Gtx 1080 usage low

[Rayaxar]

Let me start of by saying my system specs. monitor 1080p 144hz i7 4820k 16gb 1600mhz ram 800 watt power supply and a gtx 1080. gpu usage is low on pretty much all my games. It can be like even just 20 or 40% which should not be happening. Now the thing is i know what the problem is, it's a cpu bottleneck. Wen i up the resolution my gpu usage increases. But i was wondering if there is anything i can do to up my gpu usage instead of having to spend even more money on a 1440p monitor. Thanks in advance!

 

[t53186]

What's the problem with "low" GPU usage.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Can I ask how you "know" it's a CPU bottleneck?

Also what kind of frame rates are you getting?
I play at 3440x1440p 100Hz and I get 30-40% GPU usage on many games with my 1080 Ti, but I am playing at Ultra 100fps, so I couldn't care less. But I assume you aren't getting up to 144hz and that is why you are concerned.

But please let me know what you are experiencing that makes you think you have a CPU bottleneck.

 

[gasaraki]

No. The 1080P monitor is not stressing the GPU at all. You can try turning off vsync on all games but they might run past 144fps and then you get tearing.

 

[Rayaxar]

What's the problem with "low" GPU usage.

The problem with low gpu usage is low frame rate.

 

[Rayaxar]

Can I ask how you "know" it's a CPU bottleneck?

Also what kind of frame rates are you getting?
I play at 3440x1440p 100Hz and I get 30-40% GPU usage on many games with my 1080 Ti, but I am playing at Ultra 100fps, so I couldn't care less. But I assume you aren't getting up to 144hz and that is why you are concerned.

But please let me know what you are experiencing that makes you think you have a CPU bottleneck.

The reason i think it's a cpu bottleneck is because wen i up the resolution my gpu usage increases. Indeed i'm not getting the full 144hz experience that this card is giving me which is never fun. I spend so much money in this monitor and card and i can't even use it's full potential.

 

[Rayaxar]

No. The 1080P monitor is not stressing the GPU at all. You can try turning off vsync on all games but they might run past 144fps and then you get tearing.

I never play with vsync so that's not the problem. And i can't even get above 144fps because my gpu usage is to low.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

No. The 1080P monitor is not stressing the GPU at all. You can try turning off vsync on all games but they might run past 144fps and then you get tearing.

At 1080 144Hz the GPU would still be used at 60-70% for most games. A 1080 is not an all powerful card that is immune to usage. BF1 at 1080p 144Hz Ultra will still be used like 80-90%

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

No. The 1080P monitor is not stressing the GPU at all. You can try turning off vsync on all games but they might run past 144fps and then you get tearing.

I agree, the reason your GPU usage is 'low' is because the GPU isn't being stressed. The fact that increasing the resolution increases GPU utilisation is proof of that.

If you aren't getting a constant 144hz refresh rate then there's probably another reason for it. What games are we talking about here?

 

[Rayaxar]

No. The 1080P monitor is not stressing the GPU at all. You can try turning off vsync on all games but they might run past 144fps and then you get tearing.

At 1080 144Hz the GPU would still be used at 60-70% for most games. A 1080 is not an all powerful card that is immune to usage. BF1 at 1080p 144Hz Ultra will still be used like 80-90%

Bf1 give me between 60 and 80% My highest was 85% but that was only a one time peak.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Nope, wrong. A 1080 will easily hit 144fps on pretty much anything at 1920x1080.

And that might not be a bottleneck OP. You need to check per core usage while you are gaming and see how much the CPU is actually being used. That is a great CPU, it should not be bottlenecking the GPU.

It could easily be the drivers, I have experienced the same issue with my 1080. Low usage and lower frame rates than I am used to.

We will take this one step at a time. First check per core usage while gaming, it could be the game itself and the only way to get more performance would be to overclock the CPU.

If the CPU usage is normal, then I would use DDU to clean the system of the Graphics drivers, and then reinstall the latest ones from GeForce Experience. There is absolutely NO reason a properly functioning 1080 would not be "being pushed hard enough" and bottleneck itself without hitting the max permitted framerate.

Battlefield 1 is an incredibly well optimized game, if you aren't hitting 99% usage on that it is either a CPU bottleneck or a driver issue. But that brings up another point.... is your 144Hz even on? If you are only hitting a certain framerate and no higher on any given game makes me think that might be an issue? Easy way to check is to turn on V-sync, if you are locked to a max FPS, then your 144hz isn't even on. BF1 also has an option to lock the frames at your monitors refresh rate, I would check that too.

