completely normal in games like Far Cry 4, Watch Dogs, AC Unity etc. They are optimised extremely poorly.

mstringer06 · Feb 28, 2015

RCFProd :

my 3dMark is 15825 with both cards working at 90-100% and my Haven Benchmark is 2326 with 93 average fps Max 160 Min 29 and both cards running at 90-100%. Now i'm having an issue forcing one of my cards to run its fans at 80%..ugh

I haven't tried any other games yet, I was trying to find a working copy of BF4 becuase they kept wanting me to take surveys and shiz for CD key. I didn't want to buy right away just to play for an hour to run benchmarks.

I'm thinking I'll RMA one of them and say the fans arn't working right and then just put it on ebay as brand new in the box, and go ahead and buy 2 980s instead.

RCFProd · Feb 28, 2015

mstringer06 :

You can play Battlefield 4 free for one week. You don't have to pay. It's part of the Origin game time plan, so you can test the game. Don't go on fake websites where they let you do surveys, those are always a scam.

Oh, and RMA'ing your GTX 970's is ABSOLUTELY POINTLESS. Far Cry 4 will still be bad. Battlefield 4 might still be poor. You have extremely powerful graphic cards, no point in wasting even more money for what won't significiantly improve your performance. You can't brute power force your way through a poorly optimised game, It's still going to be bad. You might still get below 60 fps with SLI GTX 980 in Far Cry 4.

SLI GTX 980 on 1080p would be idiotic.

mstringer06 · Mar 1, 2015

RCFProd :

Ok,
1. I was gonna RMA IF the fan wasn't working correctly which I'm not totally sure if it is or not, only so when I sell it it would be working and sealed in the box.
2. I don't download from sites that make you take surveys, thats what I was saying
3. I wasn't aware you could play B4 free for a week thank you for telling me that.
3. I was considering the 980 (and I'd start with one, and then another after the price drops) because I would get better performance on games that only allow one card.
4. I'm not an idiot, there is no need to be rude. I plan on going to 4k, thats why I did the upgrade, and again why I'm considering 980's

**And I tested Metro Last Light at max settings with Super sampling AA all the way up and I got around 60+ fps with both cards at 80-100%**

stavros58 · Mar 1, 2015

Hi reading your benchmark results your cards are working fine I also tested the 2 970's on Heaven before I gave the second card back to my friend and my score was slightly better than yours but Im running a slightly faster CPU the Core i5 3570K with a 4.2 OC and my memory is slightly faster plus my Mobo is pcie-3 not 2.0 as yours is. All of these things are not particularly significant but do make a bit of difference when added together my score at 1080p with max settings ultra tessellation, 8xAA was FPS 102 and overall score 2568. So given your score was close I don't think you have a problem with your cards or PSU or set up its just the games you are playing. I can run far cry almost maxed out with one card at about 60fps so just run one card if you want to play it and if they fix it later then great if not its still fine to play. I was really confused as to why you are trying to get your GPU fans to run at 80% or higher mine never go over 40%. Your main issue will be if you go to 4K is that no matter how many 970's you have in your case it will not be 4 gig of equally operating ram etc thanks to Nvidia being incompetent. My advice to you would be wait and see what happens with Nvidia and the pressure they are under and see if they except returns/refunds of the 970 due to their inaccurate advertising then buy a 980. Here in the UK most dealers including Amazon are excepting returns of the cards based on that because our laws support the customers claims or they are offering compensation I asked for compensation and got £60 refund thats about $95 for one card which I'm happy with because even with the stupid memory handicap its still a great card and still in single setup kicks arse out of my previous 7870's in crossfire. So enjoy the set-up you have and wait a bit and see what happens and what Nvidia come up with, they are currently facing legal action in the USA and possibly Europe so they will have to act soon as the whole issue is damaging them.

mstringer06 · Mar 1, 2015

stavros58 :

First of all thanks for the rely.

Well I hear what your saying about the cards working well, and after all the testing I have done, and trying different games, I came to the same conclusion. I only wanted my fans to run that fast because I want to keep the cards cool, around 60*. When they start climbing up to 70-75 I get nervous. And I just want to know that I CAN make them run that fast, even if I don't do it constantly. As for the return/compensation, I don't think I would qualify, being as I bought these cards after all that information was already out, but who knows.

And I've heard alot about disappointing performance at 4k with 970's SLI'ed due to the whole 3.4/4G thing, but I have seen some benchmarks where 970's SLI'ed have outperformed a single 980, and in some cases (with AA off mind you) able to maintain around 60fps. So this is why I'm confused whether I should sell these or not. I offered to sell one of my 970s to the IT guy at my brother's work, and depending if he does get one, I'll probably sell the other.

mstringer06 · Mar 1, 2015

stavros58 :

First of all thanks for the rely.

