[SOLVED] How can I determine what's wrong with my GPU?

[Sonorr]

I have an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB video card (GV-N1060WF2OC-6GD ), which seems to have malfunctioned some weeks ago.
I used to be able to get 100+ fps on high settings in graphicswise non-incredible games, but from one day to the next, that dropped to barely getting 10 fps on low settings in the very same games that worked well the day before.

Drivers are updated. Ran multiple anti-malware tests (multiple softwares), nothing was found. Specifically added the games in windows to 'high perfromance' in 'graphics performance preference'. In NVIDIA control panel i've selected p'prefer maximum performance' for 'power management mode' and selected the videocard instead of 'auto' where applicable (opengl rendering gpu, physX, etc), even though it is the only GPU in my system (was thiking maybe it selected some integrated gpu all of the sudden). 'Advanced display settings' also show this GPU being used for all monitors.

What I noticed was that my GPU's load never went above even 10% (and was usually at around 2%) ingame, even though my CPU wasn't going over 20-30%, so it's not a bottleneck situation.
I tested OCCT, which was able to get my GPU's load to 100% in testing. During this, my CPU kept at about 30% load, GPU temp was staying around 80 degrees, so not overheating either.

What can I do to see what the issue is? I don't want to buy a new GPU to find out that it wasn't actually the problem, but I just can't see a way my current one could be working properly with this usage characteristic.

 

[Sonorr]

https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/48021856

It is a budget setup, but I am not looking to play the most graphically outstanding games, just things like World of Tanks, Age of Empires, that sort of things.
"This GPU can handle the majority of recent games but it will struggle with resolutions greater than 1080p at ultra detail levels. " I do not need either resolutions over 1080p or ultra details. I am perfectly happy with 1080p 60-90 fps on graphically not-so-challenging games, but even there I don't have that. (Age of Empires 2 homepage is lagging for example)

Update: I have foreseen the 8 days my PC was running coming up as a potential cause, so I removed power, restarted and generated new report, very similar results (main thing: gpu still underperforming)

https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/48022427

I also checked the BIOS during restart to ensure that XMP is enabled and it is (message at my RAM: "Ensure that the top XMP BIOS profile is enabled")

 

[Elezondo]

It sounds like you have XMP on but it’s not going to the The maximum listed, potential problem but not likely the source of your recent changes in performance. Similarly, for a freshly restarted computer, 7% background CPU is also high.
Did your game recently update and any settings change? You may want to try and uninstall drivers using DDU and then reinstall latest nvidia drivers.

 

[Eximo]

GPU is underperforming a little according to the benchmark, but nothing serious.

Some of your hard drives look like they are having a bad time. Have you checked for Malware? This could also explain the background CPU usage if the drives are trying to defrag.

B250 is limited to 2400 on the memory, so that is normal. If you have access to the memory timings you could maybe bring the timings down and get a little more performance.

 

[Sonorr]

It sounds like you have XMP on but it’s not going to the The maximum listed, potential problem but not likely the source of your recent changes in performance. Similarly, for a freshly restarted computer, 7% background CPU is also high.
Did your game recently update and any settings change? You may want to try and uninstall drivers using DDU and then reinstall latest nvidia drivers.

How can I check if XMP is not working as intended, or not reaching "true potential"?
Currently, sittingly idle my CPU usage is 2-3%. Not sure if the benchmark itself could've been responsible for the extra, or if it was some other startup application that was affecting it.
It is not just one game, first I thought it was game issue as there was an update that I first experienced after the issue (whatever it may be) happened, but there are multiple games that show unusual performance. For example Age of Empires 2 I have just installed, it's not a very graphics-heavy game, yet the homepage, the selection screen is having FPS issues.
I have just installed the newest nvidia drivers through geforce experience app, selecting clean install, which, if I read it correctly uninstalls drivers and installs new ones (my screens going black for the duration of the installation would suggest drivers had been uninstalled during the process)

 

[Sonorr]

GPU is underperforming a little according to the benchmark, but nothing serious.

Some of your hard drives look like they are having a bad time. Have you checked for Malware? This could also explain the background CPU usage if the drives are trying to defrag.

B250 is limited to 2400 on the memory, so that is normal. If you have access to the memory timings you could maybe bring the timings down and get a little more performance.

Yea, I've checked with multiple malware softwares, dr web cureit, kaspersky and avast, neither found any malwares.

My harddrives don't concern me that much, most are quite expected. The 2 WDs at the bottom (my passport and elements) are USB ones, the my passport is usb2, so that further justifies poor performance. The WD blue is my oldest drive, had been a main use drive for nearly a decade now, will be replaced by the toshiba. For games I'm using the 870QVO, which is doing very well, for OS the 850EVO which is perfectly fine too.

My CPU at the moment is around 2-3% not sure if the higher than expected was due to the benchmark software running or some startup application in the background, but this level seems normal for idle usage I think.

I'll look into the memory timings, but that still doesn't really explain why my GPU is performing at like 2-7% load ingame, while i'm having sub 10 fps. My ram sticks are older than this issue.

 

[Eximo]

Try other GPU benchmarks to see if they work. Unigine Valley/Heaven, 3D Mark Firestrike. Userbenchmark seems to think it can handle itself.

 

[RodroX]

Are the two memory stick on slots 2 and 4 strating from the cpu and counting to the right?

Also I suggest you try and unplug all the USB drivers and then turn off the PC. Then turn ON again and try gaming and/or userbenchmark without all those USB drives present.

And it would not hurt to check GPU temp while gaming,

Do you have a good air-flow case?, If GPU temps are high, Have you tried to play games with the side panel off?

 

[Elezondo]

When gaming, do you have discord or a web browser open? If yes, are they set to use hardware acceleration?