MSI R9 380 4GB: Max power consumption is very low?!

Bogdanov89

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Dec 12, 2013
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I am using MSI R9 380 4GB and i am having some severe FPS issues in GPU-intensive games like ARK: Survival Evolved.
My PSU is 750W Seasonic SS-750AM2 and two separate 6pin cables are leading from the PSU to the GPU.
At first i thought it was normal since that game is demanding, but then i saw that people with weaker GPUs (and overall PCs) are getting much better frames on higher graphic qualities.

So i did the toughest Furmark 1.17 stress testing (stress test over an hour on maximum settings at 1080p).
That most difficult test got my FPS down to 25, my GPU temperature to 72 celsius and my GPU's maximum (highest peak) power consumption to barely 140 watts.
At the same time i kept GPU-Z and HWMonitor active as well, and they recorded the same 138-140 watts maximum power consumption.
As far as i could see my GPU was under maximum load, the FPS in Furmark was at barely 25 and GPU load was stated to be at 100%.

In 3DMark Firestrike under the standard (1920*1080) test my score was 7515 (graphic score 8554, physics score 12295, combined score 3017).
In Unigine Valley (1920*1080 and highest settings) my score is 923 (min FPS 22, max fps 65).
In both 3DMark and Unigine tests the GPU-Z reported my GPU's maximum power consumption at 120 watts (VDDC Power highest reading).

In my most GPU intensive game Ark Survival in the Radeon Universal Overdrive it says my GPU is 100% active, the GPU clock is 980MHz and my Memory clock is 1425MHz.
It also states my temperature is at 65 celsius and my cooler is at 30%.
GPU-Z claims my GPU is consuming barely over 102 watts while having 15 FPS in ARK.

Various websites, articles and youtube videos show the same GPU model as mine go up as high as 200+ watts under maximum load (both in games and stress tests/benchmarks).
The MSI official website shows my model of GPU to go up to 190 watts without any specific overclocking.

I am just a tech amateur, but something seems very wrong when my GPU is under-performing and is seemingly using a small amount of power compared to other GPUs of the same model.
I took a look at the inside of my PC, the GPU seems properly inserted into the MBoard and the two separate 6pin cables from the PSU (750W Seasonic SS-750AM2) are firmly plugged into my GPU's two power jacks.

The GPU and the whole PC is clear of dust so that is not an issue, and software-wise i am using the latest AMD drivers and all Windows 7 updates and my startup programs are at a bare minimum (anti-virus paused during the tests).

PC specs:
Intel Core i7 4790K
ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO
16GB DDR3 2400MHz Kingston HyperX
MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB
SATA3 7200 1TB WD Black
750W Seasonic SS-750AM2
Windows 7 64bit Service Pack 1

Here is an imgur link to a big screenshot with additional info about my PC:
http://i.imgur.com/zYm6kkr.png

I got no clue what is going on... looks like my GPU is unable (or refusing) to draw more power from the PSU?
Can anyone please help me?
 
Solution

maxalge

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Ambassador


are you monitoring cpu temps?


also go to radeon settings > gaming > global settings > global overdrive >


set power limit to +25%

make sure gpu clock is set to 0% ( a negative number is underclocking it, a positive number is overclocking it )
 
Solution