New 6850, poor performance

[felipehide]

Hey there.

So after changing my GPU (from a 9500GT to a HD6850), I started noticing constant lag spikes on my computer.
I can barely play D3 and SC2 (20~30fps with frequent dips to sub-20fps) on the lowest settings and even basic things like opening a new tab on Firefox makes the computer freeze for a while.

Current specs:
CPU: i5 2500
Mobo: Gigabyte H61
PSU: Corsair TX650 v2
RAM: 4GB 1333
GPU: Radeon HD 6850
OS: W7 SP1
Res: 1920x1080

Everything ran smoothly and I could play D3 and SC2 at the lowest with a playable FPS before I changed from my GeForce 9500GT to the new 6850.
I tried formatting the system to make sure I got rid of everything from nVidia, but I didn't help at all.
Catalyst version is the 12.4a, which, according to Blizzard, is the one that works the best with D3.
All the setting in Catalyst are set to max performance, as well as the power settings from Windows.
And yes, I did plug the PCI-E power cable to the GPU.

Do I have to change something in the mobo BIOS or maybe update it, do I need more RAM, is the GPU faulty or am I missing something?

Thanks in advance. :3

 

[felipehide]

Check the temperature, could be GPU throttling down due to heat.
Try CCC 12.4 or earlier drivers, works great for Starcraft on mine.

I don't think it's overheating.
While playing D3, the temperature stays at around 50~60ºC according to Catalyst.

The problem is that even watching a youtube video on a browser makes the computer laggy.
I've tried earlier CCC versions, but it didn't help.

Is there anything else that could be throttling the GPU down?

 

[the great randini]

check the bios, ensure that under graphics its set to pcie

 

[the great randini]

toms benchmarked the game you shold be getting better fps with a 6450
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diablo-iii-performance-benchmark,3195-4.html

with a 6850
@ 1280 x 1024 highest settings = 88 fps min 98 max

@ 1650 x 1050 highest settings = 71fps min 82 max

@ 1920 x 1080 highest settings = 65 fps min 73 max

 

[smorizio]

make sure have the newest bios there been some bug fixes for that mb..one of them was to fix nvidia cards and that mb. so there may be a hidden issue with the bios and video cards.

 

[felipehide]

check the bios, ensure that under graphics its set to pcie

Ya, it is on "PCIE x16" under "Init display first".

make sure have the newest bios there been some bug fixes for that mb..one of them was to fix nvidia cards and that mb. so there may be a hidden issue with the bios and video cards.

I don't think they would release an update saying that it fixes nVidia problems but "hide" Radeon hotfixes. I'm sorry, but I'm really skeptical about updating the BIOS.
All those "don't do it unless 100% needed" makes me pretty scared about doing it.

I'm reading some guides on updating the BIOS in Tom's, but I'd love to know if there is anything else that could fix my problem without updating it.

Thanks so far for the answer.

 

[the great randini]

what model vga and motherboard did you reset tthe settings in ccc back to default. have you made any registry changes to affect performance of the game you are playing or any in the past that may be causing youre issue

 

[felipehide]

what model vga and motherboard did you reset tthe settings in ccc back to default. have you made any registry changes to affect performance of the game you are playing or any in the past that may be causing youre issue

Nah I didn't change anything in the registry. The computer is freshly reformatted.
My GPU is a XFX Radeon HD 6850 and the Mobo is a Gigabyte H61M-S2-B3.
I tried the default settings in CCC and it actually gets worse, since it sets stuff like AA and Tesselation to higher levels.

 

[felipehide]

Does it say PCi-E x.0 X16 @ X16 when you look at it with GPU-Z ?

It says PCI-E 2.0 x16 @ x16 2.0

 

[felipehide]

Quick update:
I decided to uninstall CCC and the computer got smoother than with the driver.
I just deleted it via the Control Panel (I didn't go into safe mode and ran Drive Cleaner), but my computer's performance was decent.

With CCC 12.4, the computer stutters even while doing the simplest taks like watching a youtube video, but without it, it works as smooth as it should be working.

