550Ti not performing as well as expected? Possible hardware problem?

[aidenscool09]

I got my ASUS 550Ti for christmas, upgrading from my Radeon HD 5450; uninstalling the AMD drivers via the install manager, and then installing nVidia drivers. My friend has a very much alike build to me, except for the motherboard (Mine is an AMD 760G, his is an nVidia 7025 chipset), but both boards with same specs. We both have the same processor (Athlon II x3) and PSU (Corsair CX430w), and we both upgraded from a 5450 to the ASUS 550Ti (This one: http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/NVIDIA_Series/ENGTX550_TiDI1GD5/ ).

My problem is that I've been getting seemingly low FPS compared to him. I use a 1280x1024 monitor, and he has a 1920x1080 monitor. When playing MW3, I get around 40FPS at max settings, while he supposedly gets 60FPS at max settings.

I played Borderlands, BF3, Skyrim and DiRT 3 at nVidia's recommened settings, where I should be getting above 30FPS (BF3 should get ~45FPS, only gets ~30FPS. Borderlands should get ~70FPS, only gets about 45FPS. Skyrim should get ~45FPS, only gets around 30FPS, dropping to around 15FPS when near a river.)

This really doesn't make sense to me, and even less since benchmarking results (3DMark Vantage, 3DMark11 and FurMark 1.8.5) gives us both the same results.

I've managed to get fairly higher scores then him with these clocks: http://i54.tinypic.com/2l8dgys.png , but they don't make much difference in-game.

Could it be a hardware problem, or something software based? I've got the latest drivers from nVidia, and my BIOS is updated etc. I've tried the beta drivers, and also reinstalled the normal drivers twice with no difference made. We both use "Let Application Decide" in the 3D settings, but I can't see much of a change by setting it to "Performance". This is really bugging me, and I don't want to end up RMAing this GPU.

EDIT: After reinstalling the driver for the first time, I experienced worse problems, a further 10-15FPS drops in games, and Borderlands would only run between 5-15FPS. Fixed that with the 2nd driver reinstall.

 

[xerxces]

If you ask me, the CPU is weak. If you upgrade, you will see a very big improvement. Maybe you should check your friends FRAPS yourself.

 

[aidenscool09]

If you ask me, the CPU is weak. If you upgrade, you will see a very big improvement. Maybe you should check your friends FRAPS yourself.

I'm aware that the CPU is a bit of a bottleneck, but I don't have the money for a new CPU right now. I still feel it's a little odd that benchmark tools give us rougly the same results, but in gaming we see different performance. Also, I've seen him with FRAPS, and he gets around 60FPS on MW3 as he said, but normally fluctuating from 50-60FPS, and he gets about 50FPS on Borderlands too. I just find it odd how he has better performance than me, on a similar spec PC (My PC also has higher clocks too.).

 

[cbrunnem]

try lowering all your graphics settings and see if the fps go up. if they dont your cpu is too weak.

 

[yamman101]

try lowering all your graphics settings and see if the fps go up. if they dont your cpu is too weak.

This type of response doesn't help anyone.

Aiden and his friend have almost exactly the same build (mobos are different) and they are experiencing vastly differing performance, hence there is a problem and its not that his CPU is too weak (his friend is playing at 1920x1080, he at 1280x1024).

Imo this sounds like a software problem....what that problem is exactly I'm not experienced enough to say. I'll wait for someone more knowledgeable to respond to this thread.

 

[cbrunnem]

This type of response doesn't help anyone.

Aiden and his friend have almost exactly the same build (mobos are different) and they are experiencing vastly differing performance, hence there is a problem and its not that his CPU is too weak (his friend is playing at 1920x1080, he at 1280x1024).

Imo this sounds like a software problem....what that problem is exactly I'm not experienced enough to say. I'll wait for someone more knowledgeable to respond to this thread.

how is that? if his fps do not go up as you take more and more load off the gpu then the cpu can not keep up. it easy and take 2 minutes.

 

[sp0nger]

how is that? if his fps do not go up as you take more and more load off the gpu then the cpu can not keep up. it easy and take 2 minutes.

Because your not adressing the problem, he is aware of his bottleneck, he isnt looking for a major performance gain, he is wondering why his friend with the almost exact same set up is putting out more frames. IE he wants the same frames his friends getting.

 

[aidenscool09]

how is that? if his fps do not go up as you take more and more load off the gpu then the cpu can not keep up. it easy and take 2 minutes.

The FPS will (of course) go up, but that doesn't solve my problem. My friend, with literally the same specs as me, is getting better performance, he is able to run games at the same settings as me, and get between 1/4 and 1/2 better performance than me, on a higher resolution.

 

[sp0nger]

I dont have a straight answer for this problem but if it were me i would go over to my friends and write down the configuration (of the drivers, game settings, etc..) as well as the exact specs of his system then compare them to mine. I would also see what programs you have running compared to his, and i would also just make sure he isnt bullshitting you.

What are the settings of all your games in regards to those frame rates?

 

[cbrunnem]

The FPS will (of course) go up, but that doesn't solve my problem. My friend, with literally the same specs as me, is getting better performance, he is able to run games at the same settings as me, and get between 1/4 and 1/2 better performance than me, on a higher resolution.

you do NOT have the same configuration. you have a drastically different resolution.

 

[sp0nger]

you do NOT have the same configuration. you have a drastically different resolution.

