I feel like my PC is underperforming, I don't know what to do anymore.

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ClintRasiert

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Dec 19, 2015
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Hello everybody,
I feel like my PC is underperforming. I recently bought a GTX 970 and did see an improvement in performance compared to my GTX 560ti that I had before. I already reinstalled the drivers, but that didn't change anything. My games (GTA V, Just Cause 3) do run, but not on settings that should probably be possible with my set-up.

My CPU is a i5-2500k, not overclocked yet because I fear that I will mess something up and burn my house down.

I did a Benchmark using 3D Mark: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/9798582
I saw the worst performance in the Benchmark when it did the "Physics Test". Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that an indication that my CPU is too weak or even broken?

If that matters, I am currently using Windows 7.

Could my RAM be a problem (I have 8GB)? How do I check it?
I'm not even close to being a professional with PCs, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

(I am posting in CPU because I suspect the problem there, but it could very well be my GPU too. Sorry for being a noob! )
 
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ClintRasiert

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Dec 19, 2015
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Well, I am getting "good" (45-60) FPS on bad settings. That's why I think something is wrong.

I also tried out Insurgency which I bought today. Lowest settings still give me bad stuttering issues.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Monitor your temperatures and core clocks with a tool like MSI afterburner, and see if the GPU and CPU core clocks drop at any time during gaming. Also see how hot the CPU and GPU get when gaming. It is possible your CPU or / and GPU are overheating and thermal throttling to reduce heat output. I suspect the CPU, because of the GPU upgrade making little difference.

With your setup, you should be able to get good frame rates easily on ultra in the vast majority of games, if not all at 1080p. How long has it been since you last applied thermal compound to the CPU? It is possible, given that your CPU is 2 or 3 years old, that the compound has degraded which results in poor heat transfer, which then leads to overheating and thermal throttling.
 
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ClintRasiert

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Dec 19, 2015
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It's probably been 3 years since I last applied thermal compound. I will order some and do that regardless of what happens now. Do I need anything special to remove the thermal compound that I have on there now?

I will post the results of CPU/GPU core clocks and temperature soon.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Remember to post core clocks while gaming, or running benchmarks. We are mainly interested in the graphs on the left:

msi-afterburner-interface-large.png


A screen shot would be the easiest.

To remove the thermal compound, you need to use 70%+ isopropyl alcohol. It is also sold as surgical spirits, and is available at any pharmacy. Try to get 90%+ isopropyl alcohol so that it will evaporate quickly. To clean the thermal compound off, dip a cotton swap or coffee filter in the isopropyl alcohol and gently rub the cotton swab on the CPU and heat-sink until all the compound is gone. DO NOT rub the CPU heavily, you can damage it or / and the motherboard. Use light force. The heat-sink on the other hand can be cleaned with as much force as you like :D. Clean until they both look like this:

xgHP1216_d6.jpg


supermicro-sc847a-motherboard-with-intel-xeon-e5620-cpu.jpg


Then, apply a pea sized dot of thermal compound in the middle of the CPU and put the heat-sink back on; The force of putting the heat-sink back on will spread the thermal compound into a thin layer, which is how it is meant to be applied.

It should look like this:

172acd99_vbattach213935.jpeg
 
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ClintRasiert

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Dec 19, 2015
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Thank you for the detailed explanation :)

My CPU Core Clock is ~3700 MHz, nothing changed when playing Just Cause 3.
The GPU Clock is at 1113 MHz, but jumps to 1329 MHz occasionally (it is labeled as "Boost" in MSI Afterburner)
The CPU temperature is at 30-40 °C when doing nothing and 50-55 °C when playing.
The GPU Temp is around 55°C and didn't seem to increase when playing.

Thanks for the detailed explanation on cleaning and applying thermal paste.
Do you think this will work: http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-ArctiClean/dp/B00LOXCNPC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450543051&sr=8-1&keywords=arctic+silver+cleaning+kit ?
The reviews look very good and I read that isopropyl alcohol can be expensive in Germany.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Arctic Silver 5 is a very good thermal paste. Lots of people use it. It'll be fine :).

99% Isopropyl Alcohol is available for very cheap in Germany, though you won't need it in that kit: http://www.amazon.de/online-hut-Liter-Isopropanol-Isopropylalkohol-99/dp/B00JXK92YI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450544391&sr=8-1&keywords=isopropanol

Can you check your CPU temps when gaming? Use HWMonitor: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

You only need to change the thermal compound if the temperatures are on the high side. If not, the existing compound is fine.
 
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ClintRasiert

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I tried it on Just Cause 3. They were around 55°C.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Run a benchmark like 3DMark for a while. After about an hour check GPU and CPU temperatures. It is very possible that your CPU or GPU is slowly heating up over time.

Check again to see if the drivers have been uninstalled correctly for the 560Ti. Also make sure you have the latest drivers for the 970.

Sorry for all the time consuming instructions! Problems like this are generally harder to spot.
 
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ClintRasiert

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Dec 19, 2015
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Are you kidding me? :) Your explanations are great!
Is there any way to run 3DMark more than once or do I have to start it again every 2 minutes? Or can you recommend another benchmark program?

The drivers for the 560Ti should be uninstalled completely. Where could I check to make sure?
 
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