XFX R9 290 Slower than expected?

PeppermintFangs

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Hi!

I recently built a gaming pc, the crown jewel of which I thought would be the R9 290. I'd seen many benchmarks displaying some amazing frame rates, so I had no doubt that the card would rock any game that I put to the test.

While I did get decent frame rates on BF4 (1080p, Ultra), there were quite a few frame drops which caused me to drop down the graphics to high. Not to mention this card gets as hot as 90c with 100% fan speeds, which really concerns me.

Moving onto Tomb Raider (1080p, Ultra), I got an average of about 30-40fps, max of 60fps, and a low of about 20fps when in cutscenes with fire. That low was EXTREMELY disappointing for me, considering the amount I paid for the card.

I did a test on Unigine Heaven Benchmark... Here were the results.
FPS: 30.7
Score: 772
Min FPS: 14.0
Max FPS: 60.6
System

Platform:
Windows 7 (build 7601, Service Pack 1) 64bit
CPU model:
AMD FX(tm)-6350 Six-Core Processor (3917MHz) x3
GPU model:
AMD Radeon R9 200 Series 15.200.1062.0 (4095MB) x1
Settings

Render: Direct3D11
Mode: 1920x1080 8xAA fullscreen
Preset Custom
Quality Ultra
Tessellation: Extreme

When they say a max of 60, they mean it was 60 for about 3 seconds on one scene. I was expecting better scores.

Is this just the result of the card, or is it a flaw in my system? Does anyone else experience FPS/heat issues with this card?

Any input would be appreciated!

 
Solution
Those figures are not good, the FX6300 isn't so bad as to throttle a R9 290 like that but the GPU temperatures/fan speed could very well be pointing to the card throttling.
Oldest solution in the book: Take the side panel off, rerun the tests and see if temperatures improve, if so it's a clear indication the card needs better airflow.

I do find it odd that all your tests seem to be maxing out at 60 FPS, do you have vsync turned on in the drivers?

Also check the AA settings, AMD cards don't handle this particular feature as well as Nvidia, if you have it up high, it'll hammer the frame rate.
As others stated the CPU is only a medium tier CPU not capable of handling a high tier GPU.

You will need an 8320 + overclock or 8350 to not bottleneck and get the FPS you want.
What motherboard do you currently have? If it is not a 970 or 990 chipset then they don't truly support the fx-83xx cpus to their full capability.
(most of them only have 1 4pin connector that cant supply the full 125w tdp, nor do they have good vrm and capacitors for overclocking it).
 

Georgx

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I guess nothing will help. My r9 280x achieves better scores in unigine heaven (this benchmark does not stress the cpu at all). There must be something wrong with your gpu or drivers. Me 280x gets aroound 900 points in heaven.
 
The 6350 is on a par with an 8350 in 99% of games - those heaven scores are low for starters - as in 60% of what they should be

The issue IMO is mainly with the GPU not your 6350.

Turn tressfx only off (leave everything else Max ) on tombraider & you should be pushing 100fps+ easily.
 

PeppermintFangs

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If you're talking about my Catalyst version, its 15.7.1. Do you think overclocking my cpu will help? If so, how much?
 

Georgx

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You should gain nothing from a gpu overclock with those temperatures you are running at. There must be something wrong with your gpu or drivers. Do you have good airflow in your case?
 

PeppermintFangs

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I do. All my other components are running icy cold. I've heard that XFX video cards are notorious for their extremely high heat outputs, though.
 
There's no way you should be hitting 90c when the cards not even pushing 60fps - at that fps its probably only pushing 60-70% usage & shouldnt even be getting past mid 60s IMO.

What are the rest of your specs ??
Meaning case , motherboard, PSU etc??
 

PeppermintFangs

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That did boost my FPS about 10 frames per second, but it's still relatively low. I have the Gigabyte 990fxa-ud3, by the way.
 
Its a tidy build & good components - your cooling is off though mate - if that front rad is setup as Zn exhaust your 290 is starved of fresh air.
Hence those GPU temps - rad should have gone in the top as an exhaust , 2 front intakes & a single rear exhaust if you could fit one in.

You're stifling the whole system the way you have it IMO.

 


oops sorry at work, I guess I should read a little better.

overclocking will help a bit once his card is running cool.

my overclocked 7970s in crossfire don't even get that hot. they used hit about 80c in a case which had 13 fans, I since opted for a homemade bench which keeps them cooler

I think these cards are basically set to try and hit a certain temp limit and hover there.

I know in afterburner you can set the gpu temp control so maybe it is hitting that limit and then the fans can't keep it cool enough and it is throttling.


I remember reading something on this a long time ago

 
Those figures are not good, the FX6300 isn't so bad as to throttle a R9 290 like that but the GPU temperatures/fan speed could very well be pointing to the card throttling.
Oldest solution in the book: Take the side panel off, rerun the tests and see if temperatures improve, if so it's a clear indication the card needs better airflow.

I do find it odd that all your tests seem to be maxing out at 60 FPS, do you have vsync turned on in the drivers?

Also check the AA settings, AMD cards don't handle this particular feature as well as Nvidia, if you have it up high, it'll hammer the frame rate.
 
Solution

PeppermintFangs

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The heat problem existed before I installed the cpu cooler, so I highly doubt that's the case. Though I may be able to get better cooling through your suggestion, I doubt it would fix my heat issues completely.