 

[Rayaxar]

No. The 1080P monitor is not stressing the GPU at all. You can try turning off vsync on all games but they might run past 144fps and then you get tearing.

I agree, the reason your GPU usage is 'low' is because the GPU isn't being stressed. The fact that increasing the resolution increases GPU utilisation is proof of that.

If you aren't getting a constant 144hz refresh rate then there's probably another reason for it. What games are we talking about here?

Pretty much all my games. Bf1 give me around 60-80% Day of infamy about 20-30%
Gta5 about 60% Crysis 2 between 50-80 and sometimes going to 90% Dark souls3 around 40% The reason i also mention this game with a locked 60fps is because it's still dropping frames.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

To say that a GTX 1080 will easily hit 144hz in just about everything is inaccurate. Performance comes down to the individual game and the graphical settings that game is played at. That's not just resolution, but AA, AO, etc. Battlefield games are also notorious for pushing the CPU much harder than the GPU.

What's the exact make and model of your PSU? What are your minimum, average and max frame rates in BF1?

 

[Rayaxar]

Nope, wrong. A 1080 will easily hit 144fps on pretty much anything at 1920x1080.

And that might not be a bottleneck OP. You need to check per core usage while you are gaming and see how much the CPU is actually being used. That is a great CPU, it should not be bottlenecking the GPU.

It could easily be the drivers, I have experienced the same issue with my 1080. Low usage and lower frame rates than I am used to.

We will take this one step at a time. First check per core usage while gaming, it could be the game itself and the only way to get more performance would be to overclock the CPU.

If the CPU usage is normal, then I would use DDU to clean the system of the Graphics drivers, and then reinstall the latest ones from GeForce Experience. There is absolutely NO reason a properly functioning 1080 would not be "being pushed hard enough" and bottleneck itself without hitting the max permitted framerate.

Battlefield 1 is an incredibly well optimized game, if you aren't hitting 99% usage on that it is either a CPU bottleneck or a driver issue. But that brings up another point.... is your 144Hz even on? If you are only hitting a certain framerate and no higher on any given game makes me think that might be an issue? Easy way to check is to turn on V-sync, if you are locked to a max FPS, then your 144hz isn't even on. BF1 also has an option to lock the frames at your monitors refresh rate, I would check that too.

So i just played a bit of battlefield to see how everything is. Around 80-110 fps. My refresh rate is at 144hz i double checked and even checked in game. My cpu i going all over place from 50 to 80 and back to 50. I have not seen it go in 90% It could have but i didn't see it. i all ready used DDU and that did not help.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

How is per-thread usage for BF1? Does every CPU thread have some amount of load on it?

 

[Rayaxar]

To say that a GTX 1080 will easily hit 144hz in just about everything is inaccurate. Performance comes down to the individual game and the graphical settings that game is played at. That's not just resolution, but AA, AO, etc. Battlefield games are also notorious for pushing the CPU much harder than the GPU.

What's the exact make and model of your PSU? What are your minimum, average and max frame rates in BF1?

I get around 80-110 fps but it's only rare that it goes above 100fps it stays most of the time around 80fps but it depends on the map and game mode. Also i don't know what model my psu is it's been 3 years but it's a little more then 800 watt like 820 something watt.

 

[Rayaxar]

How is per-thread usage for BF1? Does every CPU thread have some amount of load on it?

Yep my entire cpu is being well used.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

To say that a GTX 1080 will easily hit 144hz in just about everything is inaccurate. Performance comes down to the individual game and the graphical settings that game is played at. That's not just resolution, but AA, AO, etc. Battlefield games are also notorious for pushing the CPU much harder than the GPU.

What's the exact make and model of your PSU? What are your minimum, average and max frame rates in BF1?

Funny because I played Battlefield 1, on Ultra all settings are MAXED, with a 1080, and even at 1440p I get 80-120fps, dropped to 1080 that should easily give 30-40more fps meaning that the card is underperforming for some reason, because yes even in BF1 (which is one of the most intense games out right now) should be able to hit 144Hz Ultra 1080p. In fact, every fps benchmark out there shows that at 1080p ultra the 1080 should be between 110 and 150 fps. Meaning something is wrong with the guy's system, not the card.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

An exact make and model of PSU would be useful. Unfortunately, wattage isn't an indicator of quality.

Are you playing in 64 player matches? Have you tried going smaller? What advanced graphical options do you have enabled?

