8350/R9 290 getting low FPS in games?

[jkteddy77]

Let me get this out of the way: I have researcched this for 3 months, but there has to be something wrong

I have already:
-Unparking cores (on 8.1 anyways)
-Clean installed latest 14.4 chipset and drivers
-also MOBO driver, and BIOS up to date
-Using Mantle, helps, but still slow...
-Repaired and reinstalled the game many times
-Custom config files
-power options in windows
-disabling Power options in BIOS
-OCing CPU (still didn't help)
-Lowering settings (runs even worse when not in Ultra?)
-Reinstalled Windows 8.1.

I get about 45-110 on Mantle on Ultra in BF4... I want to keep 70-110 like I see 780's and other 290's holding. On DX11, I only get 38-75, with it holding just over 60fps... what is going on?

I can't see this as a hardware issue, even though reinstalling didn't help, as I benchmark at 55fps in Unigine Valley Extreme HD, and 7896 in Firestrike, both accurate scores. Memory passed memtest, and GPU runs exactly as it should in benchmarks.

I also get lower than expected fps in Minecraft (just hardly keeping 45-70fps in modded minecraft (could be CPU in this case))
As well as only 35-50fps in BF3 on Gulf of Oman, and drops below 60 in MANY other maps.

Temps are fine, CPU is 56C on socket, and 52C on CPU package
GPU is never over 74C
CPU usage is never at 100%, and stays at 50-80% in BF4
GPU usage is at about 94% usage, and then usage drops to 60-70% and my frames drop.
I can't even lower settings. I drops to low settings, and I get the same fps. GPU usage drops to 30%...

Bottleneck? but how? 8350 seems to handle mid end cards way over 60fps on lower settings fine... why couldn't it handle my r9 290? I see many all over with this combination and no problems.

All of my specs are in my signature.
How can I fix this?

 

[Hello man]

Let me get this out of the way: I have researcched this for 3 months, but there has to be something wrong

I have already:
-Unparking cores (on 8.1 anyways)
-Clean installed latest 14.4 chipset and drivers
-also MOBO driver, and BIOS up to date
-Using Mantle, helps, but still slow...
-Repaired and reinstalled the game many times
-Custom config files
-power options in windows
-disabling Power options in BIOS
-OCing CPU (still didn't help)
-Lowering settings (runs even worse when not in Ultra?)
-Reinstalled Windows 8.1.

I get about 45-110 on Mantle on Ultra in BF4... I want to keep 70-110 like I see 780's and other 290's holding. On DX11, I only get 38-75, with it holding just over 60fps... what is going on?

I can't see this as a hardware issue, even though reinstalling didn't help, as I benchmark at 55fps in Unigine Valley Extreme HD, and 7896 in Firestrike, both accurate scores. Memory passed memtest, and GPU runs exactly as it should in benchmarks.

I also get lower than expected fps in Minecraft (just hardly keeping 45-70fps in modded minecraft (could be CPU in this case))
As well as only 35-50fps in BF3 on Gulf of Oman, and drops below 60 in MANY other maps.

Temps are fine, CPU is 56C on socket, and 52C on CPU package
GPU is never over 74C
CPU usage is never at 100%, and stays at 50-80% in BF4
GPU usage is at about 94% usage, and then usage drops to 60-70% and my frames drop.
I can't even lower settings. I drops to low settings, and I get the same fps. GPU usage drops to 30%...

Bottleneck? but how? 8350 seems to handle mid end cards way over 60fps on lower settings fine... why couldn't it handle my r9 290? I see many all over with this combination and no problems.

All of my specs are in my signature.
How can I fix this?

BF4 has lots of FPS issues, and it is pretty random. Tried re-installing the drivers yet? You could also have a RAM usage monitor up while you are playing so you can see what is going on there.

 

[maddogfargo]

Temps look good.

Try using AMDdriver cleaner to remove GPU drivers. Then reinstall them.

Make sure APM is OFF in BIOS.

Other than that, need to see FULL system specs and game settings before I can recommend more.

 

[dwatterworth]

Have you switched the bios switch to the 'UBER' setting/position? (Uber = switch in position furthers from I/O bracket)

 

[ish416]

Have you switched the bios switch to the 'UBER' setting/position? (Uber = switch in position furthers from I/O bracket)

Standard 290 does not have an Uber mode. Only the 290X has that.

 

[dwatterworth]

Oh strange, I must have a non standard reference model...

 

[jkteddy77]

Temps look good.

Try using AMDdriver cleaner to remove GPU drivers. Then reinstall them.

Make sure APM is OFF in BIOS.

Other than that, need to see FULL system specs and game settings before I can recommend more.

I have reinstalled ALL computer drivers many times, and this is the fastest I've got it, 14.4 WHQL
I tried turning everything off, raising volatge to 1.4, and OCing to 4.5ghz. Same results...

