I Think My System is Under Performing

[soupkup]

Hi All,

First off I am by no means a PC expert, but I am trying to learn and understand more. Here is my current setup:

i7 7700k w Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
GTX 1070
16GB of RAM
ASUS Prime z270a Mobo
Alienware 240hz Gsync Monitor

I believe my system is under performing but for the life of me I can't figure out why. I've looked at benchmarking videos for multiple games I play (BF1, PUBG, Fortnite) and in every video it seems that my CPU percentage is around doubled.

I looked at other guides on the site and what I have tried so far is unparking my cores and making sure that my RAM is slotted into the recommended spots according to my mobo manual. Those two things seemed to help others, but I don't think it has helped me. I'm not sure if there's any settings in my BIOS that needs to be changed, I haven't changed that because I'm not sure what I would look to change. I'm completely open to running tests in order to make sure things are running how they are supposed to.

This becomes a problem for me when I look to stream these games. I'm aware that streaming is a cpu intensive activity; however, I believe my 7700k should be able to handle it. If it cannot, then I am looking forward to learning! And of course all of my comparisons to the benchmark videos were done while not streaming with only the game open. Any help, recommendations, or education on what is going on would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

 

[Frag Maniac]

It would help if you'd mention what clock speed your CPU is running at, what speed RAM you have, and how your FPS on the games mentioned compares to others. Also what PSU are you running?

You should also keep an eye on temps as well, and make sure you measure usage with a tool like MSI Afterburner WHILE playing with CPU/GPU usage enabled onscreen.

 

[soupkup]

It would help if you'd mention what clock speed your CPU is running at, what speed RAM you have, and how your FPS on the games mentioned compares to others. Also what PSU are you running?

You should also keep an eye on temps as well, and make sure you measure usage with a tool like MSI Afterburner WHILE playing with CPU/GPU usage enabled onscreen.

Thank you so much for your reply! I am sorry this is my first post, so I'm happy to include whatever I need to, to help find a solution. In my bios settings my CPU is set to stock which I believe is 4.2 Ghz; however, I believe there is a turbo mode that goes to 4.5. Whenever I open the task manager and check under performance it displays 4.49GHz as my speed. I believe my RAM is at 2133 MHz; however, I would have to run a program to confirm that. My CPU temps range from 60c-70c in game. My PSU is the EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W power supply. In terms of FPS I would have to record those numbers before I could post them accurately here.

 

[Frag Maniac]

You can check RAM speed in your MB BIOS. Also make sure XMP is enabled to get your RAM to run at it's full rated speed. Temps are good, as is PSU.

No need to record any games to get an idea of what the FPS is, you can do that just with MSI Afterburner. The only reason I mentioned paying attention to how your FPS compares is because you only mentioned your CPU usage in terms of comparing to videos you saw.

I suggest you link to the bench videos you're comparing to. They could be using a more modern CPU with more cores that's overclocked for all I know. When I run the Ghost Recon Wildlands in game benchmark my 8700k CPU usage is under 30%, while my 1080 is 90% or more.

The new CPUs can easily handle pretty much any game without a sweat. It also depends a lot on the game tested as to how much CPU usage you'll see. When you start making comparisons you need to take a lot of factors into account. I'm just trying to make sure you aren't over reacting to what you saw.

 

[soupkup]

You can check RAM speed in your MB BIOS. Also make sure XMP is enabled to get your RAM to run at it's full rated speed. Temps are good, as is PSU.

No need to record any games to get an idea of what the FPS is, you can do that just with MSI Afterburner. The only reason I mentioned paying attention to how your FPS compares is because you only mentioned your CPU usage in terms of comparing to videos you saw.

I suggest you link to the bench videos you're comparing to. They could be using a more modern CPU with more cores that's overclocked for all I know. When I run the Ghost Recon Wildlands in game benchmark my 8700k CPU usage is under 30%, while my 1080 is 90% or more.

The new CPUs can easily handle pretty much any game without a sweat. It also depends a lot on the game tested as to how much CPU usage you'll see. When you start making comparisons you need to take a lot of factors into account. I'm just trying to make sure you aren't over reacting to what you saw.

These are the two videos I was comparing to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gHWeAM7mgc&t=163s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJAAtN-lpHI&t=1032s

I definitely may be over reacting, but if there is something that would help leave some CPU usage for streaming that would be awesome! I seem to be getting pretty similar FPS marks as the videos. I know that PUBG is wonky; however, on Miramar on medium settings my CPU sits more around 60%-70%. On BF1 at ultra settings my CPU sits at 80%-95%.On both games the GPU % stays near maxed out.

I checked my RAM speed in my BIOS and it was indeed at 2133 MHz. When I went to turn on XMP it gave me a warning to make sure I have adequate cooling for my CPU. I'm assuming that XMP doesn't only affect my RAM? If so, will I be safe to turn it on with my air cooler?

Update: When I turn on XMP it asks me if I also want to turn on the "all core enhancement" and to ensure I have adequate processor cooling. I think I can turn on XMP without having to turn on the "all core enhancement." But please let me know what I should try!

Again thank you so much for the help my man, I really do appreciate it so much!

