GTX 285 Not performing very well

[isuju]

Initially this was a question about if I had the power to my card hooked up wrong, so posts below will be rather irrelevant... but I'm convinced that isn't my issue now.

Short and simply I just don't think I'm getting the performance I should out of this card. HL2 I run about 90 frames, which I thought was outstanding, but in WoW, in an area with no trees: 120+, but once I look at a zone with trees my FPS goes pbbt, usually below 20 and unplayable.

First of all, before this I was only ever getting about 20-30 frames, then I found that it performs better if you have AA on "Enhance App Setting" Rather than "Use App Setting"...But I still think I should do fine in those zones with lots of trees. This comp I've built is basically meant for handling it.

Core i7 975
8gb RAM
Win7Ux64
1200W PSU

If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it!

 

[rolli59]

That should be just fine! What is the rest of your specs?

 

[isuju]

Well, my PSU should be fine (1kw)

Currently have 8gb ddr3 ram, and my CPU is i7 975 extreme (stock 3.33ghz right now, I'll overclock it when I feel necessary, but it's already freakin amazing).. other than that I have the evga x58 classified edition mobo since it was the only one compatible with the latest i7 pins, if I didn't mention my gfx card is also the classified edition.

My CPU got like a 48000 score on 3dmark, but my card was only about 10k iirc, and right now I'm getting about 30fps in WoW max settings.

I'm really not sure what the problem is, I've tried reducing AA and AS filters (though it doesn't look as pretty) but it actually doesn't help my framerate much as all... I'm not sure what could be wrong.

 

[skolpo]

Try moving the power connections around or make sure they're snugly connected. Which version of the GTX 285 do you have?

 

[isuju]

Try moving the power connections around or make sure they're snugly connected. Which version of the GTX 285 do you have?

Ive played with them for a while, even tried different cables, never get any difference whatsoever.. so I'm not sure

I have the evga gtx285 classified.. if that isn't specific enough for you... its this one: http://www.dvhardware.net/news/evga_geforce_gtx_285_classified.jpg

edit... well, I don't really think that power is my problem, according to my power supply it's fine for the extra 6pins on these cables to be unconnected. Maybe my card is clocked for SLI, since it and my card is kind of meant for 3x SLI......but I have no idea how to change that.

 

[skolpo]

Ahh, yes. That thing should be beastly. What was your card before? Or is this a new system?

 

[isuju]

Ahh, yes. That thing should be beastly. What was your card before? Or is this a new system?

This is a brand new build... and my first build ever actually, was quite a bit of fun. My old system only had a 7300GS though, if you were still wondering...

Trying to think of what else I could do right now =\

 

[skolpo]

First thing I'd look at with a build like yours is the lack of power going to the card. If you can rule out the PSU as being defective or one of the connections not properly connected, then you should try the system with a different card. Try using the 7300GS and see if it performs similar to as it did before. Before trying this, reinstall the latest drivers for the card and see if performance increases. There is also a case where the PCI-E lane bandwidth is running on 1x and not 16x. Some BIOS allow you to configure this and some set the default as 1x.

How does the card perform in other games? I've heard that WoW can be pretty demanding in some areas (I don't personally play WoW, so I wouldn't know by experience).

This almost sounds like a case that the card is not pulling enough power from the PSU. I'm not saying that the PSU is not enough (1k is enough for three of these, imo), but the PSU might be defective. You can also log off of your Windows and usually an nVidia pop-up will appear saying that the card is not pulling enough power and is running in Standard 2D if the 6-pins are not properly connected.

 

[isuju]

First thing I'd look at with a build like yours is the lack of power going to the card. If you can rule out the PSU as being defective or one of the connections not properly connected, then you should try the system with a different card. Try using the 7300GS and see if it performs similar to as it did before. Before trying this, reinstall the latest drivers for the card and see if performance increases. There is also a case where the PCI-E lane bandwidth is running on 1x and not 16x. Some BIOS allow you to configure this and some set the default as 1x.

How does the card perform in other games? I've heard that WoW can be pretty demanding in some areas (I don't personally play WoW, so I wouldn't know by experience).

This almost sounds like a case that the card is not pulling enough power from the PSU. I'm not saying that the PSU is not enough (1k is enough for three of these, imo), but the PSU might be defective. You can also log off of your Windows and usually an nVidia pop-up will appear saying that the card is not pulling enough power and is running in Standard 2D if the 6-pins are not properly connected.

Thanks for the input. Actually, my very first problem with the card was that it was set on 1x in my bios and I almost ended up sending it back to evga then I discovered that setting.. heh.

I am sure my PSU is not defective, and definitely beastly enough to handle the power on this card... and I don't think I have the power hooked up right.

WoW is pretty demanding I suppose, but I was building this rig with thoughts that my comp would start laughing at me for playing WoW, heh.

I'm still not sure what the deal is, but I'm now getting much higher frame rates after changing AA filter from "Use App Setting" to "Enhance App Setting". I get about 120FPS with a massive view distance....given there aren't trees. But if I turn and look at an area with a lot of trees my FPS gets hammered to unplayable range. I am convinced this isn't a PSU problem... so I don't know what to do next.

Oh, and also, I will never ever run this thing on SLI. I thought about it, then I heard what it sounds like with fan on 100%

 

[bystander]

You might not have a problem at all. You could just be asking too much of the card with too high of an AA setting.

I kind of felt the same way when I put my i7 920 + 5870 together. I was half expecting to be able to absolutely max everything and never have a problem. It's just not so.

I still use x4 AA at most in a few games. I still run Crysis at High settings with x4 AA, and not Very High, and even at high settings, there are areas where my FPS drop lower than comfortable.

If I turn on super-sampling AA it is even more demanding at times.

Try tinkering with lower shadow settings, I've heard that WoW was nearly unplayable at maxed shadows (I haven't played since last expansion).

 

[isuju]

You might not have a problem at all. You could just be asking too much of the card with too high of an AA setting.

I kind of felt the same way when I put my i7 920 + 5870 together. I was half expecting to be able to absolutely max everything and never have a problem. It's just not so.

I still use x4 AA at most in a few games. I still run Crysis at High settings with x4 AA, and not Very High, and even at high settings, there are areas where my FPS drop lower than comfortable.

If I turn on super-sampling AA it is even more demanding at times.

Try tinkering with lower shadow settings, I've heard that WoW was nearly unplayable at maxed shadows (I haven't played since last expansion).

The shadows actually aren't a problem for me.... they're mostly on the CPU and my 975 has no troubles. The only reason I think it should be better is because I know three people with the same card who have got no problems running on the same settings as me.

 

[bystander]

Have you check to make sure those 3 people are using the same settings in the Nvidia Control Panel? There are some settings, like the type of AA you use that can have huge performance changes.

 

[isuju]

Have you check to make sure those 3 people are using the same settings in the Nvidia Control Panel? There are some settings, like the type of AA you use that can have huge performance changes.

I double checked with my friend today

He's using the same card as me, only differences in our comps are: his processor is an AMD at 3.1 ghz (mine is i7 975 extreme at 3.33... stock, sorry I dont know the specifics on his) and he has 6gb RAM rather than the 8gb I have, however they are actually the same memory sticks... Our monitors differ, but are the same resolution... although his is VGA and mine DVI.

He showed me his settings in nvcpl, he has the same as me, 8x AA, 16x AS, Supersampling, and we also have the same WoW graphic settings, but he gets 81 FPS in this spot, where I'm getting 30ish: http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/3315/47942864.png

We also checked out an area on his comp where he got 58 FPS.. in this area I get >20. I really have no idea what's wrong.