Getting bad performance on 4870

[P_L_A_G_U_E]

So, I bought a new computer recently.

Specs:

CPU Phenom X4 9750
MBO Gigabyte MA790X-DS4
RM 2 x 2GB OCZ Gold
Gainward Radeon 4870 512mb

I'm getting as low as 15000 marks in 3DMark05.

Crysis experiences drops in framerate when things get busy, as does Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4 experiences constant stuttering every few seconds.

I mean, they're all playable (except for CoD4, the stuttering really gets on my nerves), but I feel I should be getting much, much better performances.

What could be the problem?

Also, Windows can sometimes "stutter" between changing folders, right-clicking the properties and such (not so much "stutter" as a "0.5-1 second delay" before opening)

Any idea what could be causing this?

Also, can you recommend a good software for scanning my CPU specs and benchamarking so I could post some concrete numbers here for comparison?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[rmicro1]

Sounds like it could be a couple things. One, you have a program running causing troubles. Open your task manager and see if there is anything consistantly using more that 20%.

Second, your hard drive couple be having issues. I've seen a failing hard drive cause stuttering in various programs whether it's being constantly accessed or not.

Have you installed up to date chipset and video drivers, even sound?

What size is your power supply? If it isn't supplying enough juice than you will encounter problems like what you are having.

 

[btc2008]

waits for inevitable cpu bottlenecking comment instead of finding real issue*

I really think that the bottlenecking statement people make on here is such a bull excuse.

I think your 3D Mark score is good; I got roughly 12,000 with a Phenom X4 9950, 4 GB DDR 2 800 MHz and a 4850. It's just a benchmark, I wouldn't really look too much into it, as long as your games play well.

What resolution are you playing at?

And, don't ever use Crysis as a significant anything for comparison: it's really the worst game to put any stock in. I have jitters sometimes with AC, but the game itself is sometimes unstable.

Also, the newest drivers to for ATI cards, I think 8.12, are not really the greatest, I find I get artifacts in certain games with the newest drivers that were absent with 8.11. I rollbacked my drivers to 8.11 because I found the performance on games a bit more stable.

Hope that helps.

 

[P_L_A_G_U_E]

Yeah, but I'm talking about 3DMark05, not 06 That's BAD. 05 marks should be like the double of 05 marks you get.
Still haven't tried out 06. Is the basic version good enough for comparison?

Any; 1024x768, 1280x1024...
And that's the problem; the games AREN'T playing properly; the framerate isn't that great, stuttering happens when things get "busy", and I'm getting performance like I'm having a much weaker video card installed.

 

[P_L_A_G_U_E]

Sounds like it could be a couple things. One, you have a program running causing troubles. Open your task manager and see if there is anything consistantly using more that 20%.

Second, your hard drive couple be having issues. I've seen a failing hard drive cause stuttering in various programs whether it's being constantly accessed or not.

Have you installed up to date chipset and video drivers, even sound?

What size is your power supply? If it isn't supplying enough juice than you will encounter problems like what you are having.

Hard Drive COULD be it, but HDTune says everything's A-OK.

No processes running in the background. It happens on a clean installation of everything.

BTW, the OS is XP 32 bit, but the same thing happens on 64-bit Vista, so there...

 

[btc2008]

Yeah, but I'm talking about 3DMark05, not 06 That's BAD. 05 marks should be like the double of 05 marks you get.
Still haven't tried out 06. Is the basic version good enough for comparison?

Any; 1024x768, 1280x1024...
And that's the problem; the games AREN'T playing properly; the framerate isn't that great, stuttering happens when things get "busy", and I'm getting performance like I'm having a much weaker video card installed.

You know, this may be me just attempting to make a stupid comment, but if you run games today at those resolutions with a 4870, you may not be getting the total performance of it. I think that if you would crank things up to 1680 or 1900 (provided when you have the means), you might be able to unleash the potential of the 4870.

Sometimes when I play games in low resolutions like you're using, my 4850 actually works worse than when it's in 1680.1050. Just a thought.

 

[P_L_A_G_U_E]

You know, this may be me just attempting to make a stupid comment, but if you run games today at those resolutions with a 4870, you may not be getting the total performance of it. I think that if you would crank things up to 1680 or 1900 (provided when you have the means), you might be able to unleash the potential of the 4870..

And yet, they STILL chug, even at low resolutions. That should tell you something about the performance of the card Is it possible that it's simply a faulty video card?

 

[btc2008]

And yet, they STILL chug, even at low resolutions. That should tell you something about the performance of the card Is it possible that it's simply a faulty video card?

It's always a possibility that you shouldn't rule out. Where'd you order it from?

 

[veyron1001]

I just cant understand how people are complaining their new cards are faulty. I have tossed a fx57xx series card in a drawer with other hardware with nothing protecting it for months and moved around looking for other parts in the drawer. Took it out no too long ago and its works just fine

 

[aevm]

LOL, you were lucky. Maybe you could help me pick some lottery numbers or something

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Older cards are build on a relatively gigantic process with lots of redundancy built in, you can't compare them anymore.

As for the original topic, as much as CPU bottlenecking is taboo, that he's lowered the settings and it still performs the same show that the performance issue is not resident in the card itself (could be software related to it, although that wouldn't explain your folders issues).

People say "bum card RMA it" as much as mention CPU bottlenecking, it goes both ways for sure. But trying to troubleshoot remotely is like playing darts in the dark hoping you get a good guess at the cause.

If it's not apparent from the start then you'll have to trouble shoot, including other tests to make sure that the RAM is good, and everything else works too. Focusing just on the graphics card yet having no obvious tell as to the problem doesn't do much to solve it other than to drive you to a conclusion "well, I don't know what it is I'll just get another X and then see what happens", just like only posting the final score of a 3Dmark is useless since it offers no details. The biggest reason for low 3Dmarks: EVIL.

The issues with gaming are more serious, but you need to figure out why, because if it's able to play at full res and full settings but with the same performance as low res and low settings, then really do you think the card is bad or that the issue lies elsewhere?

Drivers I could understand, but the hardware should give more problems the harder you stress it.

 

[rmicro1]

Try running Prime95. Might find a weakness in the CPU. It's possible there is a problem with one of the cores.