Battlefield 4 Stuttering with AMD Phenom II x4 955 (with screenshots)

[Kodjeikov]

Hello
This is my System:
CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 955 @ 3.2Ghz with aftermarket cooler
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 750 2GB
RAM: 4GB DDR2 800
MB: GA-MA770-DS3 rev 1.0
Windows 7 64bit SP1

Until today I was with an AMD Phenom x3 8650 2.3Ghz cpu on which BF4 couldn't be played.

A few hours ago I installed an AMD Phenom II x4 955 @ 3.2Ghz cpu on my system thinking it would make it playable, but I was totally wrong.
This is the result of my tries to play with the new CPU: http://imgur.com/a/2vsN9/all [imgur.com]

Does anyone have any idea why would this happen?

 

[masterdam17]

Resolution??
I must say though, phenom II 955 is a bit old for battlefield 4 on high settings. Its like 4/5 years old cpu now ..

 

[masterdam17]

And a 750 isnt also that good for bf4 on high 🙁 Im sorry to say your setup should be getting 30/40 fps on medium settings or so.

 

[Cristi72]

Hello,

The x4 955 isn't officially supported by your motherboard, so it is no wonder it doesn't work as it should. The best CPU which officially works on your motherboard is Phenom x4-9850, the 95W version. You can try to update the BIOS to the latest version, but there are some risks involved.

 

[Kodjeikov]

I always forget to mention something.
Bios is latest version for my MB.
Im playing on 1680x1050 res with everything set to low.
My frame rate is above 30 for sure I dont need it playable, not on ultra with 500 fps. But theere are these huge stutters.
Could it be that I didnt reinstall my windows 7.

 

[masterdam17]

I always forget to mention something.
Bios is latest version for my MB.
Im playing on 1680x1050 res with everything set to low.
My frame rate is above 30 for sure I dont need it playable, not on ultra with 500 fps. But theere are these huge stutters.
Could it be that I didnt reinstall my windows 7.

Cristi72 is right .. 955 is not supported by that motherboard
CHeck the whole list of supported chips on this webpage
http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=2722
Scroll down to AM3 chips and you will find 955 is supported by N/A bios which means no bios version in this board supports it.
It might work, but as he says its not fully compatible.

 

[Cristi72]

I always forget to mention something.
Bios is latest version for my MB.
Im playing on 1680x1050 res with everything set to low.
My frame rate is above 30 for sure I dont need it playable, not on ultra with 500 fps. But theere are these huge stutters.
Could it be that I didnt reinstall my windows 7.

If you still have the old CPU, give it a try and see if the stuttering goes away.

 

[Kodjeikov]

I read about the compatibility.
The campain runs perfect on low with 80+ fps so is the test range in bf4.
I see a lot of improvement in other games.

With the old cpu (AMD Phenom x3 8650 2.3Ghz) the game didnt go above 25 fps and there were also stutters although not as often as with the 955. Still unplayable.

If I get an AM3 certified motherboard do you guys think the problem will go way?

 

[Cristi72]

I read about the compatibility.
The campain runs perfect on low with 80+ fps so is the test range in bf4.
I see a lot of improvement in other games.

With the old cpu (AMD Phenom x3 8650 2.3Ghz) the game didnt go above 25 fps and there were also stutters although not as often as with the 955. Still unplayable.

If I get an AM3 certified motherboard do you guys think the problem will go way?

Yes, definitely; unfortunately, motherboards with both AM3 and DDR2 support are getting extinct and those still selling are of the low quality kind (old chipsets, the 7xx series):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157469&cm_re=am3_ddr2-_-13-157-469-_-Product

If you can sell the motherboard and DDR2 RAM, the best solution is to go for an AM3+ board and DDR3 memory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130679

This way, you will have some further upgrade path (it supports the latest FX8xxx processors, it has USB3.0 and SATA3).

EDIT: we all forgot to ask some vital questions:

1 - what are the CPU temperatures (idle/load)?
2 - how good is your PSU (make/model)?

 

[Kodjeikov]

According SpeedaFan the CPU doesnt heat more than 60-65 C during battlefield 4 and 35-45 idle.
The PSU is 2 weeks old, brand new 500w (at work, so no model name).

 

[sportsfanboy]

You're stuttering is most likely the vid cards fault. You are most likely running around 40 fps when there isn't a ton going on in game. Once a lot starts to happen like a ton of smoke or fire, with a large firefight, I'm sure you will dip into the 20's/low 30's.

Try lowing your graphics setting until you have a solid 60 frames in most situations. That way when you spike downwards, you'll have some frames to spare. This might help smooth out the game play.

 

[logainofhades]

According SpeedaFan the CPU doesnt heat more than 60-65 C during battlefield 4 and 35-45 idle.
The PSU is 2 weeks old, brand new 500w (at work, so no model name).

65c is too hot for an AMD chip. Maximum operating temperature is 55°C - 62°C according to this.

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AMD-Phenom%20II%20X4%20955%20Black%20Edition%20-%20HDZ955FBK4DGM%20(HDZ955FBGMBOX).html

You are most likely thermal throttling. I would suggest a better cooling solution. A coolermaster hyper TX3 or T4 would be the easiest to work with, and are reasonably priced.

 

[Kodjeikov]

Well maybe I dont remember the correct temps under load 😛
The thing is my PC shuts down if it starts overheating that I am sure 100% and it hasnt shut down.
I even tried OCing a bit to 3.5 and nothing changed.

And about the GPU it is from this website that I read that this GTX 750 could play Battlefield 4.

And to say again Im not trying for Ultra graphics, Im not even trying for Medium. I want my game to run on Low with a decent frame rate that does not hinder my gaming experiance (read at least 35-40).

 

[Cristi72]

Well maybe I dont remember the correct temps under load 😛
The thing is my PC shuts down if it starts overheating that I am sure 100% and it hasnt shut down.
I even tried OCing a bit to 3.5 and nothing changed.

And about the GPU it is from this website that I read that this GTX 750 could play Battlefield 4.

And to say again Im not trying for Ultra graphics, Im not even trying for Medium. I want my game to run on Low with a decent frame rate that does not hinder my gaming experiance (read at least 35-40).

Nowadays it is very unusual that a PC shuts itself down because of the overheating; more likely the system dials down the CPU's speed to stay within thermal envelope.

 

[logainofhades]

Nowadays it is very unusual that a PC shuts itself down because of the overheating; more likely the system dials down the CPU's speed to stay within thermal envelope.

^This

 

[Kodjeikov]

Ok I got the correct temps from Battlefield 3 - 58°C max