LOL dude seriously, thank you captain obvious he is aware of that point as well. It means he should be getting better performance than his friend (FPS wise anyway)

 

[aidenscool09]

I dont have a straight answer for this problem but if it were me i would go over to my friends and write down the configuration (of the drivers, game settings, etc..) as well as the exact specs of his system then compare them to mine. I would also see what programs you have running compared to his, and i would also just make sure he isnt bullshitting you.

What are the settings of all your games in regards to those frame rates?

I have already personally checked his framerates and can confirm they are higher than mine, we both run at the same settings, except the resolution, his driver's settings are set to the "Quality" preset because he can run well enough, and I run at "Let the application decide" (I get slightly better performance than with "Quality").
My specs:
AMD Athlon II 445 x3 3.4GHz (OC)
10GB Mushkin Silverline DDR3 1433MHz (OC)
Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H
Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB
Corsair CX430w
ASUS ENGTX550Ti

His specs:
AMD Athlon II 445 x3 3.1GHz (Stock)
4GB Corsair (Generic) DDR3 1333MHz (Stock)
ASUS M4N68T-M V2
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
Corsair CX430w
ASUS ENGTX550Ti

 

[sp0nger]

I think your memory might be the problem

What is your memory configuration? as in do you have 5 2GB sticks or what?

If there 2GB sticks try running only 4 of them (8GB)

 

[aidenscool09]

I think your memory might be the problem

What is your memory configuration? as in do you have 5 2GB sticks or what?

If there 2GB sticks try running only 4 of them (8GB)

No, it's 1x2GB and 2x4GB (They all have the same timings, speed and they are of the same model number.)
Funnily enough, you posted that as I rebooted. The reason I rebooted: Setting clocks to stock, and going to just the 2x4GB sticks. I'll post again once I've tested.

 

[boju]

Possibly he has 2x 4gb and 1x 2. that would knock out dual channel.

Make it dual channel and see the magic


Otherwise it might be software. Try reinstall the os if you can or reinstall video/sound/mobo etc drivers.

 

[simon12]

Possibly he has 2x 4gb and 1x 2. that would knock out dual channel.

Make it dual channel and see the magic


Otherwise it might be software. Try reinstall the os if you can or reinstall video/sound/mobo etc drivers.

Exactly what I was about to suggest

 

[swifty_morgan]

try running the 2 4gig sticks in unganged mode and in the proper slots ( as per book ) to run in dual channel mode. How long has your processor been over clocked / ( sure it's stable ? )...... you can mess around in the nvidia control panel. One or two of the settings in there can be messing you up. you can also make sure the refresh rate of your monitor is correct.

 

[aidenscool09]

Ok, so with just 8GB RAM, and stock speeds, I got about a 2FPS improvement in MW3, still the same framerates in BF3 and Borderlands. I also forgot to mention, performance with OpenGL is terrible in my opinion. RuneScape's DX performance was awful too. RuneScape ran at 30FPS in DX, and dropped to 20FPS when I moved the camera. In OpenGL, it was unplayable to the point that I couldn't even get into the options interface. I tried playing AlienArena and Sauerbraten, both playing at ~30FPS and dropping to around 25FPS occasionally.

 

[aidenscool09]

try running the 2 4gig sticks in unganged mode and in the proper slots ( as per book ) to run in dual channel mode. How long has your processor been over clocked / ( sure it's stable ? )...... you can mess around in the nvidia control panel. One or two of the settings in there can be messing you up. you can also make sure the refresh rate of your monitor is correct.

I've had it overclocked and running stable for the past year, running up to 16 days without problems at one stage (Could have been longer, but had to install an update). I am running the RAM in unganged mode, see my last post for the status. The refresh rate is correct, and I've fiddled with pretty much every setting in the control panel now with no avail .

 

[boju]

ok put your clocks back the way it was. leave the 8gb as it is and restore your nvidia control settings to default and test some games.

 

[aidenscool09]

ok put your clocks back the way it was. leave the 8gb as it is and restore your nvidia control settings to default and test some games.

Will do, I'll get back on that in a few minutes.

 

[hapkido]

I see two major differences. 1) You're overclocking. 2) Your RAM is probably running in single channel.

Undo your overclocks (for testing) and install your RAM in pairs. From your setup I'm guessing you have 2x4GB sticks + 2x1GB or 1x2GB. Take the extra stick(s) out.

You need to monitor your CPU and GPU temperatures and usage while gaming. Parts may downclock if they're overheating and/or you may have an improper overlock. We need to rule that out.

For usage, make sure your GPU is being stressed ~100% at your settings. If GPU usage is low, but your CPU is high, turn up your graphic settings to shift the load towards the GPU. If it GPU usage is high but your FPS is low, try turning graphic settings down to see if your FPS increases. After a little trial and error, you'll get settings that stress your GPU ~100% while giving you playable framerates. This will vary by game.

Once you've made sure your temperatures are in check and you're using reasonable settings (for example, don't expect to run BF3 on ultra, even if your friend claims to), you can overclock again. Just make sure you're watching temperatures and stress testing.

 

[esrever]

your friend is lying. simple as that.

 

[boju]

I didn’t know about the unganged thing. looking at it i came across someone asking here at toms, seems like its an amd thing from 2yrs ago dunno if intel has it. For you it could be worth while reading the best answer.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/278881-30-what-ganged-unganged-mode

 

[aidenscool09]

your friend is lying. simple as that.

I was there when he benchmarked it, as I stated before. Thanks for your helpful and meaningful comment.