GTX 460 Max Load?

[vekk513]

While playing Battlefield 3 and Diablo 3 beta, my GPU will max (around 98% average) its usage, even without moving.
The temperature averages around 75-80C. In Diablo 3, I freeze whenever and object loads onto the screen for upwards of 3 seconds, regardless of graphics options, and constantly stay at 98% usage.

Battlefield 3 lowers the usage if I turn settings down to low or medium, however medium settings are even kind of iffy, spiking into 90% at times. Low settings leaves me averaging anywhere between 60%-80%.

Specs:
GeForce GTX 460
AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz
4GB DDR 3
600W Sigma ATX 12V Power Supply
Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 Motherboard

Anyone know anything about this? :/

 

[Unolocogringo]

It sounds more like a "not enough free memory problem".
That long of a delay is probably caused by not having enough free memory.
When this happens windows must write data from memory to the swap file(virtual memory). Then move whatever is needed from the hard drive to memory, then from memory to video card.
Try playing your game and when the "pauses" occur check the hard drive light. If you have high hard drive activity it is most likely your problem.

 

[rolli59]

The freezing could be software related, BETA. BF3 is approaching the limit of what a GTX460 can handle on high settings.

 

[vekk513]

The freezing could be software related, BETA. BF3 is approaching the limit of what a GTX460 can handle on high settings.

The freezing may be software related, but I find it odd that my GPU runs at 98% load constantly.
Also, a GTX 460 should be able to handle Battlefield 3 on high, at least lower than 100% load. It crashes if I play for extended periods of time on high/ultra settings.

 

[rolli59]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/battlefield-3-graphics-performance,3063-3.html
What is your resolution?
Which GTX460?

 

[vekk513]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/battlefield-3-graphics-performance,3063-3.html
What is your resolution?
Which GTX460?

1360X768 , my TV's native.

 

[nforce4max]

Upgrade your ram to at least 8gb, set the fan speed to at least 80% on your card to help avoid thermal issues. As for the psu that seams like a no name generic brand.

 

[gilgamex]

There is no need for 8gb's of ram, it is largely unneccessary, most all games require less than 1.5gbs of RAM. I understand the suggestion may be to help with the computer needing to use it as extra virtual memory but this should never be really used as an alternative.

It must come down to the drivers, or that diablo 3 is a demanding game. Battlefield 3 certainly is, I played a guild wars 2 beta recently and many many people (including myself) had some serious performance issues that did not reflect our hardware's capabilities and were rooted in optimizations.

Which 460 GTX do u have, the 768mb or 1gb version?

 

[vekk513]

There is no need for 8gb's of ram, it is largely unneccessary, most all games require less than 1.5gbs of RAM. I understand the suggestion may be to help with the computer needing to use it as extra virtual memory but this should never be really used as an alternative.

It must come down to the drivers, or that diablo 3 is a demanding game. Battlefield 3 certainly is, I played a guild wars 2 beta recently and many many people (including myself) had some serious performance issues that did not reflect our hardware's capabilities and were rooted in optimizations.

Which 460 GTX do u have, the 768mb or 1gb version?

I have the 1gb version.

I think it might come down to memory like Rick was saying. While in game on battlefield 3, I checked how much memory was in use and 2.8 GB was in use. According to resource monitor in the task manager, I only have a total of 3325 MB available. Apparently, 771 of my 4096 MB is "Hardware Reserved".

I updated my GPU drivers the latest version, but still no luck.

Is it a memory problem or just a GPU problem?

 

[vekk513]

Bump. Still no luck fixing it.

 

[dalauder]

OP, you're not allowed to "bump"--the mods will come tell you that though.

The 771MB is reserved is for your graphics and probably not the problem. Although, BF3 is the only game that really makes use of more than 4GB of RAM. From what I've heard, your graphics card is getting unusually hot.

How is the ventilation in your case?

I ran a GTX 460 768MB at home without air conditioning where it's 80F ambient and it only hit 59C or so on Metro 2033 benchmark loops. It got hotter after I overclocked it. Is your card overclocked? Is the cooler dusty? If so, can you clean it out with a can of air or similar?

The PSU could be the problem, what exact model is it? Sigma isn't the worst brand in the world, but it's not good: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

 

[vekk513]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817226014
This is the processor that I have.

