[SOLVED] Low CPU usage, High GPU usage, Lower frames, Help!

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Jun 11, 2020
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I have a 1070 ti paired with a i5 9600k and 16 gb 3000mhz of corsair vengeance ram. I built my pc and as long as I could remember I was capped at 120 fps for some odd reason never being able to get above it, then I reset my windows and the lock went away, but my fps are still severely lower than what they should be. I have a 144hz monitor and my gpu should be able to reach that framerate easily, but my fps hover around 110-120. I have tried everything I could find for fixes to low cpu usage so now I present my problem. My gpu is at 100% most of the time at a safe 70ish degrees celsius, but my cpu is at 60 degrees and is basically below 40% usage the entire time I'm gaming, sometimes dropping to low 20s. I have also ruled out any sort of bottleneck because my friend has the same pc as me but with an rtx 2060 and he got 300 fps right after the build was complete. Something is definitely wrong and I literally have no Idea why this is happening, it would be greatly appreciated if someone could shine some light on my situation.
 
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if I have low cpu usage and high gpu usage that indicates a gpu bottleneck,
No, Usage is the amount of resources used to render a frame, not the ability of the cpu/gpu. The only time usage matters is when something is at 100%, as that means there's a shortage of resources and the cpu/gpu is forced to wait on resources to become available, which lowers fps. Otherwise usage means realistically nothing.

Think of it like putting a nail into wood. You swing the hammer as fast as you can. But you do not use your entire body, all your strength to swing a 22oz hammer. Just a little bit of arm strength. You could use a 2lb mini-sledge to do the same job, just as fast, but usage would require more strength. Fps is the amount of nails per...
Jun 11, 2020
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2x8 gb and is definitely running at 3000mhz, it was running lower a few days ago but I made sure it was clocked up to 3000 in the bios, as for the ghz it runs 4.2 at around 60 degrees C while gaming.
The rest of my pc is just a evga 650w psu and an asrock z390 phantom gaming 4 mobo.
 
Jun 11, 2020
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my settings are all on low at least in my main game(overwatch), I havent tried lowering my resolution but with a 1070 ti I really figure I shouldnt have to, right?
 
my settings are all on low at least in my main game(overwatch), I havent tried lowering my resolution but with a 1070 ti I really figure I shouldnt have to, right?

What resolution are you playing at

and you cant rule out a bottleneck comparing the 2060 to the 1070. Yes I see videos on youtube using the i5 9600k and the 1070 ti at 90-120fps on low settings, but that doesnt always mean you will get those same results.
 

Karadjgne

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Fps is all about the cpu. It takes the game files and pre-renders all that info into a frame according to IPC, clock speeds etc. It'll do so at 100% ability, the amount of fully pre-rendered frames in a second is your fps cap. This has nothing to do with usage. Usage is the amount of resources the cpu is required to use, ram or cores or Lcache etc to complete a frame. Doesn't make a difference if it's 20% of available resources or 80%, it's what gets used. There's a difference between how much a cpu uses and how much of a cpu is used.

Resolution and graphics detail settings, post processing affects etc has nothing to do with the cpu. That's all gpu. The gpu takes the pre-rendered frames sent from the cpu and finish renders them according to resolution and details. The amount of frames completed is fps on screen. This number can be same or lower than cpu fps, bet never higher, since a gpu can only work with whatever the cpu sends.

Basically ignore usage, it's a useless value for the most part. In your game settings, enable maximum settings preset. Then go back in and disable all pre-processing affects, like name tags or anything else that's bound to the cpu from game code. AA is a post-processing affect from gpu. This has the affect of giving the heaviest load possible on the gpu and the lightest load possible on the cpu, which equals maximum fps cap. Check fps count. Replay the same scene, but this time manually set all remaining details to disabled/lowest settings. This is lightest load on gpu, lightest load on cpu. Check the fps count.

If fps barely moved at all, then gpu detail settings are irrelevant, the cpu is capped at that level of output.
If fps makes pretty drastic changes, then the gpu cannot paint on screen the limit of frames sent from the cpu.

This'll give you a direction to start looking, whether at what's eating cpu ability or gpu outputs.

You can also get online and lookup tweeks. There's a lot of bs settings in the game and windows (Xbox DVR, game helper). Things like cloud detailing can greatly affect the gpu and yet the visual detailing is so small as to be generally no real difference between medium and ultra.
 
Jun 11, 2020
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What resolution are you playing at

and you cant rule out a bottleneck comparing the 2060 to the 1070. Yes I see videos on youtube using the i5 9600k and the 1070 ti at 90-120fps on low settings, but that doesnt always mean you will get those same results.
I play on 1080p, but idk how there could be a bottleneck, if I have low cpu usage and high gpu usage that indicates a gpu bottleneck, but I don't see how I could have a gpu bottleneck when its a 1070 ti paired with an i5. A 1070 ti should be more than enough to push 144+ frames on a game like overwatch on low settings, so I really just dont understand
 

Karadjgne

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if I have low cpu usage and high gpu usage that indicates a gpu bottleneck,
No, Usage is the amount of resources used to render a frame, not the ability of the cpu/gpu. The only time usage matters is when something is at 100%, as that means there's a shortage of resources and the cpu/gpu is forced to wait on resources to become available, which lowers fps. Otherwise usage means realistically nothing.

Think of it like putting a nail into wood. You swing the hammer as fast as you can. But you do not use your entire body, all your strength to swing a 22oz hammer. Just a little bit of arm strength. You could use a 2lb mini-sledge to do the same job, just as fast, but usage would require more strength. Fps is the amount of nails per minute, usage is how much strength you gotta use to do so. If the sledge was a 12lb mallet, then that'd be 100% usage, all your strength, but you'd hit less nails as it'd require a 2 handed, overhead swing, not a fast rap with a lighter hammer.
A 1070 ti should be more than enough to push 144+ frames on a game like overwatch on low settings
Being on low only matters if you have a weak gpu. You don't, so detail settings shouldn't affect fps unless you have something really wrong. Are you using Geforce Experience? Is it set for a 4k DSR?
 
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Being on low only matters if you have a weak gpu. You don't, so detail settings shouldn't affect fps unless you have something really wrong. Are you using Geforce Experience? Is it set for a 4k DSR?

Yea in some games for me, raising the textures to higher textures results in more fps. Its a rare occasion but it does happen. Specifically in Rust.

So yea thatd be something to try, but if his gpu is already at 100% I dont think hes going to magically gain upwards of 80fps as he said he was dropping as low as 20fps.

It honestly, on the surface just seems and looks like his gpu is just not capable of taking what the cpu wants to give it. The cpu COULD give it more but the gpu is already at 100%, which is just what it SEEMS like. But I dont even think the cpu usage for the game hes playing is even low. 40% seems about right.
 
I play on 1080p, but idk how there could be a bottleneck, if I have low cpu usage and high gpu usage that indicates a gpu bottleneck, but I don't see how I could have a gpu bottleneck when its a 1070 ti paired with an i5. A 1070 ti should be more than enough to push 144+ frames on a game like overwatch on low settings, so I really just dont understand
Check your graphics settings for Overwatch and make sure you didn't increase resolution scaling past 100%. When I used to play Overwatch on my i7-2600K with a GTX 1070, I could get up to 240fps depending on the map, but usually saw around 120-150fps with max settings at 1080p.

What other games have you tried that also have low fps? Is it just Overwatch?
 
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