AMD 6990 (2 x 6970) bottlenecking?

[Dillon Fahey]

I'm getting strange issues with my cards since I've bought them. Take Watch Dogs for example (a lot of other games do it too, Battlefield 3, GTA 4 etc..) When Watch Dogs lags on my system, I'm in a city enviroment. Everything is moving and all this. In AfterBurner it says I'm using 20% - 30% on my cards and getting about 20 - 30FPS with stuttering everytime I look at something new. But when I'm in the ocean, my cards usage are at 70% - 90% getting about 40 - 80FPS, no stuttering. The higher the usage, the better the frames. In Black Ops, or Sniper Elite (Games that don't use the processor a lot) I get excellent usage on my cards and very good framerates.

My question is, is this a CPU bottleneck? I have a AMD Phenom II x4 955 clocked at 3.3GHz. It's old, so it could be that, but I don't want to go all out on a new processor when it isn't.

Full Specs:
CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 955 ~ 3.36GHz
RAM: (2 x 4GB) Corsair XMS ~ 1600MHz
MOBO: MSI Global 990XA-GD55
GPUs: 2 x 6970 CFed (2gb) Mem ~ 880MHz. Core ~ 1355MHz.
Harddrive: Seagate Baracuda 2TB (for games)

 

[enemy1g]

Check your task manager, and take a look at the CPU usage when you're gaming. It's quite possible that you're bottlenecking at the CPU. I mean technically, you should be able to run a single 6970 with ease, but two might be a bit too much.

 

[Damn_Rookie]

It certainly sounds like a textbook CPU bottleneck from what you describe. The games you have trouble with (GTA 4, Battlefield 3 (multiplayer), and Watch_Dogs) are all known to stress the CPU a fair bit.

EDIT: as enemy1g says above, it's worth double checking your CPU utilization during the troublesome games. It's almost certainly going to show your CPU getting hammered sadly. You could try stepping down to just one graphics card in Watch_Dogs, and seeing how you get on without the crossfire overhead on your CPU.

 

[Dillon Fahey]

It certainly sounds like a textbook CPU bottleneck from what you describe. The games you have trouble with (GTA 4, Battlefield 3 (multiplayer), and Watch_Dogs) are all known to stress the CPU a fair bit.

EDIT: as enemy1g says above, it's worth double checking your CPU utilization during the troublesome games. It's almost certainly going to show your CPU getting hammered sadly. You could try stepping down to just one graphics card in Watch_Dogs, and seeing how you get on without the crossfire overhead on your CPU.

Awesome, well I do think it is the CPU. With 2 cards, the CPU usage is at 95 to 100%, VERY stuttery and unplayable at max. When I disable the other card, CPU usage stays the same (95 to 100%), but the game is semi-playable. A lot less stuttery, but still kinda laggy and gets stuttery when going fast.

Will be upgrading to an FX-8350, unless someone has another recommendation.

 

[Damn_Rookie]

Seeing as you already have a nice motherboard for it, yes, I'd agree your plan to get an FX-8350 is a good one (or, if you want to save a bit of cash, the 8320 is often recommended on here. It's basically the same chip as the 8350 with a slightly lower clock speed, but with a simple upping of the multiplier you can set it to the same speed as the 8350). Either chip would be a good choice for you.

 

[BnG]

I have the Phenom ii x4 955 =) I do also have 2x gtx 670 but can only use one atm BECAUSE of the bottleneck. I am upgrading today to a 3570k, I would highly advice you to buy it as well. It is a great CPU for its price, will last a long time and will be excellent for any future game. Also it is cheaper than 4th gen/ OC's highler/ lower temps.

 

[Dillon Fahey]

I have the Phenom ii x4 955 =) I do also have 2x gtx 670 but can only use one atm BECAUSE of the bottleneck. I am upgrading today to a 3570k, I would highly advice you to buy it as well. It is a great CPU for its price, will last a long time and will be excellent for any future game. Also it is cheaper than 4th gen/ OC's highler/ lower temps.

Yeah, I've just never been a huge Intel fan. But sweet, at least I'm not the only one. I'm probably, most def, going to upgrade the the 8320 then just get water cooling and OC to 4+.

 

[BnG]

I have the Phenom ii x4 955 =) I do also have 2x gtx 670 but can only use one atm BECAUSE of the bottleneck. I am upgrading today to a 3570k, I would highly advice you to buy it as well. It is a great CPU for its price, will last a long time and will be excellent for any future game. Also it is cheaper than 4th gen/ OC's highler/ lower temps.

Yeah, I've just never been a huge Intel fan. But sweet, at least I'm not the only one. I'm probably, most def, going to upgrade the the 8320 then just get water cooling and OC to 4+.

Well, I can't force people to love intel . I wish you all the best overclocking your upcoming FX !