Low FPS on $3900 overkill computer?

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CrystalArcane

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Nov 2, 2013
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Hi all,

I recently purchased my 'dream' machine (she's not quite done just yet) and I've installed Windows 64-bit, drivers, updates a million times over. I starting playing my League of Legends on it, noticing that with default settings, I was getting quite good FPS 70s-80s and thinking it could handle it, bumbped it up to the highest settings possible. Massive drop in FPS probably lucky to get 40s-50s atleast at a stable rate.

Thinking it was my ping, ISP etc. I updated some drivers and made sure that my ethernet cable was not the problem (atleast I hope). Nothing. I began playing Skyrim a few days ago and, again, thinking it could handle the highest settings, bumped it up to Ultra, since most good quality $1500-$2000 computers can run Skyrim no sweat. Same answer.

Low, jittery FPS and this time I was certain that my computer is the problem, as Skyrim does not connect online. I successfully (I think, first time overclocking) OC'd my CPU from 3.4 to 4.5Ghz, which was rated lowest by WEI (even though that means nothing).

I'm beginning to think that my Graphics card cannot handle the games I am playing however it is a very new model designed to take things to the max. This is my build so far, if you have any comments or questions that could help me out, that'd be great! I just want my dream computer to run how it should!

--------
CPU: 1 x Intel Core i7 4930K Processor @4.5Ghx (From 3.4Ghz)
MoBo: ASUS P9X79 WS LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
RAM/Memory: Corsair CML16GX3M2A1600C10B Corsair 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3, 1600MHz, 10-10-10-27
SSD: Samsung 256GB 2.5-inch SSD 840 Pro Series
HDD: Seagate Constellation CS ST3000NC000 3.5" 3TB Enterprise
GPU: ASUS GTX780 OC Edition (GTX780-DC2OC-3GD5)
Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance CPU Cooler
PSU: Seasonic 1250w Power Supply Unit

And not that it matters:
SC: Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D THX PCIE Fatal1ty Pro Sound Card
CC: NZXT Phantom 820 White Steel/Plastic ATX Full Tower
CD/DVD Drive: Liteon 24X SATA Dual Layer DVD-Rewriter - BLACK - OEM With Nero
-------

It'd be great if I could get an expert(s) opinion on what may be bottlenecking my computer or why it is not running how it should. I can try out more games if anybody thinks that those particular games are the problem. Before any questions on why I bought such an expensive computer it's because I have had strings of terrible computers in the past and wanted to be able to do anything at the highest quality with great frames without a problem. Seems that didn't work out now did it? Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any information to help me out. Thanks.
 
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GPU frequency:
Click the icon in the LOWER LEFT of Asus' GPU Tweak utility.

(You shouldn't be overclocking your graphics card necessarily. Your performance is so low something else is going on. Confirm your GPU frequency as I discussed and see if it's stuck too low.)

Set your GPU back to its default frequency for now.
 
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IDK why , but know I am starting to think you have a bad install of Skyrim. Try reinstalling the game. If it doesn't help , inform the seller of these parts about what has been happening. Then try to call a local computer guy ( from a reputable store if possible ) Ask him to try to test. If he can help you with the issue . good. Else run the stress testes your self and find whats wrong.
Stress Test -
CPU - IBT - http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Benchmarks/IntelBurnTest.shtml
GPU - 3DMark ( can post and compare results with others too ) - http://www.futuremark.com/support/downloads
RAM - MemTest - http://www.memtest86.com

In 3DMark , run all tests and make sure FPS are above 75 in any test except Physics , where it should be around 50.
In IBT , run 20 runs and check for consistency. If there is a difference of no more than 2.5-4 in every test , CPU is fine. Read the manual , it really helps for this app.
IDK about MemTest , its just that I've heard.

Anyways , bout OCing , the GTX 780 is a poor OCer , dont take i above 1000MHz on either base or boost clocks in terms of core clock. I would stay below 950 TBH , as its a expensive GPU , one I wouldnt like to mess a lot with................
 
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Wait , you said BOTH , that means you are using two monitors ??
If thats true , you ought to get low FPS...............

Even a GTX 690 will sort of struggle with dual 1080p monitors , forget your 780..........
I think you spent a lot on those fancy SSDs , PSUs , even the CPU , RAM and mobo , now you will have to pay for that.................
 
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I have tried using both monitors by themselves. Both the one connected via HDMI and the one connected by DVI result in no rise in FPS. I should not have to get another Gtx 780 to lift this rig off of the ground, one of my friends has a worse setup with a single 780 and can run Skyrim on Ultra at about 100-120 FPS so I see no reason that the 78 could not surpass that. I believe that the 780 is broken, I will report this information to the seller and ask for another 780 after returning this one as well. I am going to do some last tests to pull at strings but I'm not getting my fingers crossed. Will reinstall but I doubt it'll make a difference. as LoL appears to follow the same pattern.
 