So the problem should be on the driver itself or how Windows interacts with it.
Any idea on how to fix it or maybe a better version of CCC?

Thanks in advance.

 

[vdr369]

Quick update:
I decided to uninstall CCC and the computer got smoother than with the driver.
I just deleted it via the Control Panel (I didn't go into safe mode and ran Drive Cleaner), but my computer's performance was decent.

With CCC 12.4, the computer stutters even while doing the simplest taks like watching a youtube video, but without it, it works as smooth as it should be working.

So the problem should be on the driver itself or how Windows interacts with it.
Any idea on how to fix it or maybe a better version of CCC?

Thanks in advance.

I think you are missing some gears.

have you installed direct X latest version. all necessary vc,vc++,vc#. and for some games you need direct X sdk, XNA runtime. and dot net framework.

if you install all the requirements. then check out your psu. is it specified to run the gpu you have. I mean amps on the 12 v rail,wattage and is it branded are local made. some times it will lag there is not enough power supply.

cause you said browser crash too. so install java run time.

check these and installing all above then re-install the ccc. check if there is any lag.

and your ram is sufficient. it could be better if it is 8gb but you don't require 8gb ram.

 

[felipehide]

I think you are missing some gears.

have you installed direct X latest version. all necessary vc,vc++,vc#. and for some games you need direct X sdk, XNA runtime. and dot net framework.

if you install all the requirements. then check out your psu. is it specified to run the gpu you have. I mean amps on the 12 v rail,wattage and is it branded are local made. some times it will lag there is not enough power supply.

cause you said browser crash too. so install java run time.

check these and installing all above then re-install the ccc. check if there is any lag.

and your ram is sufficient. it could be better if it is 8gb but you don't require 8gb ram.

I've installed all the programs that you've mentioned, but it stayed the same.
I tried a lot different CCC versions, but none of them help.

Btw I've fixed the Firefox problem by disabling the hardware accelerarion under Firefox's options, so now it's pretty much gaming problems.
Something that I've noticed is that my FPS fluctuates between 0 to max and the GPU's clock and memory clock always stays capped at it's maximum value(775MHz GPU clock and 1000MHz memory clock), as well as the activity, which sits at 99% while playing.

I've tried OCing through AMD Overdrive in CCC to its maximum amount (875MHz GPU clock and 1250MHz memory clock), but it also doesn't help. It just goes to max values as soon as the game starts running.
When I alt+tab, it goes down to normal.

So now I don't really think it's a driver problem. I actually have no idea what could be going on.
Any further help?

 

[vdr369]

I've installed all the programs that you've mentioned, but it stayed the same.
I tried a lot different CCC versions, but none of them help.

Btw I've fixed the Firefox problem by disabling the hardware accelerarion under Firefox's options, so now it's pretty much gaming problems.
Something that I've noticed is that my FPS fluctuates between 0 to max and the GPU's clock and memory clock always stays capped at it's maximum value(775MHz GPU clock and 1000MHz memory clock), as well as the activity, which sits at 99% while playing.

I've tried OCing through AMD Overdrive in CCC to its maximum amount (875MHz GPU clock and 1250MHz memory clock), but it also doesn't help. It just goes to max values as soon as the game starts running.
When I alt+tab, it goes down to normal.

So now I don't really think it's a driver problem. I actually have no idea what could be going on.
Any further help?

I think the problem is either mobo or PSU.have you connected the required power to gpu, just try that gpu in your friend's rig.

 

[felipehide]

RMA the card? see if it helps.

XFX has been getting worse ever since they went red on GPU.
Next time you wanna buy AMD, get a Sapphire

I thought XFX was the best one just because of the pretty boxes and cool door hangers. =(

I think the problem is either mobo or PSU.have you connected the required power to gpu, just try that gpu in your friend's rig.

Yeah, I've tried it on another mobo, same problem.
I actually bought a new PSU because I thought my old one couldn't handle the 6850. It had the exact same problem.

