GTX 970 Low Usage?

[Downies]

Hello! I just recently bought a gtx 970. I decided to launch it up and benchmark some games. When I did I noticed my GPU usage not getting up to the 90's and only staying in the range of 50-80 and it fluctuates. I do not know what is causing it and am starting to believe Nvidia has garbage drivers set out for it right now. I have no clue what could be causing this.

What I have tried:
-Ran PC in safe mode and used DDU
-Downgraded to multiple driver versions

Specs:
AMD FX 8350
EVGA Superclocked GTX 970
Corsair 750m PSU
Gigabyte ga-78lmt-usb3 Motherboard
8gb Ram
Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

 

[Sig2525]

what were you playing??

 

[Downies]

what were you playing??

Battlefeild 4, Far Cry 4, Assassins Creed 3, Etc.
I can post a picture of the charts on MSI Afterburner if you like after I play one of them.

 

[Sig2525]

let me guess you get the most fluctuation on AC 3 and Farcry 4 and less on Battlefield 4.

i understand about the fluctuations on AC3 and Farcry 4 cuz AC 3 has bad port for PC you can search for a patch to fix it. Also for Farcry 4 there is a fix for the fluctuations and black screen.

as for battlefield 4 the game is perfect for your FX-8350 and gtx 970

anymore than that.. i have no more 😀

 

[neieus]

Now that is strange I have an 8320 over clocked and the same gpu but my GPU usage is always 95+ in far cry 4.

 

[Downies]

Now that is strange I have an 8320 over clocked and the same gpu but my GPU usage is always 95+ in far cry 4.

Yeah this is getting worse. I played BF4 and was only getting about 40-60 Usage

 

[Downies]

Also just throwing this out there. I just recently upgraded from an FX 6300 to an 8350. Are the drivers from the 6300 doing anything?

 

[Sig2525]

try patching your games to latest version and applying fix found on the internet. 😀

 

[Downies]

try patching your games to latest version and applying fix found on the internet. 😀

All games are up to date. Also what do you mean by fix found on the internet 😛

 

[Sig2525]

http://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/2mt8fy/nvidia_users_who_stutter_in_far_cry_4_everyone/

 

[Downies]

Yeah I tried that but this issue doesn't seem to be only with Far Cry 4 🙁

 

[Sig2525]

but did it (the fix) reduce some fluctuations on farcry 4?.. how bout battlefield 4 are you gaming on multiplayer? about AC3 it really is just a bad PC port especially when you go to boston even at lowest settings you'll get a 30FPS dip.

 

[Downies]

Didn't notice too much of a difference. Usually when I play multiplayer or even campaign on BF4 it still has low usage. Just am really confused as to why its doing this. :/

 

[neieus]

And this is happening only with these three games? Have you tried any others?

 

[Downies]

And this is happening only with these three games? Have you tried any others?

Yeah this happens in almost every demanding game I own (Max Payne 3, the Forest, Borderlands 2, and War Thunder)

 

[Sig2525]

i guess its time to overclock that fx-8350 😀

just kidding but its worth a try.

 

[Downies]

i guess its time to overclock that fx-8350 😀

just kidding but its worth a try.

I would but my I am pretty comfortable with where my temps are at the moment 😛

 

[unknownofprob]

Gigabyte ga-78lmt-usb3 Motherboard <- That sounds like your problem.

The 760G chipset is not really meant for FX 8-Core CPU's, and even though it shows it on the support list it really isn't the best match at all. That particular motherboard has poor power and thermal designs, so the CPU can be unstable and have temperature issues. I would get a motherboard such as the Gigabyte 970A-UD3P or higher.

"i guess its time to overclock that fx-8350"

@ Sig2525 - Not a chance with that motherboard.

 

[Sig2525]

Was just kidding sir. 😀 - did not notice to see the specs of that motherboard.

 

[unknownofprob]

@ OP - don't just buy a motherboard we need to know the stability of the CPU along with CPU usage first to verify if it's the problem.

Could you run prime95 for around 30-40 minutes and tell us temps / if any abnormal activity / usage.

 

[Downies]

Gigabyte ga-78lmt-usb3 Motherboard <- That sounds like your problem.

The 760G chipset is not really meant for FX 8-Core CPU's, and even though it shows it on the support list it really isn't the best match at all. That particular motherboard has poor power and thermal designs, so the CPU can be unstable and have temperature issues. I would get a motherboard such as the Gigabyte 970A-UD3P or higher.

"i guess its time to overclock that fx-8350"

@ Sig2525 - Not a chance with that motherboard.

So basically I just need to upgradee my motherboard to fix this issue?

 

[unknownofprob]

Check the above, we need to make sure it is first.

 

[Downies]

Check the above, we need to make sure it is first.

Yeah my best bet is to see whats going to come around with nvidia and see if any drivers or anything are released because if I google search this issue I am not the only one. I always had doubts on this motherboard I have had because it is very low quality due to the fact of my pc starting off to be a budget build and I kind of moved up from there. If nothing changes then down the road im gonna be due to for an upgrade.

 

[unknownofprob]

If you want a motherboard that's really special then an ASRock 990FX Extreme9 would be a treat for that CPU.

 

[Downies]

If you want a motherboard that's really special then an ASRock 990FX Extreme9 would be a treat for that CPU.

Sure thing. Thanks for the help!