What's wrong with my gaming pc?

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the1ronfist

Commendable
Aug 14, 2016
5
0
1,510
Hey guys, I have recently built a new pc for a bit of light(ish) gaming and to use in the living room as a media pc. Everything physically works but I am not getting anywhere near the performance I was expecting. Are my expectations unrealistic or is there a problem somewhere I'm not picking up on? I want to be able to play recent games at 1080p on at least 'high' settings. I'm struggling with games that are several years old however and getting frame rate dips into the 20s in Tomb Raider (2013) and Spec Ops: The Line (2012).
My specs are;

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4690k with stock cooler, not yet OC
    GPU: XFX Radeon R9 390
    Mobo: Asus H81I-PLUS
    RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 2x4gb 1333 DDR3
    PSU: Corsair CS550M 550W 80+ Gold
    Windows 10 Pro x64 on 120gb SanDisk SSD
    Steam games installed on Toshiba P300 3TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA Hard Drive
I'm still reasonably new to all this so I'm not entirely sure of the steps to go through to identify any problems.
I've included a log file I recorder in HWiNFO if that is any use. This was recorded while playing a check point in Spec Ops: The Line at 1920x1080 with max settings. The game was stuttering throughout.
I tried turning down the settings in Spec Ops to 1080p from very high to high with ambient occlusion off and this did nothing to improve the frame rate :(
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I really want to be happy in my decision to switch from console to PC gaming!
Thanks :)
HWiNFO log file: https://mega.nz/#!pl02haIC!juetuY0f1i1LdUv8Cdi6CqzyZMP9Tyce3RzzATEuBqY
 
Solution
Supernova1138
Looks like your GPU's power control options aren't working properly and you aren't leaving idle clocks when gaming. Check your Windows power profile and make sure it isn't set to any sort of power saver mode. Also check the Crimson Control Panel and see if there is an option to set the power mode to maximum performance.

Edit: Your CPU temperatures are also too high, and CPU throttling might be another cause for this, double check to make sure your stock cooler is properly mounted and that there is no automatic overclock set in your BIOS.
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the1ronfist

Commendable
Aug 14, 2016
5
0
1,510


Yep, plugged into the GPU via HDMI. Also, latest drivers and nothing else running in the background that shouldn't be.
 
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the1ronfist

Commendable
Aug 14, 2016
5
0
1,510


Hi, I've played another checkpoint in Spec Ops as described before, 1080p with settings turned down to high, ambient occlusion off. Here are the charts from afterburner;

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hFT3hcu.jpg


Thank you!
 
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Supernova1138

Supernova1138

Illustrious
Mar 22, 2011
5,340
54
37,690
Looks like your GPU's power control options aren't working properly and you aren't leaving idle clocks when gaming. Check your Windows power profile and make sure it isn't set to any sort of power saver mode. Also check the Crimson Control Panel and see if there is an option to set the power mode to maximum performance.

Edit: Your CPU temperatures are also too high, and CPU throttling might be another cause for this, double check to make sure your stock cooler is properly mounted and that there is no automatic overclock set in your BIOS.
 
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Solution
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the1ronfist

Commendable
Aug 14, 2016
5
0
1,510
Thank you so much for your suggestions!
I have changed Windows power settings to high performance.
I can't believe I didn't notice my CPU temps were so high. I took apart my computer computer this morning and the push pins on the stock cooler had come loose somehow, I took it off, reapplied thermal paste and put it back on securely, my CPU temps dropped to ~60 idle but still flies up to 95 when under load. Gaming is still very stuttery but the initial 5 minutes or so was much much better. Do you think this will improve further as the thermal paste settles or should I get an aftermarket cooler?
Thanks again!
 
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Supernova1138

Supernova1138

Illustrious
Mar 22, 2011
5,340
54
37,690
60 idle is still way too hot, either your cooler isn't mounted properly again or something is wrong with it. You might want to take your motherboard out of your case, remount the cooler and make sure the plastic push pins are all going fully through to the back. If the cooler is fully secured and you're still having high temps, you might have to get an aftermarket cooler or look at seriously improving your case's airflow.
 
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the1ronfist

Commendable
Aug 14, 2016
5
0
1,510


I've had another fiddle about with it, you're right, the push pins still weren't in properly. I'm now getting 35 idle and 60 under load and my frame rates are now what I was hoping they'd be. Thanks again for your help!
 
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