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Maybe I'm overlooking something because I see no 'GPU Frequency' anyway in the GPU Tweak software. There are three buttons: 'Advanced/Basic', 'Monitor' and 'Benchmark'. 'Benchmark says 'Cannot open application!', Monitor just shows CPU Usage etc. and the 'Basic/Advanced' button just removes some options that were already in clear view. Unless of course you mean the GPU Info setting, in which case you'd have to point out where the frequency is displayed because I cannot determine it for myself.
 
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Can you please , please upload pics of the PC from inside ? I would appreciate that.

Also a broken GPU wouldn't have booted in the first place.
My only concern now are the mainboard ( faulty lanes , wrong connection , etc ) , GPU ( underclocking itself ) and CPU ( disabled cores )
 
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Sure, but I don't know if you can diagnose the cord connections just by observing my computer through half-decent photos from my phone.

-----

 
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I'll try. Put em up and link it or post it :)
 
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http://

EDIT: I tested the GPU on another thread and there was no change, I borrowed a friend's gtx 590 and I had around the same fps, probably a little les as the card is worse. I also installed Skyrim onto my HDD to no avail and ran Memtest for 6 hours, I got a lot of errors (red information) but couldn't record any info as it crashed.
 
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Huh, maybe it is. Where can I go from here? Should I use Memtest again and take a photo of the results along the way so that we know what's going on? Or can we already fix it using something else? Furthermore, is it a hardware or a driver issue? I am awful with memory.

EDIT I captures the settings in CPU-Z and they are as follows:

http://

Do I need to reset any settings for memory in the BIOS? What settings should I have? Do I need to test the motherboard Memory slots and the RAM sticks separately? Maybe it's just a timings issue.

*EDIT: Ran Memtest for 4 hours after moving RAM sticks into alternate spot and have received no errors so far
 
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Hmm , I am now thinking its a bad memory controller ( which is in the CPU ) or the memory slot of the motherboard then.
Generally if it boots up , mem is fine. Try gaming with memory on these slots then.
Also your running dual channel memory BTW. It should have been quad channel. I mean you should have 4 slots occupied. Could be reason you failing , but I really dont think so..........
I seriously think you should try a checkup. What happened to 3DMark ? Did ya try ? It can seriously help to know if the GPUs wrong ( by comparing GPU score to other's score with the same GPU ) And dont forget IntelBurnTest ( IBT ) thse two tests are also pretty important. It will help to know the culprit.
 
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Ran IBT for 15 hours and got this as a result:
http://

On the phone to the guys that organised the parts for me right now and seeing what's going on.

EDIT: They wanted me to downgrade to direct x 10, but 11 is backwards-compatible with the older versions, right? Then he wanted me to screencap my Skyrim settings and GPU specs, as if he didn't already know.
 
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3D Mark:
Ice Storm: 200+ pretty much constantly, reaching 300 frequently Physx was about 15-25 FPS
Cloud Gate: 50-100 FPS, dropping below 75 frequently - bad AA, lots of jumping edges. 2nd graphics test was above 150FPS at times. Physx was 1.5-7 FPS
Fire Strike: 2-10 FPS, 2nd test: 15-29 FPS 33 towards end, 3rd test: 16-27 FPS. Physx: 1.9-2.3FPS combined test: 1.9-5 FPS
 
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(PRINT ME?)

Hi again,
I still think you have a problem with the GPU stuck in 2D mode, however your MEMORY ERRORS probably resulted in severe data corruption especially if you had them when you installed Windows.

I apologize if I suggest something already tried. I have difficulties with reading computer screens and can easily skip things.

BIOS UPDATE:
*Here's what the motherboard site says about the latest BIOS from last month:
"BIOS 4404 for P9X79 WS released to public
1. Improved system compatibility.
2. Fix compatibility for Kinesis Anvantage USB keyboard.
3. Improve compatibility for multi-core CPU.
4. Patch compatibility for some Kingston modules.
5. Update IRST OpRom to 3.8.0.1029.

*If your BIOS version is 1305 or older: Go to BIOS-Utilities to download and install the BIOS Converter utility before updating the BIOS."

(I may have missed it, but I saw no mention of you updating the BIOS recently).

I think you really need to REINSTALL WINDOWS. I suggest you PRINT THIS for ease of reference. I'll stay with you to resolve this as long as you keep this alive or you PM me if you want one-on-one help.

Memory comment:
*usually when you have TWO STICKS, the motherboard manual suggests two specific slots to be used such as the BLUE ones but not the BLACK ONES. I suppose this might be different between motherboards. As long as you have good performance and no errors, but look at the motherboard manual again to see what it says in regards to which slots to use.

Two sticks should be in:
B1 and D1 (page 2-5)

*If you have a SPARE DRIVE, then do THIS:
1) Hookup ONLY the spare drive and DVD drive
2) Install Windows as per below (but don't install any programs you don't need yet)
3) DO NOT ACTIVATE!

If you do so, carefully backup any data etc.

REINSTALL WINDOWS:

1. Copy any data to an external drive or disc.
2. Write down any passwords.
3. Write down the names of programs you wish to reinstall.
4. MOVE your Steam folder data so you don't have to reinstall it.
*I can LINK you to the Steam site that explains this. For now you can just copy/paste unless it's already on a secondary partition.

