Unstable GPU

[hxcheyo]

Hello all,

My mobo: asus p8z77-V lk
My gpu: EVGA GTX 670 FTW
My cpu: i5 3570k

My problem: My gpu is unstable, it's power draw is very spiky and never constant, this causes sporadic/intermittent/random lag in games like Rift.

I'm used to getting 40-100 fps with this GPU with perfect stability and no heat issues. I built this computer about 3 months ago. A few days ago, i added another 2 sticks (8gb) of RAM to my existing 2 sticks (8gb) of RAM and decided to use the "auto-tune" OC feature in the software that came with my mobo. My cpu performance went up 25%, gpu performance went up 13% according to the auto-tune, but my games were lagging terribly and consistently. I went into my BIOS and restored defaults, hoping this would undo the overclocking, but since then i've been getting sporadic lag. When i look at my EVGA precision software logs, my power draw drops from about 100% to 60-70% during these lag phases. This leads me to believe that the GPU is receiving less power, which is causing the random lag.

Help?

 

[Guest]

I don't recommend using BIOS invasive applications if that is what the "auto-tune" feature is. If you have any software like this installed, remove it. As for the GPU, try updating to the latest drivers and/or re-install them. Make sure all other drivers and software are up to date. Check the usage and temperatures for all your hardware, more specifically the CPU, GPU and RAM. If the problem persists check all your internal connections. Also could you list your PSU?

 

[hxcheyo]

I thought to check my internal connections as well, i've yet to do so but i will be sure to.

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020
it's a corsair enthusiast TS650

the auto-tune feature is part of the asus suite software that came with the mobo. Other things i can control using the Asus Suite are fan speeds, voltages, usb recharge, epu, etc...all i ever touch are the fan speeds. my gpu never goes above 69C when i'm gaming and idles around 20-30. my cpu and mobo never go above 48C when gaming and idle around 20-30.

Not sure how to check RAM temps.

I updated my GPU drivers, turns out they weren't auto-updating. It helped a little but i'm still getting those spikes.

Since the automatic overclocking feature is part of my asus suite software, i'm not sure how to remove that aspect on its own. I want the other stuff, i turn the fans up when i game and turn them back down otherwise.

 

[Guest]

The PSU seems to be a pretty good one. Just to cancel out some possibility of it being the PSU, does it whine at all when under load?

If you want remove some overclocking features from the suite, go to uninstall ASUS Suite and it should give you an option of what you want to remove. I can agree with you on the controlling fans part, I find that function very useful so don't remove it if you wish to keep it.

You mentioned that updating the drivers helped a bit. You could also update other software like EVGA Precision if it's outdated. Also if the GPU isn't set to default clocks in EVGA Precision I suggest you default them.

 

[smorizio]

make sure your mb bios is up to date the asus z77 mm have a lot of updates. in the nvidia control panel make sure you have the card set to performace and one monitor. also make sure you turn off power savings for the gpu. ati and nvidia put in there software if the gpu was not under full turbo load to slow down the gpu clock speed to save power.

 

[hxcheyo]

The psu does not whine, the cpu cooler i have is pretty quiet even when i turn it up while gaming, the fan on the GPU is a bit louder, but it sounds like it always does. Pretty normal in my opinion. No other sounds/whining to report.

The uninstall from control panel worked great! I was looking for just that, thank you for suggesting it. I defaulted the clocks in the Precision software, and Precision itself is updated.

I'll see if i can find an update for my mobo, thanks!

Not sure what you mean by "set the card to performance and one monitor."

 

[hxcheyo]

Also, i made a mistake earlier, i have an i5-3570k cpu

 

[Guest]

The psu does not whine, the cpu cooler i have is pretty quiet even when i turn it up while gaming, the fan on the GPU is a bit louder, but it sounds like it always does. Pretty normal in my opinion. No other sounds/whining to report.

The uninstall from control panel worked great! I was looking for just that, thank you for suggesting it. I defaulted the clocks in the Precision software, and Precision itself is updated.

I'll see if i can find an update for my mobo, thanks!

Not sure what you mean by "set the card to performance and one monitor."

So it's working correctly now?

Also you can find downloads for your motherboard here: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_LK/#download

If your system is functioning correctly now I see no real need to update your BIOS. If you still want to anyway you can refer to the manual (which is also available online) to follow.

 

[hxcheyo]

i updated my bios, everything seems to be fixed now! thanks!!!

 

[Guest]

No problem. If the problem has been completely solved and you no longer have any further questions and you feel my answer was helpful please select it as the best

 

[mace200200]

Those in OS CPU OCer's are nothing but trouble. Gigabytes easy tune and that ASUS one, don't use them besides maybe to monitor temps. But theres better things out there for that.

 

[hxcheyo]

Yeah i lied, still having the same problem. I only tested it by playing my game for a few minutes but it starts lagging like crazy (not framerate lag, framerate is high) and the power drops.

 

[Guest]

starts lagging like crazy (not framerate lag, framerate is high) and the power drops.

Huh? If the FPS is high then how could it be lagging? Are you sure the monitor is not causing any problems? I don't really understand what you said, sorry.

 

[hxcheyo]

The monitor is fine, essentially brand new and it's an acer, have never had any problems with it.

What i mean is the game has an embedded fps meter. My fps is always around 40. During these lag spikes i mention it's AS IF the frames drop to like 2 fps however the meter still reads 40. Also during these lag spikes, i check my GPU logs and the power % draw to the gpu is lower than when the game was running smooth, much lower. does that make sense?

 

[Guest]

I know I haven't already touched down on this yet but could you confirm whether or not the RAM kits used are matching? Could you also check to see if the game runs normally with the newer kit of RAM removed?

 

[mace200200]

Run memtest on the new RAM.

 

[hxcheyo]

All 4 sticks of RAM are the same, all functioning properly

 

[hxcheyo]

this might be useful to note, my GPU runs WOW perfectly @ 100fps with no problems or blips or anything. Power draw is also constant at 100%. It's only when i play Rift that the power spikes and drops and stuff. Both games being run at maxed out graphics settings.

 

[Viking2121]

This is a bit late, I have been having problems of my own sadly with my Motherboard and Crossfire 5850's.

Have you tried to run 1 GPU when playing, and does it do the same when running them in SLI? Also Try to disable SLI and set the 2nd card at primary and game with it for a bit, monitor how the power draw and GPU usage is in Rift. You can also swap the cards around and run SLI and see if they do the same thing, Might be dust or pice of hair in the PCI-E slot. Also try to run a different SLI bridge, Not sure about 670's, but you can try to run Hybrid SLI, meaning you can run SLI without the bridge, but you may loose performance and get some micro stutter. If your board is PCI-E 3.0 then you might not see a performance drop at all if running at x16/x16.

Also try another PSU, could be a defective PSU.