Absolutely awful frames per second.

[jennydeath]

I have a gaming PC I put together sometime last year, and for what it consists of, there is no reasonable way the frames I'm getting are normal. I average 5-20 frames in almost any game. I didn't install anything new, and I didn't change any settings when it happened. It just up and stop running anywhere nearly as well as it had before. The problem areas are when multiple entities are loaded, as when I play CSGO on an offline server with no bots, I get 100+ frames, but when I add bots, I immediately drop to <10. Same thing happens in any other game.


These are my specs:

AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card
NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case
Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer
Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM 64-bit

I've tried: reformatting, drivers, running previous saves, malwarebytes, ccleaner, high-performance power usage, bios settings, and even professional help. All of which didn't change anything. I've virtually ruled out the possibility of a virus.

Took a 3DMark test and here are my scores:

Graphics: 10408 (45 frames)
Physics: 2593 (8 frames)
Combined: 1010 (4 frames)


I'm not all that PC-savvy, but I've done everything I can to no avail.

 

[N3rdR4ge]

i'm certain its a failing power supply.

reasons:
1. CSM models generally have a high failure rate and are not made with superior quality and longevity. By no means is that an acceptable PSU for an R9 290.
2. You are under supplying your GPU. The minimum requirement for an R9 290 is 650w.
3. On the wattage topic, you are consistently putting too much stress on your low quality power supply. This will substantially shorten its lifespan and give you lower efficiency (higher power bills).
4. Sudden drops in fps performance with no logical reason and no obvious errors generally point to an under powered system.

 

[jennydeath]

i'm certain its a failing power supply.

reasons:
1. CSM models generally have a high failure rate and are not made with superior quality and longevity. By no means is that an acceptable PSU for an R9 290.
2. You are under supplying your GPU. The minimum requirement for an R9 290 is 650w.
3. On the wattage topic, you are consistently putting too much stress on your low quality power supply. This will substantially shorten its lifespan and give you lower efficiency (higher power bills).
4. Sudden drops in fps performance with no logical reason and no obvious errors generally point to an under powered system.

thank you very much, I'll set out to buy another one tomorrow. What PSU would you recommend, if I may ask?

 

[N3rdR4ge]

Both of these have the quality you need:

Best deal after a rebate:
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/JYyFf7/evga-power-supply-110b20750vr

Best deal with no debate:
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/873RsY/antec-power-supply-ea650green

 

[jennydeath]

Both of these have the quality you need:

Best deal after a rebate:
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/JYyFf7/evga-power-supply-110b20750vr

Best deal with no debate:
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/873RsY/antec-power-supply-ea650green

would there be any downsides to going overkill on a PSU? For instance, if I were to get a 850W gold certified unit, would it have any sort of effect like bottlenecking? Probably a silly question.

 

[N3rdR4ge]

More is generally better. Way too much will still work the same, but give you a little less efficiency. i wouldnt go over 850 and there is no need to go over 650 in reality.

if you'd like a more robust, gold power supply with excellent quality and some headroom, get one of these:
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/MfJwrH/evga-power-supply-220g20750xr
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/qxcMnQ/fsp-group-power-supply-hg750
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/JQbp99/seasonic-power-supply-x850
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/2L3RsY/xfx-power-supply-p1750bbefx

 

[jennydeath]

More is generally better. Way too much will still work the same, but give you a little less efficiency. i wouldnt go over 850 and there is no need to go over 650 in reality.

if you'd like a more robust, gold power supply with excellent quality and some headroom, get one of these:
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/MfJwrH/evga-power-supply-220g20750xr
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/qxcMnQ/fsp-group-power-supply-hg750
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/JQbp99/seasonic-power-supply-x850
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/2L3RsY/xfx-power-supply-p1750bbefx

Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate it immensely,

 

[N3rdR4ge]

no problem. even if it turns out not to be the issue, i still highly recommend the upgrade. post back here and let me know how it goes.

 

[jennydeath]

no problem. even if it turns out not to be the issue, i still highly recommend the upgrade. post back here and let me know how it goes.

Oh absolutely. If this does in fact end up being the solution, I'd be more than happy offering some CS skins or something as thanks. Been having this problem for almost a year now, it feels great to make progress.

 

[jennydeath]

no problem. even if it turns out not to be the issue, i still highly recommend the upgrade. post back here and let me know how it goes.

Alright, so as of now I have installed a EVGA gold 750W power supply unit, and there is little to no change in framerate for anything. Something I have found, however, is that when a game is open my cpu usage wont raise. So im playing CSGO or something and im getting 15-20 frames, but my CPU and memory usage are still around 20-30 percent. Are they being throttled/handicapped by something? Is there a setting trying to limit my usage? Sorry to bother you again but I figure if I don't try everything I can this problem won't be solved.

 

[hang-the-9]

Did you check temperatures? HWMonitor would do the job.

 

[madmatt30]

Switch off the PC
Open your case.

On the motherboard just below the big main 24 pin power cable is a little vertical slider switch (marked slow mode)

Ensure this is on the off position (down from memory) & reboot.