So the only solution here is to RMA the card? I'm not from US, so it's kinda complicated and expensive.

 

[felipehide]

Where did you buy it?
If you bought it locally there should be at least 1 service center in every province.

and speaking of pretty boxes, you must be blind to not notice Ruby on Sapphire's boxes.


http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/897/SapphireHD4850x2_boxfront.jpg

Hahaha.
Unfortunately 6850's box ins't that cool. =(

I'm from Brazil and I bought it in Paraguay, so I'm not sure if my GPU is under the warranty.
If it isn't, I think I'd buy a new card. Do you think I should give SapPhire a try or is it silly to get another Radeon?

 

[vdr369]

Hahaha.
Unfortunately 6850's box ins't that cool. =(

I'm from Brazil and I bought it in Paraguay, so I'm not sure if my GPU is under the warranty.
If it isn't, I think I'd buy a new card. Do you think I should give SapPhire a try or is it silly to get another Radeon?

They will replace if you didn't tamper the product or you didn't remove all the labels on card. In my country Intel,Seagate,Gigabyte,Asus,Asrock,XFX,and zotac companies provide their service based on the serial nos printed on the product's label. if you not sure look below. so try take that card to the service center, they will replace it.

And I have one doubt did you bought a smuggled product?and how much cheaper do you bought it.



http://www.google.co.in/imgres?q=serial+no+on+gpu&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1333&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbnid=9DVtkC8q-sdNSM:&imgrefurl=http://sparkletw.com/support/faq/&docid=0LDvO8b1us5CsM&imgurl=http://sparkletw.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/sn.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=tCzCT9PQLMjqrAeyv63HCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=535&vpy=143&dur=2608&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=128&ty=92&sig=109579530784839778319&page=1&tbnh=155&tbnw=138&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:75

http://www.google.co.in/imgres?q=serial+no+on+gpu&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1333&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbnid=DCYElJKSjroVmM:&imgrefurl=http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php%3Fp%3D2543825&docid=S1wF6nW6OUcDSM&imgurl=http://cdn.overclock.net/f/f0/f0290e08_P2011419.jpeg&w=684&h=513&ei=tCzCT9PQLMjqrAeyv63HCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=194&vpy=136&dur=239&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=109&ty=127&sig=109579530784839778319&page=1&tbnh=148&tbnw=208&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0,i:97

 

[felipehide]

They will replace if you didn't tamper the product or you didn't remove all the labels on card. In my country Intel,Seagate,Gigabyte,Asus,Asrock,XFX,and zotac companies provide their service based on the serial nos printed on the product's label. if you not sure look below. so try take that card to the service center, they will replace it.

And I have one doubt did you bought a smuggled product?and how much cheaper do you bought it.



http://www.google.co.in/imgres?q=serial+no+on+gpu&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1333&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbnid=9DVtkC8q-sdNSM:&imgrefurl=http://sparkletw.com/support/faq/&docid=0LDvO8b1us5CsM&imgurl=http://sparkletw.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/sn.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=tCzCT9PQLMjqrAeyv63HCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=535&vpy=143&dur=2608&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=128&ty=92&sig=109579530784839778319&page=1&tbnh=155&tbnw=138&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:75

http://www.google.co.in/imgres?q=serial+no+on+gpu&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1333&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbnid=DCYElJKSjroVmM:&imgrefurl=http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php%3Fp%3D2543825&docid=S1wF6nW6OUcDSM&imgurl=http://cdn.overclock.net/f/f0/f0290e08_P2011419.jpeg&w=684&h=513&ei=tCzCT9PQLMjqrAeyv63HCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=194&vpy=136&dur=239&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=109&ty=127&sig=109579530784839778319&page=1&tbnh=148&tbnw=208&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0,i:97

Thanks for the info, man.
The thing is, in Brazil we pay a lot of taxes, including a ridiculous amount on imported products, so what a lot of people here do, is to go to Paraguay and pay the U.S price, where there are no taxes on imported products.
But the stores are all legit. They give you a receipt and all, but I'd pay more on gas than on buying a new card.