 

[Rayaxar]

To say that a GTX 1080 will easily hit 144hz in just about everything is inaccurate. Performance comes down to the individual game and the graphical settings that game is played at. That's not just resolution, but AA, AO, etc. Battlefield games are also notorious for pushing the CPU much harder than the GPU.

What's the exact make and model of your PSU? What are your minimum, average and max frame rates in BF1?

Funny because I played Battlefield 1, on Ultra all settings are MAXED, with a 1080, and even at 1440p I get 80-120fps, dropped to 1080 that should easily give 30-40more fps meaning that the card is underperforming for some reason, because yes even in BF1 (which is one of the most intense games out right now) should be able to hit 144Hz Ultra 1080p. In fact, every fps benchmark out there shows that at 1080p ultra the 1080 should be between 110 and 150 fps. Meaning something is wrong with the guy's system, not the card.

This is exactly wat worries me, wen i look at benchmarks i see every one getting higher fps then i get..

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

How is per-thread usage for BF1? Does every CPU thread have some amount of load on it?

Yep my entire cpu is being well used.

Can you be specific? I'd expect high usage across all eight threads, especially in multiplayer.

 

[Rayaxar]

An exact make and model of PSU would be useful. Unfortunately, wattage isn't an indicator of quality.

Are you playing in 64 player matches? Have you tried going smaller? What advanced graphical options do you have enabled?

Sorry about not being able to tell what psu model i have. I mainly play conquest 64 players. And my fps is mainly at 80fps. With every thing maxed out except motion blur and dept of field.

 

[Rayaxar]

How is per-thread usage for BF1? Does every CPU thread have some amount of load on it?

Yep my entire cpu is being well used.

Can you be specific? I'd expect high usage across all eight threads, especially in multiplayer.

All cores use around 60-80%

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

To say that a GTX 1080 will easily hit 144hz in just about everything is inaccurate. Performance comes down to the individual game and the graphical settings that game is played at. That's not just resolution, but AA, AO, etc. Battlefield games are also notorious for pushing the CPU much harder than the GPU.

What's the exact make and model of your PSU? What are your minimum, average and max frame rates in BF1?

Funny because I played Battlefield 1, on Ultra all settings are MAXED, with a 1080, and even at 1440p I get 80-120fps, dropped to 1080 that should easily give 30-40more fps meaning that the card is underperforming for some reason, because yes even in BF1 (which is one of the most intense games out right now) should be able to hit 144Hz Ultra 1080p. In fact, every fps benchmark out there shows that at 1080p ultra the 1080 should be between 110 and 150 fps. Meaning something is wrong with the guy's system, not the card.

This is exactly wat worries me, wen i look at benchmarks i see every one getting higher fps then i get..

Yes exactly, CPU usage is high, try overclocking it see if it helps. Another thing that might be worth checking out is that your RAM is on the slow end. 1600Hz is slower than average. You have plenty of RAM, but nowadays most people have 2133MHz or more, mine is 3200Mhz. It might be possible that it may be hindering your CPU's usage. But I'm no RAM expert either. It may also be possible to overclock your RAM, which you should look into trying as well.

 

[Rayaxar]

To say that a GTX 1080 will easily hit 144hz in just about everything is inaccurate. Performance comes down to the individual game and the graphical settings that game is played at. That's not just resolution, but AA, AO, etc. Battlefield games are also notorious for pushing the CPU much harder than the GPU.

What's the exact make and model of your PSU? What are your minimum, average and max frame rates in BF1?

Funny because I played Battlefield 1, on Ultra all settings are MAXED, with a 1080, and even at 1440p I get 80-120fps, dropped to 1080 that should easily give 30-40more fps meaning that the card is underperforming for some reason, because yes even in BF1 (which is one of the most intense games out right now) should be able to hit 144Hz Ultra 1080p. In fact, every fps benchmark out there shows that at 1080p ultra the 1080 should be between 110 and 150 fps. Meaning something is wrong with the guy's system, not the card.

This is exactly wat worries me, wen i look at benchmarks i see every one getting higher fps then i get..

Yes exactly, CPU usage is high, try overclocking it see if it helps. Another thing that might be worth checking out is that your RAM is on the slow end. 1600Hz is slower than average. You have plenty of RAM, but nowadays most people have 2133MHz or more, mine is 3200Mhz. It might be possible that it may be hindering your CPU's usage. But I'm no RAM expert either. It may also be possible to overclock your RAM, which you should look into trying as well.

Okay i'm gonna overclock my cpu and let you know what it gives me.