Computer acting up - I'm suspecting the CPU

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DokiBaxxi

DokiBaxxi

Commendable
Sep 19, 2016
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Okay so I have the following config:
Intel Core i5-6600K @ 3.5 GHz
ASRock Z170 Pro4S
MSI GTX 1070 Gaming 8GB
1x8 GB DDR4 2666MHz (HyperX Fury)
FSP Hexa+ 500
Samsung 840 EVO 120 GB
500GB HDD

I've been using this setup for about 3 days, and I noticed that I was getting really low FPS values, compared to these specs (1080p). The difference is 10-20, in worse cases even more.
After installing MSI AB and actually taking a look at the values, I noticed that my CPU usage is very high (everything maxed out in Rainbow 6, GTA 5, The Division, Witcher 3, etc.). At the same time, my GPU usage rarely exceeds 90%. It's the same if I OC my CPU to 4.4GHz. It's like it bottlenecks the 1070, whereas it shouldn't. I have been trying to figure out what's happening for a day now, and no solution. Also, I haven't found any process requiring a lot of CPU power.
What could be wrong?
 
Solution
DokiBaxxi
Okay, so I found and fixed my problem. It was my RAM. The read, write, copy, etc. speed was extremely low, which caused the CPU usage to be extremely high in memory-demanding applications (in my case, games). I changed the memory module to a Corsair Vengeance 2400MHz one, and everything's how it should've been in the first place. I hope this can help people who are struggling with the same problem. Also, thanks for all who tried to help :)
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Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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Is your CPU correctly maintaining its clocks - for example, staying at 4.4ghz when OC'd?

Most of the games you've listed are very CPU-heavy, and your CPU utilization will depend on what framerates you're shooting for. Most here recommend i5's as they're the cheapest CPU that's generally "enough", but in the games you've listed, an i5 will not generally be capable of feeding a 120hz or 144hz display, where an i7 will have a better chance.
 
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DokiBaxxi

DokiBaxxi

Commendable
Sep 19, 2016
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It does maintain the clock but it doesn't really matter, since it seems to be underperforming even on stock clock. Take this guy for example: GTA 5 Bench
With a stock 6600K and GTX 1070 he gets way better FPS than me. In the first segment of the benchmark (Franklin's house) his FPS is between 50-60. When I run the benchmark with exactly the same settings, my FPS doesn't even reach 50.
And btw, I have a 60Hz display, I don't know if that matters.
 
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Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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If your CPU isn't throttling, is maintaining clocks and there aren't background tasks eating up CPU cycles, it's hard to say there's anything wrong with it. It may be that you're expecting more from your i5 than you ought to; it's a good CPU, but the games you listed are all extremely CPU-heavy and ultimately it's a $200 chip. Intel has $300-$1000 models for a reason.

If you're getting just under 50fps and he's getting 50-60, that's within margin of error, and slight variations of what's going on in-game or things running in the background are enough to cause that kind of disparity.
 
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DokiBaxxi

DokiBaxxi

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Sep 19, 2016
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I understand that it is not the best CPU on the market, but I picked it because everybody said, it won't bottleneck the 1070. Not even in 1080p (maybe in BF 64 player multiplayer or other very CPU-demanding situations). But for me it feels like it's a major bottleneck. I have been comparing my results in every game I've listed with results from YT videos (Same settings, same clocks, same everything) and also benchmark results (Unigine Heaven, 3DMark Time Spy) and my computer always underperforms. And what I always notice is the CPU being on full load and the GPU usage being below 70% (or below 50 in worse cases). There's gotta be a reason for that.
 
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Ecky

Ecky

Illustrious
Feb 3, 2013
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I've lately been advocating people get an i7 if they can afford it, because games are starting to utilize the i7's extra threads and throughput. It's not common, but you're not the first to come here with an i5 that can't maintain 60fps in those particular games.

Regarding whether or not it will bottleneck your 1070, that's not really the right question to ask. CPU and GPU bottlenecks are largely independent of each other, so the i5 will bottleneck a low-end card just as much or as little as a high-end one. You can raise or lower your GPU's utilization by adjusting graphical settings up and down, whereas there's not much you can do to change how many frames your CPU can deliver in a game.

Your 4.4ghz OC is ~10%, which amounts to less than 5fps in perfectly CPU-bound scenarios. An i7 6700 has 30-45% more throughput due to hyperthreading, and is around the same price with paired with a B150 or H170 board as a 6600K + Z170 + cooler.

I'm sorry if you're unhappy with your chip. Most on here find i5's to be adequate for their expectations, and find the extra $100-150 an i7 costs over a 6500 to be better spent on a faster GPU. That's probably why you got that recommendation.
 
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DokiBaxxi

DokiBaxxi

Commendable
Sep 19, 2016
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Somebody? :/
The problem still persists and no, I'm not ecpecting too much from the CPU
Some proof:
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/254841191100935698/BDEEF6733F0AA3B1E2C5431B4998A0287505352B/
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/254841191100935494/0B84DA340EAA8656243D8F6D61F751166893FBD1/
 
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O

Obakasama

Distinguished
Apr 30, 2014
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I'll make a comment or two...

I've seen you mention overclocking the CPU but not mentioning the RAM. As I understand it, your motherboard supports 2133MHz as the highest stock speed. Anything higher requires 'overclocking' or, if I'm correct, selecting XMP profiles in BIOS or something like that. (And even then this suggests 2666MHz isn't supported....) From another thread, RAM can be a factor in those benchmarks you're comparing to; I would guess those typically used two sticks to take advantage of dual channel support .

Secondly, standard consideration. What temperatures are you getting for your CPU?

That's all I've got to contribute...
 
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DokiBaxxi

DokiBaxxi

Commendable
Sep 19, 2016
6
0
1,520


Even if the RAM is capped at 2133MHz, it shouldn't be the cause of my high CPU usage, should it? XMP profile in the BIOS is set to auto. Also, I was monitoring with HWiNFO and looking back at the results, it says the RAM is running at 2666.

On the desktop, temeratures are between 20 and 30 °C. When under heavy load, the highest temperature is around 55. (With a Zalman CNPS10X Performa+ cooler, on silent mode)
 
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DokiBaxxi

DokiBaxxi

Commendable
Sep 19, 2016
6
0
1,520
Okay, so I found and fixed my problem. It was my RAM. The read, write, copy, etc. speed was extremely low, which caused the CPU usage to be extremely high in memory-demanding applications (in my case, games). I changed the memory module to a Corsair Vengeance 2400MHz one, and everything's how it should've been in the first place. I hope this can help people who are struggling with the same problem. Also, thanks for all who tried to help :)
 
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