GTX 970 ACX2.0 Clock issues!

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AaronW95

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Jan 25, 2015
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CPU: AMD FX8320 OC'D TO 4.0GHZ- HYPER 103 COOLER
GPU: EVGA GTX 970 ACX2.0 SC EDITION
MOBO: GIGABYTE 78LMT-USB3 REV 5.0
RAM: 8GB HYPERX
CASE: ZALMAN Z11 PLUS
PSU: ZALMAN PSZ-660XT 660W

Basically, I play a game (any game) and my clocks speeds will hit 3505Mhz (GPU) then around 20 minutes in they'll drop to 3004Mhz. It won't let me overclock it either. But if I reboot my computer, it'll go back up to 3505Mhz. If I stay on the desktop(after a reboot) it'll remain at 3505Mhz but when I play a game for around 20mins it will instantly drop to 3004Mhz. It's as if it's locked, not too sure what I can do, really struggling as to what this is...
 
Solution
A
Don't worry, I know your frustration. I literally reinstalled Windows. I upgraded from Windows 7 to 8.1 I think somewhere in power settings was an issue but I even changed those and it was still happening. All I did was reinstall Windows and it works perfectly. I can't tell you the issue because no one on these forums could put their finger on it themselves. Before returning or creating a long and dreadful troubleshoot process, give Windows a reinstall and hopefully it will solve your issue like it did mine.
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It sounds fully like thermal throttling where the card downclocks when it gets too hot to prevent damage to itself.

Use MSI Afterburner to monitor the temperature of the card when the clock speed drops. If the temp peaks, it clearly shows thermal throttling is the issue.

To fix thermal throttling:
1) ensure case has ample airflow with enough case fans to blow air over the gpu
2) Ensure the GPU is clean by using a can of compressed air to blow out the fans and heatsinks
3) Ensure GPU fan profile is set to standard or default.
 
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Temps are fine, they're running at around 65c no higher than 70c and we all know this can handle around 90c. This is nothing to do with temps, that's why I'm so baffled. I even turned my GPU fans up to 50% and was achieving 50c and it was still underclocked.
 
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~ 3500 MHz is normal, but dropping down to ~3000 MHz is some sort of throttling. What is your GPU usage and core clock speed while gaming when the memory slows down? I'm trying to check if your AMD FX CPU is causing a bottleneck. You might also be playing a less demanding game and the card is slowing itself down due to the lack of GPU usage.
 
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Playing Advanced Warfare.
http://i.imgur.com/ohFLdKM.jpg - 3500Mhz clock
http://i.imgur.com/3FumkEu.jpg - Exact same scene at 3005Mhz after I tabbed in from taking the screenshot.

GPU usage is at full load and core clock speed is at 1380. It's as if the memory clock completely freezes, It won't let me overclock or anything, but if i restart my computer it returns to 3505Mhz and I can overclock it then, tried earlier with 4000Mhz and it did the same thing about 20mins later.
 
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MSI afterburner for in game then CPUZ-Z and HWmonitor in the background. Could this be as simple as reinstalling Windows? Or do you think this is GPU specific? Because I'll send it back to Amazon otherwise.
 
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If its only the memory clock jumping around, while the GPU clocks remain stable, that is definitely not normal/expected behavior. Those clocks should be in sync with each other, and if anything, the memory would stay the same while the GPU goes up and down. I would say its grounds for an RMA, or at least a call to customer support.
 
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Got another card today, same one. It's doing the same thing. I've just upgraded to Windows 8.1 to see if it was actually Windows doing this but I've got to wait for my game to install. I'll reply back tomorrow and let you know how things go.
 
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I THINK it's fixed. When I exited a game the clock speed would stay at 3005Mhz as now it varies upon what I do whether it's a game or whether it's browsing a video on YouTube. Got to be one of the strangest things I've come across with a GPU. Managed to play a whole level of Advanced Warfare with FPS's of 90 - 150 (depending on how many enemies and objects etc)
 
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If you don't mind, or to anyone who'll be able to read this message, can you tell me exactly how is it that windows was the problem? And how did you go about resolving the issue? Please, I'm extremely frustrated, I've been in contact with MSI Techs for over a week now, and still no solution. I do have the same issue. My MSI 970 4g gaming downclocks its memory to 3005mhz. Please, elaborate on how you're able to make it work "perfectly" again. And to all others who'll be able to read this, please lend a hand.

P.S.
I intentionally didn't start a new thread, since we have the same issue, however, the answers provided in this thread aren't much of a help. Please lend a helping hand. I'm a gaming enthusiast, but, somehow, a novice when it comes to troubleshooting.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Don't worry, I know your frustration. I literally reinstalled Windows. I upgraded from Windows 7 to 8.1 I think somewhere in power settings was an issue but I even changed those and it was still happening. All I did was reinstall Windows and it works perfectly. I can't tell you the issue because no one on these forums could put their finger on it themselves. Before returning or creating a long and dreadful troubleshoot process, give Windows a reinstall and hopefully it will solve your issue like it did mine.
 
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Solution


As much as I'd like to reinstall my OS, most of my games are downloaded, which after installing, gets deleted to save space. And it's almost 250gb+ worth of games (you know how large the files of games are nowadays)

I was wondering if there'd be another way? Sorry if I might be a little stubborn. I hope you understand.

Thanks in advance,
 
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