I never overclocked my card to my knowledge, however EVGA precision says my clocks are:
700 Core
1400 Shader
1800 Memory

However, the stock clock for my card is
675 Core
1350 Shader
1800 Memory

Unless its version 2, which as far as my knowledge goes, it isn't.

These are the clocking specs: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-460/specifications

Could it just be an overclock from precision?

 

[dalauder]

You're sure it's not a factory overclocked card from EVGA? Anyhow...check the fan settings and see how hot it gets if you set it at a continuous 80%. Also, you can run GPU-Z to see exactly what GPU model it is to find out if it's the origion 1GB or V2 version.

It shouldn't be getting to 80C at stock speeds. How is your case's ventilation?

 

[vekk513]

Uh so according to GPU-Z, the default clocks are:
700 core
1400 shader
900 memory

Which is apparently what it is clocked at according to GPU-Z

However, EVGA Precision says my memory clock is 1800...
Problem solved? Can I play Battlefield 3 now?

 

[dalauder]

It's double data rate (DDR) memory, so 900 means 1800 (or actually 3600 with GDDR5).

It should read the GPU chip though, like GF104, to tell you what version it is. The memory (1GB) and bus width (256-bit) will also verify the chip.

 

[vekk513]

Yes, GPU says GF104, and bus width is 256 bit.

I played a little bit of Battlefield 3 on ultra, and the temperature is now below 70C always (YAY!) however, the load issue is still apparent.

I took a log with GPU-Z, it appears to kind of hop around.
Any thoughts?

EDIT: Noticed that my memory is almost maxed while playing... That could be an issue huh?

 

[dalauder]

Well if you can play BF3 on Ultra (I'm assuming 1080p), then your GTX 460 1GB (original version, based off 256-bit) should be at around 100% and is performing admirably. Is it still crashing though? It still sounds like it's running a bit hot and that isn't a ton of headroom in the temps for overclocking.

And overclocking a GTX 460 is kinda a big deal because you can pull stock GTX 560Ti performance.

 

[vekk513]

I am not running at 1080p, running it at 1360X768.
Should my card be running at 100% load? That worries me a little bit.

 

[dalauder]

Yeah, it should be running at 100% load at all the graphically intensive parts and occassionally dip lower. Btw, if you have a 1080p screen, it'll probably look better on medium @ native resolution than Ultra on 1360x768.

EDIT: I missed that that was your native resolution (earlier). Alright, we a GTX 460 1GB is all you should need at that resolution. As far as freezing/crashing, keep an eye on both your CPU and GPU temps and let us know if it crashes.

 

[dalauder]

Lastly, you said there was some brief freezing? That could be due to the Phenom II x4 955BE. That CPU can't handle BF3 all that well at stock speeds. You should be able to overclock it to 4.0GHz without much trouble with a decent 120mm cooler. That'll help quite a bit, I think.

Still...watch your temps.

 

[vekk513]

In game, both of my GPU/CPU temps are fine, my gpu spikes at highest around 75-80C. CPU never really passes 70C.

Ill attempt to overclock my CPU and see how that goes.

 

[dalauder]

Your CPU is at 70C! That's too high for the Phenom II architecture. Really only 1366 i7's should go that high. That GPU also sounds strangely hot.

You should look into your case airflow. To me it sounds like your airflow is inadequate.

I would not be surprised if your problems are a result of CPU or GPU overheating.

 

[vekk513]

Oh, excuse me, I meant 60C, my bad. It hovers around 50-55C.

EDIT:
Also, I tested airflow by opening my case and playing, it lowered the temps but load remained the same.

 

[dalauder]

A good case does better than even an open side panel. But 60C is MUCH better.

I don't ever expect that 100% load to change much as BF3 will give a GTX 460 all it can handle. What concerns me is the GTX 460 temp.

If you can reproduce the crashes, check temps. Then remove the side panel and put a fan there and see if it crashes. If so, it's the temps.

 

[vekk513]

I overclocked my CPU to 3.6 GHz. I can now play ultra settings without fps drops,no crashes yet. Temp never goes beyond 72C. However, load is still 90%+...

EDIT:
Battlefield crashed, the temps were the same (CPU max=52C, GPU Max=72C)
GPU load was maxed still, its memory was maxed as well (1000-1005mb in use)
My ram was using up 2.6-2.8GB constantly, and my cpu was bouncing from 65-80% usage.

Loading into another game caused all of this. Fps drops came back.

What is wrong?