EVGA x58 mobo and HD 5870 low-fps issues

Just build a brand new system, here are the specs:



Core i7 920

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145242

EVGA x58 SLI LE Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188049

ASUS HD5870 1GB



All thrown in the Antec P183 case, which is great.



Anyways, here is my issue; I put the rig together and everything is working perfectly. But, when I loaded up any game, it seemed to run worse or about the same as it did on my old rig (e8400, 8800gt, 4GB ddr2), which wasn't right. I figured it might be driver issues or something (gotta love brand new hardware). So, I search around and found some beta catalyst drivers, and installed 'em. Well, that didn't change anything, so, I figured I'd try to put the card in a difference PCI-E slot.

So, I take it out of the x16 slot and throw it in the x8 slot, and BAM, everything is working PERFECTLY. I'm getting 30~ fps in Crysis Warhead on full max settings, 150+ fps in Source games on max, etc. I didn't know what happened, nor did I care. So, I powered the pc off again (it wasn't fully put together, still needed to do some cable management and stuff). When I finally got it back on, the problem reappeared.

I re-traced my steps but it still hasn't fixed the issue. I'm thinking it's having compatibility issues with my mobo, since it's designed for NVIDIA cards (only SLI, no Crossfire) but, then again, why would it work normally all of a sudden like that? At this point I'm stumped. Hopefully you guys could maybe provide some insight or some reassurance that the problem is just with drivers. If that's the case, I don't mind waiting for new ones to release (although ATI better step up their game from previous generations, IMO).

Thanks for any and all the help!

A little update:

I kind of gave up trying to fix the issue right now, since I figured it's driver issues. But, I was just playing Left4Dead a few minutes ago and it was running at around 70-80 FPS, which is low compared to what it should be running at (150~). I was in the middle of the game when it froze up for a few seconds, and when it came back, the game was running at like 150 FPS, like the GPU was fixed. It froze for a few seconds again, and went back to the normal 70~ FPS. This is bugging the hell out of me.

Another thing to note: In any Steam game, on the in-game overlay, when the GPU is having issues, the text is really blurry compared to how it should be. The pic quality kind of downplays the differences, but you can obviously tell that there is a difference. Here is a pic to compare. The Friend's list on the right is in-game, the one on the left is outside of the game (ignore the FPS, it drops when you're alt-tabbed).

When the game froze and it was working correctly, the in-game overlay looked exactly like the left friends list, like it should.


I've never had a problem like this before. I'm hoping it's just drivers, since the GPU obviously works (albeit, occasionally).

HSF is mounted properly, and yes, it's a fresh install of Windows 7 64-bit. I've got the latest drivers from ATI/AMDs site.

if the hardware is all good, i think the problem might be caused by the drivers (graphic). HD5870 have new tech so you can't expect the performance boost right away for all games. at this point you can only wait until more stable drivers is released by amd

I have nearly the same system, but I don't have any problems. Only difference seems to be I have:
EVGA E758-A1 - Same build and chipsets, but yours has a cleaner layout an extra PCIe slot.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188039
I have OCZ ram instead of Corsair.

I bumped up from a 8800GTX to a 5870, and have been very happy. All my fps games run smooth.

But it sounds like your PCIe lane is damaged/correupted/disgruntled. I'd contact EVGA via email, and ask them about the Motherboard.

I have an i7 and a 5850 on a DX58SO and on the css perf test I got 289fps...