Well I hear what your saying about the cards working well, and after all the testing I have done, and trying different games, I came to the same conclusion. I only wanted my fans to run that fast because I want to keep the cards cool, around 60*. When they start climbing up to 70-75 I get nervous. And I just want to know that I CAN make them run that fast, even if I don't do it constantly. As for the return/compensation, I don't think I would qualify, being as I bought these cards after all that information was already out, but who knows.

And I've heard alot about disappointing performance at 4k with 970's SLI'ed due to the whole 3.4/4G thing, but I have seen some benchmarks where 970's SLI'ed have outperformed a single 980, and in some cases (with AA off mind you) able to maintain around 60fps. So this is why I'm confused whether I should sell these or not. I offered to sell one of my 970s to the IT guy at my brother's work, and depending if he does get one, I'll probably sell the other.

stavros58 · Mar 1, 2015

If refunds or upgrades are offered it makes no difference when you bought it unless the company you bought it from,the company or the company who made it eg MSI advertised the card differently or informed their customers before they purchased it. As it is still being sold incorrectly and NVidia have still not come clean properly there is no requirement on you to check with third parties eg tyhe press if something you have bought is as advertised, so don't worry about that. Regarding 970 performance yes I can oc my card so it matches 980 stock performance in many scenarios but what I don't know is how much can I OC a 980. What I do know is a 980 has 4 gig of equal performance memory etc unless of course Nvidia know something we don't LOL but would be another story. Good luck with what ever you chose and be happy!

sora · Mar 1, 2015

mstringer06 :

RCFProd :

Ok,
1. I was gonna RMA IF the fan wasn't working correctly which I'm not totally sure if it is or not, only so when I sell it it would be working and sealed in the box.
2. I don't download from sites that make you take surveys, thats what I was saying
3. I wasn't aware you could play B4 free for a week thank you for telling me that.
3. I was considering the 980 (and I'd start with one, and then another after the price drops) because I would get better performance on games that only allow one card.
4. I'm not an idiot, there is no need to be rude. I plan on going to 4k, thats why I did the upgrade, and again why I'm considering 980's

**And I tested Metro Last Light at max settings with Super sampling AA all the way up and I got around 60+ fps with both cards at 80-100%**

I would personally RMA it if it isn't working.

mstringer06 · Mar 1, 2015

sora :

mstringer06 :

RCFProd :

Ok,
1. I was gonna RMA IF the fan wasn't working correctly which I'm not totally sure if it is or not, only so when I sell it it would be working and sealed in the box.
2. I don't download from sites that make you take surveys, thats what I was saying
3. I wasn't aware you could play B4 free for a week thank you for telling me that.
3. I was considering the 980 (and I'd start with one, and then another after the price drops) because I would get better performance on games that only allow one card.
4. I'm not an idiot, there is no need to be rude. I plan on going to 4k, thats why I did the upgrade, and again why I'm considering 980's

**And I tested Metro Last Light at max settings with Super sampling AA all the way up and I got around 60+ fps with both cards at 80-100%**

I would personally RMA it if it isn't working.

It's weird because if I disable one card and use the other by itself, I can set the fan to 80% and it will stay there. If I use two and set it to 80% one will stay 80% and the other will go to around 45% and then keep throttling up and down between 45% and 80%. Also, if I use the cool down function on MSI gaming app then they will both go up to 100% and stay there for a couple of minutes.. strange

Makaveliii · Mar 27, 2016

I know this is an old post but I'm having the exact same issue. U found a solution or just sold them?

mstringer06 · Mar 27, 2016

Makaveliii :

Some games just arnt optimized for sli unfortunately. I hear with DX12 it will make better use of vram. In the mean time you can tool around with nvidia inspector. Ive just decided against 4k for now and stay with my 60" 1080p

Ramael · Sep 25, 2016

"Short" anwer:
Go to settings and max out everyting incl. super samling. That should put cards close to 100% usage. After that turn down settings again as they were and now your usage is still close to 100%.

"Long" answer:
When I played Homefront: The Revolution on almost max I had around 80 FPS and both my GTX 770 had around 80% usage. I went to settings and set SuperSamling to 1.5 just to see what happened. My FPS dropped to around 53 but both my graphic cards went up to 99-100% usage. I went back to settings and set it back to it's original state 1 and lo and behold, I got around 100 FPS now with close to 100% on both my cards

GTX 970 SLI Low GPU % Usage

Reputable

Distinguished

Reputable

Distinguished

Honorable

Reputable

Honorable

Splendid

Expert

Honorable

Expert

Reputable

Expert

Reputable

Honorable

Reputable

Reputable

Honorable

Splendid

Reputable

Honorable

Reputable

Commendable

Share this page