How does your rig run BF4 with that 8350/7950 config? If you can stay over 60, I definitely should be

 

[jkteddy77]

Let me get this out of the way: I have researcched this for 3 months, but there has to be something wrong

I have already:
-Unparking cores (on 8.1 anyways)
-Clean installed latest 14.4 chipset and drivers
-also MOBO driver, and BIOS up to date
-Using Mantle, helps, but still slow...
-Repaired and reinstalled the game many times
-Custom config files
-power options in windows
-disabling Power options in BIOS
-OCing CPU (still didn't help)
-Lowering settings (runs even worse when not in Ultra?)
-Reinstalled Windows 8.1.

I get about 45-110 on Mantle on Ultra in BF4... I want to keep 70-110 like I see 780's and other 290's holding. On DX11, I only get 38-75, with it holding just over 60fps... what is going on?

I can't see this as a hardware issue, even though reinstalling didn't help, as I benchmark at 55fps in Unigine Valley Extreme HD, and 7896 in Firestrike, both accurate scores. Memory passed memtest, and GPU runs exactly as it should in benchmarks.

I also get lower than expected fps in Minecraft (just hardly keeping 45-70fps in modded minecraft (could be CPU in this case))
As well as only 35-50fps in BF3 on Gulf of Oman, and drops below 60 in MANY other maps.

Temps are fine, CPU is 56C on socket, and 52C on CPU package
GPU is never over 74C
CPU usage is never at 100%, and stays at 50-80% in BF4
GPU usage is at about 94% usage, and then usage drops to 60-70% and my frames drop.
I can't even lower settings. I drops to low settings, and I get the same fps. GPU usage drops to 30%...

Bottleneck? but how? 8350 seems to handle mid end cards way over 60fps on lower settings fine... why couldn't it handle my r9 290? I see many all over with this combination and no problems.

All of my specs are in my signature.
How can I fix this?

BF4 has lots of FPS issues, and it is pretty random. Tried re-installing the drivers yet? You could also have a RAM usage monitor up while you are playing so you can see what is going on there.

I tried reinstalling all drivers on my PC, and my RAM usage is at 75% in loading, 66-68% while playing... never full.
full 1886mhz and 9-10-9-28 timings.

 

[ish416]

None of the 3 reference 290s I own performed any differently regardless of which position the bios switch was in.

You in fact must have a very special card. As none of the AMD reference standard 290's shipped with an uber mode...


From extreme-tech - http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/170542-amds-radeon-r9-290-has-a-problem-but-nvidias-smear-attack-is-heavy-handed

"AMD’s R9 290X has two different cooling modes — “Quiet” and “Uber.” In Quiet mode, the GPU driver automatically sets a maximum fan speed of 40%. In Uber mode, the GPU sets a maximum fan speed of 55%. You can change modes by flipping a switch on the GPU, or by adjusting fan speeds in the Overdrive tab within the Catalyst Control Panel. The R9 290, in contrast, has just one setting. While the card does have a hardware switch, the switch doesn’t do anything on the reference cards AMD sent out. AMD’s first set of drivers set the default fan speed to 40% for the R9 290; a later driver update changed this to 47%."

http://www.legitreviews.com/amd-radeon-r9-290-4gb-video-card-review_127216

"The one interesting BIOS change that AMD made besides the lower core clock speeds is removing the Uber and Quiet dual-BIOS modes that are on the Radeon R9 290X. The card still has the BIOS selector with two BIOS’s on it, but both are identical."

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7481/the-amd-radeon-r9-290-review/2

"Moving on, AMD’s dual BIOS functionality is back once more, but unlike the 290X the second BIOS will not be serving any defined purpose. Both BIOSes are identical as AMD doesn’t have an uber mode for the 290, so switching between the two will not change the card’s performance in any way. In this setup the second BIOS is reduced to serving as a safety net for end-user BIOS flashing."




Moving on ...

OP, do your clock speeds drop when you notice the slowdown? They should stay at 947/1250, especially with those temps.

 

[dwatterworth]

I didn't intend to take it down snarky comment route. In my experience, I have a Sapphire R9-290 reference version with no special BF4 stickers or anything applied for extra go-fast, the card behaves a heck of a lot better in the 2nd bios switch position, the GPU clock and fan speeds don't bounce around nearly as much, so thus my suggestion.

 

[jkteddy77]

None of the 3 reference 290s I own performed any differently regardless of which position the bios switch was in.

You in fact must have a very special card. As none of the AMD reference standard 290's shipped with an uber mode...