5. Reinstall Windows.
6. Reinstall Drivers (motherboard Main Chipset from support site, USB3, SATA, audio etc as applicable)
7. Microsoft Updates.
8. Reinstall Programs (you made a LIST?)
9. Sort out Steam

Then:
1. TEST one or more games.
2. If problem NOT solved, then more troubleshooting needed (possibly odd glitch forcing 2D mode in card?)
3. ACTIVATE WINDOWS again. (always done LAST once you confirm everything is working)
4. Once problem SOLVED, create a BACKUP IMAGE (Windows Image, or better yet Acronis True Image).
*Never delete the FIRST Image backup of the Windows drive. Create a 2nd backup later and REPLACE it periodically but always KEEP the first backup as viruses or data corruption can creep in over time that you don't notice.

**So hopefully at this point you have a fully working system and an IMAGE BACKUP in case of future software issues so you can easily RESTORE (after saving any data since the Image was created).


SUMMARY:
1) ensure RAM sticks in proper slots (pg 2-5 of motherboard manual. B1 and D1?)
2) run MEMTEST again if moving memory
3) BIOS update if needed.
4) Reinstall Windows recommended as bad memory can cause data corruption
5) Steam, if installed can be MOVED https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129
6) Still think card is stuck in 2D mode (lower performance and low GPU temp) but that may be a data corruption issue that reinstalling Windows may solve.

7) Asus' GPU Tweak DOES show the GPU frequency among other things (lower left of main screen shows a small rectangle with a wavy line; click that).
 
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1.Will move RAM into B1 and D1 (one is already in D1)
2.Was going to reinstall OS anyway
3.MoBo BIOS is up-to-date
4.GPU Frequency does NOT exist unless it is called something else, I will screenshot the monitor tab.
http://www.mediafire.com/?eotbu5pxu815e
5. I noticed that my Memory usage is capped to 267 MB (pictured), does this mean something is holding back my RAM? Could be very possible...
 
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"GPU CLOCK"
That's the one I meant. It showed 888MHz so it was NOT in 2D mode. I'm a little baffled at this point, but you did have memory issues so maybe with MOVING the memory and REINSTALLING WINDOWS this will change.

Memory Usage:
Okay, here I'm really baffled:
1) The graph shows 2000MB, same as mine but don't you have 3GB (3072MB) of Video RAM? Maybe a problem with the Asus software?

2) SKYRIM uses about 1.5GB of Video RAM. That's the program alone. If you had used 500MB just for your desktop your video memory (during gameplay) should shoot up to around 2000MB.

That 267MB is typical of a desktop when NOT playing a game. In fact, it's IMPOSSIBLE for Skyrim to use that little so either that's your DESKTOP history or the software is massively screwed up (mine works fine). Maybe a 2000MB cap glitch so it rolled around again and is reporting 2267MB?
*so try the software I linked below instead.

OTHER SOFTWARE:
1. Download and run Processexplorer v15.40: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653

2. click "view->system information"

Pretty self-explanatory. I like it better than the Asus software. It shows the GPU usage as a percent though (frequency is a little more helpful) but it does show the GPU MEMORY in MB's.

You should see roughly 3072MB of Video RAM (just over 3,000,000 in the lower-left under "dedicated GPU memory. That's KB or KiloBytes"

Other:
If your desktop used 500MB of VIDEO memory and you need that later in a game, Windows automatically copies the Video data to System RAM to free up the space. No problem there so no need for "memory cleanup utilities."
 
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Here's a quick update:
I phoned the guys that organised parts and they thought it was the OS limiting RAM capacity or something similar. I reinstalled my OS just to be sure and haven't noticed a performance increase at all. I'm in the process of updating every single driver available and will report back when that's done. I've moved the RAM sticks into their recommended slots but have not found any difference in performance. Beginning to think it is a hardware issue but I still have no idea.
 
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UPDATE: turns out there was something wrong with the MoBo, the guys who organised the parts reinstalled the MoBo and now the computer is working much better than it ever has. Getting +400fps in LoL at most times while using Skype and/or YouTube with two monitors both at 1080p. Skyrim also gets over 540fps by itself. Looks like everyhting's fine.
 
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I assume you got a Mobo with lucidlogic virtu mvp. It is nice, and helps reduce latency even more than normal, but it also lies to you about your FPS. Those FPS aren't happening with the system you posted, but I'm sure it is doing well anyway.
 
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how are you getting such high fps? when i play league (gtx 970) (better than a 780) i have around 310 fps then it drops down to about 150-210 or so i don't know how to fix this as the beginning of the game is fine then 3 mins in the fps just drops?
 
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I suppose it might be because I'm not running anything else, like Skyrim is literally the only thing open apart from default windows applications. Try restarting your computer and/or deleting Pando Media Booster from your programs if you haven't already. It should also be noted that I wasn't running League at maximum settings for that test. I had made a fresh install of it and as such it had reverted to default quality settings. As such I was recieving high fps, when I use maximum quality settings as normal, I receive the same sort of frames that you do, but in a heavy teamfight, my fps never goes below 120 frames although I barely pay attention. Also, i have overclocked my GPU so it might be a combination of all these things.
 
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