99% GPU usage and FPS drop

[Silverslith]

Hi guys

I've been having some issues with my graphics card ever since i bought it. After playing a while (the time varies and some days it doesn't happen at all) my GPU usage goes up to 99% as soon as any game is played. My FPS drops to around 25 (it's usually 60).
When I close the game the GPU usage drops to 5-6% as usual, but when I start the game again the problem is still there. Only a restart helps, but sometimes the problem comes back after just a few minutes.
I've tried using different drivers, and I am currently using the newest beta driver as suggested by Guild Wars 2.

My entire PC is brand new except my harddrives.

My specs are as follows:
GFX: MSI GTX560Ti Hawk
CPU: Intel i5-2500K @ 3.3 GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3
RAM: 8GB dual channel DDR-12800
PSU: CoolerMaster M60 600W
HDD: 7200 RPM Sata-300

Windows 7 x64
Driver version: 306.02

The graphics card comes factory overclocked to 950 MHz but reducing the frequency doesn't seem to have any effect.

I have seen other threads on the subject, but the sollution seems to be update drivers or something similar and that hasn't worked for me. Thanks in advance for your assistance!

 

[renz496]

have you tried clean driver installation?

 

[Silverslith]

I have now - time will tell if it helped. Thx.

 

[swifty_morgan]

if you're playing at 1600 resolution or above and you're not making major adjustments to the game settings ( nvidia control panel and the games control panel )... that little 1gig frame buffer will be causing you problems.

list of games and monitor/resolution please.

 

[Silverslith]

I usually just run 1920x1080 resolution. If the game runs at 60 fps with everything turned to full, that's what I'll do. If the game is too demanding I'll adjust the settings, but usually I don't have to.
It's the same in pretty much every game i've tried:

Battlefield 3
Diablo 3
Guild Wars 2
Tribes Ascend
Legend of Grimock
etc.

But you're saying it might just be that the card has only 1 GB of RAM? Should I run lower resolutions, with certain settings on low or something else?

The clean driver install didn't help btw.

 

[swifty_morgan]

1900 res will slay that 1gig frame buffer in the games listed that I'm familiar with.

check the monitors refresh rate. make sure it's set correctly...

you can lower your resolution ( monitors have more than one res they can run at.... check yours ).........


you should........... open the nvidia control panel and adjust settings. and you should........ open the individual games' consoles and make adjustment there until you get something that is playable.

if any of those games use physx, try disabling that first to see how things play. Physx alone will weigh heavily on cards abilities.

 

[renz496]

so still got that weird 99% gpu usage and low fps?

 

[Silverslith]

I still have the issues. I will try to put everything on low and see if that fixes anything.

I just find it really annoying that a brand new card that can clearly run the games with high resolution and with details on high can't seem to run it for more than 20 minutes. I know the issues isn't that wide spread, and I have a hard time believing that every person who bought this card has this issue.

 

[swifty_morgan]

did you install all motherboard drivers off the disc ?

have you been to windows update lately ? is the latest netframework installed ?

did you try the other pci-e slot ?

is the PS capable ?

is the memory installed in the proper slots on the MB ? ( if running 2 sticks ) ( see booklet ).

is the Intel onboard video disabled in BIOS ?

 

[Silverslith]

did you install all motherboard drivers off the disc ?

have you been to windows update lately ? is the latest netframework installed ?

did you try the other pci-e slot ?

is the PS capable ?

is the memory installed in the proper slots on the MB ? ( if running 2 sticks ) ( see booklet ).

is the Intel onboard video disabled in BIOS ?

Yes to all except the PCI slot, but I'll try it at some point.

 

[swifty_morgan]

can you swap out cards/maybe with a neighbor/friend/other family ?

 

[mrbeanladen]

1900 res will slay that 1gig frame buffer in the games listed that I'm familiar with.

check the monitors refresh rate. make sure it's set correctly...

you can lower your resolution ( monitors have more than one res they can run at.... check yours ).........


you should........... open the nvidia control panel and adjust settings. and you should........ open the individual games' consoles and make adjustment there until you get something that is playable.

if any of those games use physx, try disabling that first to see how things play. Physx alone will weigh heavily on cards abilities.

No It can't be... seems unlikely: maybe battlefield 3 COULD use a little more memory (set texture size to "high" or lower if you're suspicious) but diablo 3 and the other games too? Diablo 3 has lower texture sizes than goddamn Mario, they look so muddy and blurry I can't tell what's grass what's dirt what's stone. And it happens in both of them so vram is not an issue.
And I don't think any of those games use physx... if they do disable it and see what happens then.

If yo truly like to eliminate the possibility of bad drivers check this:
http://www.overclock.net/t/988215/how-to-properly-uninstall-ati-amd-software-drivers-for-graphics-cards
http://www.overclock.net/t/1150443/how-to-remove-your-nvidia-gpu-drivers

Or maybe your card's throttling because of heat. Since it looks that you've owned it for a while that must mean some dust found its way inside it. Try cleaning it and maybe buying some compressed air to blow the dust off the heatsink.
Maybe it's a virus? try doing a scan with malwarebytes, spybot search and destroy and then clean your computer with CCleaner. (both registry and normal file cleaning, don't worry it doesn't *** up your registry I've been using it for years)
Hope this helps.

 

[Silverslith]

I'm quite sure it isn't due to heat, the GPU never goes above 80 degrees and the fan speed is below 70% on automatic setting.

Also when it happens it doesn't go away untill a reboot. If i close the current game and start a different one, the problem persists.

I pretty sure it's not a virus. I've tried to do a complete format and reinstall, but without change.

 

[Silverslith]

can you swap out cards/maybe with a neighbor/friend/other family ?

I will definately try this as soon as I get a chance, the problem is that it's a periodic issue that might not show op for days.

 

[swifty_morgan]

if you have some astronomical amount of virtual ram available......... reset to over what is recommended. mine are set to 15000/15000............. not saying it will make a difference but too little can't help.

i wish i could pick a miracle out of my hat. just keep slogging along. something has to give.

ram in right slots ? no dust clog in cards heat sink ? high cache HD ?

sometimes it sounds like heat. other times it sounds like vram. sometimes it sounds like texture swapping.

 

[Silverslith]

Thanks for all your answers guys. I've decided to return to the card to the place of purchase and try to get a refund or get it repaired.

 

[WasOnConsole]

my 670 has the same problem, did you ever fix it and how?

 

[Silverslith]

my 670 has the same problem, did you ever fix it and how?

I never did. I returned it to the retailer who did extensive testing on it. At first they couldn't find any issues, then after a little while they said they couldn't tell if there was an error or not, but in the end they refunded the card.

Good luck with yours!

 

[WasOnConsole]

did a new gpu fix it?

 

[Silverslith]

did a new gpu fix it?

Yes. Back then, I replaced it with an AMD HD7870 and all the issues were gone.

 

[WasOnConsole]

I found the fix, I reverted my pc before the driver update as well reinstalled everything that to do with nvidia

 

[Vishnu Vardhan naik]

i also have this problem i cant also fix wasonconsole can u please tell clearly how you fixed please....!!!!!!