Processor not running correctly?

[Briggsta]

So i bought a new motherboard and processor the other day
ASRock z68 extreme3 gen3
i5 2550k (yes no integrated graphics but i have a video card 6870)

I installed it and formatted my SSD, reinstalled windows, installed drivers and went to do the windows experience index rating and my showed my processor at a 4.0. I knew that couldnt be right so i ran it again and got a 4.4. I installed world of warcraft and it was ok but it was no different or maybe a tad worse than my old processor (i had an i5 920? i think). I went back and installed the chipset drivers again, rebooted and ran the WEI again and it went up to a 6.9 but on the game it never changed, still very low fps when things are going on ingame.

I am formatting again right now and going to see if that might fix something. As i do not know whats going on

 

[Supernova1138]

Check to make sure you have the appropriate BIOS revision to support that CPU. The 2550k is a very recent release, and the BIOS that shipped with your board may not support it properly. You can find out what revision you need on the CPU support list for your motherboard. You can use CPU-Z to determine which BIOS revision you are running. If CPU-Z doesn't show your CPU as the 2550k that is a sign that your motherboard isn't recognizing the CPU properly.

As for game performance, I'd say your GPU is likely the bottleneck here, and not the CPU. The 6570 isn't a really strong video card, and even in WoW if you are trying to do ultra at 1080p or something like that, the 6570 isn't going to perform all that well. Generally speaking for gaming you would have benefitted a lot more from a graphics card upgrade than you would have upgrading from an i7 920.

 

[loneninja]

Your old processor was plenty for games, what you needed and still need is a better GPU, 6570 is very weak and not cut out for running games above 720p. Buy a better video card and your performance in WOW will improve.

 

[Briggsta]

Oh wow, didnt realize. I meant i have a 6870, not a 6570.

 

[Supernova1138]

Okay, yeah the 6870 should be able to handle WoW just fine. Don't expect a huge performance bump though, your old i7 probably didn't have any trouble keeping up with your 6870, so your GPU is still probably going to be the performance bottleneck.

One more thing: Download HWMonitor and check your CPU temps, another possible reason for poor performance is the CPU is overheating and throttling back to prevent damage. It could be that the cooler wasn't seated properly.

 

[loneninja]

Whats the rest of your system look like? Particularly what power supply do you have?

And yeah huge difference between 6570 and 6870 so you can ignore my previous comment about needing a better GPU.

 

[Briggsta]

ok downloaded the HWMonitor, all the cores and package? are all floating around 60-75C / and seen it jump to 80 C and thats with nothing running.. so comparing that to my old processor that seems fairly high

 

[Supernova1138]

If those are your idle temps something is seriously wrong, those are quite high even for load temperatures. Check to make sure the that CPU fan is spinning and that the cooler is mounted properly. You are definitely overheating, that's why you have poor performance.

 

[Briggsta]

Whats the rest of your system look like? Particularly what power supply do you have?

And yeah huge difference between 6570 and 6870 so you can ignore my previous comment about needing a better GPU.

I have a thermaltake tr2-600W power supply
the motherboard/proc/vid card i listed above, 120gb SSD and a 500gb HD

 

[Briggsta]

If those are your idle temps something is seriously wrong, those are quite high even for load temperatures. Check to make sure the that CPU fan is spinning and that the cooler is mounted properly. You are definitely overheating, that's why you have poor performance.

What should the idle temps be at normally? I noticed the headsink/fan was loose actually, i tried tightning them down but it seems really bad still, it wont lock in properly. Right now its been about.. 4-5 minutes since i rebooted and now the temps are around 40-low 50s, and even high 30s. I read to see what the average idle temp for the 2550k and people were overclocked to 5.0 ghz but are idling at 30s.. so it seems mine is still higher than what it should be

 

[Supernova1138]

Depends on what cooler you're running, and what the ambient temperature of the room is. At standard room temperature on the stock cooler you should be idling in the 30s, low 40s at most. Load temperatures are more important. If your gaming load temps are exceeding 70 degrees though then that is getting a bit too hot for comfort.

You have to get the cooler secured properly for it to do its job, so remove it, and reapply thermal paste if you have to. It is also possible that you broke one of the push pins if this is the stock cooler. In that case you may be best off just grabbing an aftermarket cooler, preferably one that doesn't have quite as annoying a mounting system

 

[Raidur]

Lol, I can't believe people are still upgrading their PCs for that stupid game.

Minimum System Requirements:
- Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
- 1 GB or more of RAM
- NVIDIA® GeForce® FX or ATI Radeon™ 9500 video card or better
- 25.0 GB available HD space
- 4X DVD-ROM drive (Downloadable Installer also available)
- Broadband Internet connection
- Keyboard/mouse

Recommended Specifications:
- Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2
- 2 GB RAM
- 256 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600 or ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 or better
- Multi-button mouse with scroll-wheel

 

[Briggsta]

well i dont just play WoW, i play many others, i just used it as a common example..

and yes, im using the stock cooler and the large fan on the side AND top of my case stopped running and ive been meaning to get them replaced or buy a new case, but for now i leave the side off the case completely


before i bought the motherboard, i seen people saying it is a tight fit for aftermarket coolers but i didnt really have any intentions of buying another cooler, but NOW i see how tight the fit really is lol and also i wanna buy a new cooler because of these problems..

what cooler should be recommended for this?

 

[Supernova1138]

For coolers it depends on things like how wide your case is, and the location and height of your DIMMs. Taller DIMMs like Corsair Vengeance or G.Skill Ripjaws may obstruct some aftermarket coolers. You'll probably have to take some measurements to determine what will fit. Also check your mobo's documentation, if you don't have all DIMM slots populated you may be able to set them in such a way that you don't have the slot closest to the CPU populated, which will give you more wiggle room if you have taller DIMMs.

The Coolermaster Hyper 212+ or EVO is frequently recommended as it performs well for low cost. However it may not fit if your case isn't particularly wide. I personally use the CoolerMaster Hyper n520, it's shorter than the 212 but still offers good cooling performance. Depending on your mobo layout it may partially cover over your first DIMM slot which might be a problem if you have taller DIMMs.

There are also coolers that are similar in style to the Intel stock cooler that won't have issues fitting over your RAM, however they tend not to provide much better cooling performance than the stock cooler, so may not be the best choice if you are looking to overclock in the future.