 

[soupkup]

After running some tests it does not seem that XMP affected my CPU % alone. BF1 still ran from 85%-100% CPU staying around 92%. The "all core enhancement" seemed to give me a slight boost in CPU % (around 5%) but my temps were in the 70C-80C range.

 

[Frag Maniac]

That's just a warning on the XMP setting in case you change settings other than XMP. In other words the BIOS first recognizes it as setting it to something other than Auto. It's a lot like getting a form letter that doesn't apply. As long as you only put it in XMP mode, all it will do is make your RAM run at it's rated speed. Otherwise it will only run at the lowest speed the MB supports, which is 2133. It would help had you fully listed your spec, including RAM model number. Then I'd know what it's rated speed is.

BTW, I meant to clarify that Ghost Recon Wildlands only has extremely low CPU usage in the in game bench. It's because all it involves is a fly through of a certain part of the map, with no AI at all. AI is one of the things CPUs handle. Once you get in game the CPU usage goes up to more like 60%. The reason I gave this example is you'll see a lot of YouTube videos benching hardware on such in game benches, but they are not a very good way to bench a CPU due to what I described above.

DO NOT turn on all core enhancement, as it boosts the CPU and you need better cooling for that. Hence the BIOS warning, which you should have paid attention to. I also never trust any MB feature that auto overclocks, as it usually applies way too much voltage. Just disable it and it should go back to default CPU speed, but keep XMP enabled.

Your CPU usage is indeed high and I'm not sure even a difference in settings from the videos you posted would account for it. Did you install the Hyper 212 EVO or someone else? It's not a bad cooler, but it seems to me it should do better than 70c load on the games you mentioned. What case do you have though?

 

[soupkup]

That's just a warning on the XMP setting in case you change settings other than XMP. In other words the BIOS first recognizes it as setting it to something other than Auto. It's a lot like getting a form letter that doesn't apply. As long as you only put it in XMP mode, all it will do is make your RAM run at it's rated speed. Otherwise it will only run at the lowest speed the MB supports, which is 2133. It would help had you fully listed your spec, including RAM model number. Then I'd know what it's rated speed is.

BTW, I meant to clarify that Ghost Recon Wildlands only has extremely low CPU usage in the in game bench. It's because all it involves is a fly through of a certain part of the map, with no AI at all. AI is one of the things CPUs handle. Once you get in game the CPU usage goes up to more like 60%. The reason I gave this example is you'll see a lot of YouTube videos benching hardware on such in game benches, but they are not a very good way to bench a CPU due to what I described above.

DO NOT turn on all core enhancement, as it boosts the CPU and you need better cooling for that. Hence the BIOS warning, which you should have paid attention to. I also never trust any MB feature that auto overclocks, as it usually applies way too much voltage. Just disable it and it should go back to default CPU speed, but keep XMP enabled.

Your CPU usage is indeed high and I'm not sure even a difference in settings from the videos you posted would account for it. Did you install the Hyper 212 EVO or someone else? It's not a bad cooler, but it seems to me it should do better than 70c load on the games you mentioned. What case do you have though?

Here is my part list:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XCwmQZ

I may have messed up my verbage. They weren't running through actual benchmarks in the videos. Just going through some games with their system being monitored. And I compared my stats to theirs.

I believe my RAM is supposed to run at 2133. I don't think that should limit my CPU, but please let me know if I'm wrong! I installed the cooler myself, and it was also my first time working with thermal paste. I used the "pea" method but I was scared not to ruin anything so I possibly maybe put too little paste? Besides that I don't know what to look for when trouble shooting the cooler, I believe everything is setup how it's supposed to be but let me know and I'd be happy to look at it. I wanted to avoid having to take the cooler off, clean up the CPU, and reapply paste but if it is going to make a difference I'm happy to do it!

 

[Frag Maniac]

Anyone can run a benchmark just by playing a game and monitoring stats with a good tool like Afterburner. So those videos you posted technically were bench videos.

If your RAM says 2133 on it, then that's it's speed. All RAM modules have a sticker on them with the specs listed. Did you buy a dual channel kit and install them in the proper slots for dual channel use though? Reason I ask is in the list you show them as two separate single modules.

To a degree, RAM speed and dual channel vs single channel mode can affect how well your CPU performs. It's mostly noticeable in CPU demanding games and high resolution monitors. It's because the CPU uses the RAM to store rendering data before it's sent to the GPU.

Truth be told your RAM is potentially the one component of the most important 3 for gaming that could be causing a bottleneck. The most important in order of importance are GPU, CPU, and RAM.

As long as you used an actual pea size squirt of thermal paste and placed it in the center of the CPU, and tightened each screw down snugly, the paste should be alright. The 200R works best with a few fans added, as stock it only comes with 1 rear and 1 front fan. Maybe try adding another front fan, a top fan for exhaust, and if it will clear your CPU cooler, one on the upper side panel vent for intake.

This could be a combination of your RAM speed and temps, but it also matters if you are comparing the exact same parts of the games played in those videos. I noticed the 2nd video you posted shows quite a bit more usage fluctuation and a much lower CPU usage, dipping as low as 35%.