GTX 275 not working at it's fullest

[GamingNerd]

I OC'd my GTX 275 from EVGA (using the precision tuner) to 743 (Core) 1607 (shader) 1688 (memory). When i go in game (I don't know if it's because of OC or not} the graph shows me this. 400 core 799 shader 297 memory. I was wondering how could I get the my graphics card's best performance in game? I play Counter Strike source, Left 4 Dead and some other steam games but L4D is a big one. Help is appreciated.

Also I do understand that EVGA has this "downclocking" thing on their precision tuner or I should say graphics card to reduce power consumption and all. The problem here is that it's doing that in and out of game and if my Graphics card stays like this, it's as bad as my old one.

 

[DeW itt right]

Are you saying evga's utility is downclocking your GPU when you enter the games? I highly doubt your actual clock speeds reduce to the 400/799/297 it's showing. To find the highest stable clocks I'd recommend testing with OCCT, it'll turture test the GPU and graph the temps. Then install and run FRAPS with your OC'd settings and see if your actual frame rates are improving. Hope this helps...

 

[OvrClkr]

Why would you overclock in the first place? That card can play L4D and CS maxxed out at any resolution regardless if it is overclocked or not....

I play L4D with a GTX 260 @ x8 AA and still get 60+ frames.... CS should get more than 150 frames....

Use fraps to see your frame count.... I doubt your 275 is underperforming, use 3dmark06 to compare your GPU score to others using the same GPU...

 

[coozie7]

Are you playing fullscreen or in a window? Most cards will stay at their 'powersave' or '2D' speeds if you play in a window.

 

[GamingNerd]

@ Dewit : I'll try that out and yes it is downclocking or in "power management mode"
@ OvrClkr: Why not overclock?
@ coozie: Fullscreen

 

[OvrClkr]

Well if you can't play a decent game with your 275 (stock) you will not achieve anything by overclocking the card... First find what is causing the issue and once that has been taken care of then you can think about overclocking.....

 

[GamingNerd]

I'm here to fix the issue maybe?

 

[OvrClkr]

Well you are just going by what the software is telling you..... Not by what the GPU is actually doing, thats why I suggested you benchmark your GPU and compare it to others that have the same GPU as you... This way you will know if it is underperforming or not at stock speeds....

For example : my card runs flawless at 655/1200 but when I open CPU-Z it shows that it's actually running at 300/525... I personally know that this is a CPU-Z error and that my card is not running at that specific speed....

 

[GamingNerd]

MY GPU on the first day was running 100+ in L4D all maxed and then the second day (did not touch anything, nothing didn't even OC, download new driver, nothing) it went to 50 fps. Right now I reset my gpu and stuff and its back to 50 fps. ON NORMAL :/.

 

[coozie7]

@ GamingNerd: O.K., from the start, let's do the obvious and establish a stable baseline: Download the latest drivers direct from Nvidia (even if you already have them on disc, do it again to eliminate any possibility of a corrupt download or install). Download and install Drivercleaner or Driversweeper. Uninstall your overclocking software/s and remove any custom files. Uninstall the video drivers, removing any custom files or profiles. Restart in Safe Mode and run the driver cleaner program from there. CAUTION this software is not perfect, so examine every item before allowing the software to delete it. Reinstall the drivers and restart.
It may simply be a case of some residue from the previous card drivers causing this issue, especially if you have changed from an ATI card to the current Nvidia one. Whatever the history of your rig, a reinstall and driver sweep will not hurt and may cure the problem.

 

[DeW itt right]

@ coozie7: +1, great explanation. I paid for the pro version of DC.net and I use it constantly...

@ GamingNerd: If you can download and run 3DMark Vantage I'll be glad to compare the results with my GTX275 (being replaced with 2 GTX260's in the very near future)...