From extreme-tech - http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/170542-amds-radeon-r9-290-has-a-problem-but-nvidias-smear-attack-is-heavy-handed

"AMD’s R9 290X has two different cooling modes — “Quiet” and “Uber.” In Quiet mode, the GPU driver automatically sets a maximum fan speed of 40%. In Uber mode, the GPU sets a maximum fan speed of 55%. You can change modes by flipping a switch on the GPU, or by adjusting fan speeds in the Overdrive tab within the Catalyst Control Panel. The R9 290, in contrast, has just one setting. While the card does have a hardware switch, the switch doesn’t do anything on the reference cards AMD sent out. AMD’s first set of drivers set the default fan speed to 40% for the R9 290; a later driver update changed this to 47%."

http://www.legitreviews.com/amd-radeon-r9-290-4gb-video-card-review_127216

"The one interesting BIOS change that AMD made besides the lower core clock speeds is removing the Uber and Quiet dual-BIOS modes that are on the Radeon R9 290X. The card still has the BIOS selector with two BIOS’s on it, but both are identical."

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7481/the-amd-radeon-r9-290-review/2

"Moving on, AMD’s dual BIOS functionality is back once more, but unlike the 290X the second BIOS will not be serving any defined purpose. Both BIOSes are identical as AMD doesn’t have an uber mode for the 290, so switching between the two will not change the card’s performance in any way. In this setup the second BIOS is reduced to serving as a safety net for end-user BIOS flashing."




Moving on ...

OP, do your clock speeds drop when you notice the slowdown? They should stay at 947/1250, especially with those temps.

Yes, that is why I'm so confused...
CPU stays at 4113mhz all 8-cores being used, never drops in-game.
GPU stays 999-1000mhz/1300mhz, never drops in-game
RAM stays 943mhz each stick. 943+943=1886mhz..., never drops in-game...
Yet, CPU never reaches over 80%, but GPU load will drop usage, and fps drops follow.
lower the settings, usage lowers, and I get the same 50-110 fps all settings...

So confused...

 

[ish416]

I see that your 290 is overclocked. Instead of TRIXX, try MSI Afterburner (latest beta).

http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/download.htm

Disable any of the PowerTune/Overdrive crap in AMD CCC. Fire up only Afterburner (may need to restart if prompted the first time it's used). Click on settings after you restart (if needed). Under the General tab, make sure that all of the Compatibility properties are selected and that "Enable low-level hardware access interface" is set to User Mode and that "Unlock Voltage Control" is set to standard MSI. Apply those settings and try running a game at stock clocks. If all is well, start cranking up the clocks.

The MSI Afterburner betas is the only OC program besides the Asus GPU Tweak utility that actually seem to work correctly with the Hawaii chips, at least in my experience.

I will say that if you are only basing your performance on BF4 with Mantle, your FPS can have huge variances.

I didn't intend to take it down snarky comment route. In my experience, I have a Sapphire R9-290 reference version with no special BF4 stickers or anything applied for extra go-fast, the card behaves a heck of a lot better in the 2nd bios switch position, the GPU clock and fan speeds don't bounce around nearly as much, so thus my suggestion.

No worries, it's hard to perceive sarcasm on the interwebs.

 

[jkteddy77]

I see that your 290 is overclocked. Instead of TRIXX, try MSI Afterburner (latest beta).

http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/download.htm

Disable any of the PowerTune/Overdrive crap in AMD CCC. Fire up only Afterburner (may need to restart if prompted the first time it's used). Click on settings after you restart (if needed). Under the General tab, make sure that all of the Compatibility properties are selected and that "Enable low-level hardware access interface" is set to User Mode and that "Unlock Voltage Control" is set to standard MSI. Apply those settings and try running a game at stock clocks. If all is well, start cranking up the clocks.

The MSI Afterburner betas is the only OC program besides the Asus GPU Tweak utility that actually seem to work correctly with the Hawaii chips, at least in my experience.

I will say that if you are only basing your performance on BF4 with Mantle, your FPS can have huge variances.

I didn't intend to take it down snarky comment route. In my experience, I have a Sapphire R9-290 reference version with no special BF4 stickers or anything applied for extra go-fast, the card behaves a heck of a lot better in the 2nd bios switch position, the GPU clock and fan speeds don't bounce around nearly as much, so thus my suggestion.

No worries, it's hard to perceive sarcasm on the interwebs.

Hmm... I've had these troubles WITHOUT using TriXX, and I already have CCC's overdrive disabled, and I don't even let it start when I turn on my PC. All of the 3d application settings are default and look good. I tried Afterburner, but it would give me weired glitches in BF4, just did not like the game.

I know Mantle is glitchy, but you relaize I STRUGGLE for even 60fps on DX11? its about 38-65fps the whole match without mantle on... I even see some drops below 30. Same issue... same fps on all settings... What is up? I see this in Crysis 2 and BF3 as well. I guess, in FC3 and Sleeping dogs, but those games shouldn't be running well, even 780ti's struggle on those games. Its the fact that I'm not gettting what I'm suppossed to be that ticks me off.