4790K problem. Need help!

[dude98]

I just got my new 4790K up and running but I have been having a problem.

My 970 never hits 99% utilization in BF4 (haven't tested another game yet, except Arma 3). Utilization is jumpy, going from the 90's to the 80's and even the 70's all of the time. The max I have seen it hit is 98%, but it is usually below that.

CPU usage seems to jump between 50% and 65%. The cores are unparked.

I've been testing more with BF4. I can hit 99% utilization, but only if the resolution scale is 150% or above. At 200% it is still not constant, though. It's stays in the 90's, but only hits 99% periodically.

CPU usage drops to the 40's when the res scale goes up. The max I have seen it hit during normal max settings (ultra, 4x MSAA, HBAO, 100% res scale) is 66.7%. I haven't seen it go even .1% higher than that.

My 970 always hit 99% in my other rig. Frames are still good though, usually close to or above 100 FPS (1080p).

Old CPU was a 990X.

Any reason for this happening?

 

[cub_fanatic]

I don't see what the problem is. Nothing really maxes a [modern] CPU or GPU out with the exception of stress tests and benchmarks. As long as you aren't experiencing any lags or huge frame rate drops, I wouldn't worry about any of this.

If you want to make sure that your hardware is capable of hitting 99%, stress it with OCCT or something similar. http://www.ocbase.com/

 

[i7Baby]

So you're worried that in one rig your 970 hits 99% and in the other 98%. Get a life.

 

[dude98]

So you're worried that in one rig your 970 hits 99% and in the other 98%. Get a life.

I wouldn't be worried if CPU usage and GPU usage weren't dropping in intense firefights. I've seen sustained drops in utilization during a huge battle (50% CPU, 75% GPU), but go off to some corner of the map and we're back to 60% + for the CPU and mid 90's for the GPU.

 

[cub_fanatic]

So you're worried that in one rig your 970 hits 99% and in the other 98%. Get a life.

I wouldn't be worried if CPU usage and GPU usage weren't dropping in intense firefights. I've seen sustained drops in utilization during a huge battle (50% CPU, 75% GPU), but go off to some corner of the map and we're back to 60% + for the CPU and mid 90's for the GPU.

You are looking at the wrong stats. DL fraps (link) and observe your frame rate. If it is dropping, check your GPU temps. It is possible that in high stress parts of the game, you might be getting close to or exceeding the temp where your GPU decides to throttle down. It could also be the VRM heating up which won't show up on any software monitoring app. Make sure all your fans are working and pay close attention to the right stats - those percentages you are looking at are almost meaningless without the other information to go along with it.

 

[dude98]

So you're worried that in one rig your 970 hits 99% and in the other 98%. Get a life.

I wouldn't be worried if CPU usage and GPU usage weren't dropping in intense firefights. I've seen sustained drops in utilization during a huge battle (50% CPU, 75% GPU), but go off to some corner of the map and we're back to 60% + for the CPU and mid 90's for the GPU.

You are looking at the wrong stats. DL fraps (link) and observe your frame rate. If it is dropping, check your GPU temps. It is possible that in high stress parts of the game, you might be getting close to or exceeding the temp where your GPU decides to throttle down. It could also be the VRM heating up which won't show up on any software monitoring app. Make sure all your fans are working and pay close attention to the right stats - those percentages you are looking at are almost meaningless without the other information to go along with it.

I use Fraps.

I've seen an FPS drop during these times (about 10 FPS on average), but with a 970 it's still around 90 or 100 FPS on most maps.

 

[cub_fanatic]

I use Fraps.

I've seen an FPS drop during these times (about 10 FPS on average), but with a 970 it's still around 90 or 100 FPS on most maps.

How about your temps? GPU and CPU clock speed? Are the temps getting high? Clock speed dropping? What app are you using to monitor temps? Try coretemp for CPU and MSI Afterburner for GPU.

 

[dude98]

I use Fraps.

I've seen an FPS drop during these times (about 10 FPS on average), but with a 970 it's still around 90 or 100 FPS on most maps.

How about your temps? GPU and CPU clock speed? Are the temps getting high? Clock speed dropping? What app are you using to monitor temps? Try coretemp for CPU and MSI Afterburner for GPU.

Temps are fine. CPU stays under 60C (Real Temp, HWMonitor) and GPU stays around 65C (MSI AB, GPU-Z). I use my second monitor to monitor in real-time.

Clocks are normal. GPU stays at boost (1354MHz stock) and CPU stays at 4GHz or 4.4GHz boost.

 

[Alex Kelly]

How do you know it's 'dropping to 75% usage' in firefights? It's normal for a modern CPU to have have to work as hard as it possibly can. It's mostly up to the GPU.
-_-

 

[dude98]

How do you know it's 'dropping to 75% usage' in firefights? It's normal for a modern CPU to have have to work as hard as it possibly can. It's mostly up to the GPU.
-_-

The CPU is dropping to about 50% in firefights and the GPU to 75%.

I use a second monitor with many monitoring programs open. I can see exactly what the utilization is in real-time (GPU-Z, MSI AB ect.).

 

[NightAntilli]

Is hyperthreading enabled, and what happens if you disable hyperthreading?

 

[dude98]

Is hyperthreading enabled, and what happens if you disable hyperthreading?

Yes, Hyperthreading is enabled. Not sure about what happens when it is disabled. I'll have to try it.

 

[i7Baby]

Nothing will hit 100% unless its being fully used.

 

[Alex Kelly]

Yeah as long as your FPS is fine there is nothing worth worrying about. If you worry about little things like that you'll never be able to enjoy your games.