Low Power Utilization on GTX 970 SLI

[schneiderderek]

Hello,

I've been noticing that the power utilization of my GTX 970 SLI won't exceed 70%. I'm wondering if this is an issue and might indicate that the cards are not performing as they should or if this is 'normal'? I'm not sure how power utilization plays into performance. For the most part GPU utilization seems normal.

Here are some screen shots of stats from GPU-Z, Precision X, and MSI afterburner after some benchmarks and dying light gameplay (i've noticed the same issue in other games, however I forgot to take screen shots at the time). I have tried to disable SLI to see if that changes anything, however it seems to make no difference (a few of the screen shots even reflect this).

Link to screenshots

Here are my full system specs:
CPU: i5-3570K @ 4.7 GHz
GPU: GIGABYTE GTX 970 G1 Gaming SLI
Monitor: Dell U3415W 3440x1440p
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80+ Bronze

Let me know if any other information is needed. Thanks for taking the time to read this and for any advice that you may have.

 

[Darkbreeze]

At what level are your in game settings? High, Ultra, some features disabled? What resolution? What titles? How much CPU usage?


Your dropbox link requires use of a password. You can post images IN the thread like this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2580030/detailed-instructions-posting-images-tom-hardware.html

 

[doubletake]

The 970 G1 features 1x6 + 1x8 pin power delivery. That means it's setup in both hardware and software to (potentially) draw a LOT more power than a reference 970. What you're seeing isn't an issue, it's just you not using the board's extra power delivery/capacity, which is to be expected if you aren't overclocking the crap out of your card(s). To see any substantial increase in power limit usage, you'd have to increase the power target in your OC software of choice, as well as the voltage.

TLDR: There is absolutely nothing wrong with your setup; it's not that you aren't seeing max performance, it's that YOU aren't maxing out the GPU. NOT AN ISSUE, A FEATURE.

 

[schneiderderek]

At what level are your in game settings? High, Ultra, some features disabled? What resolution? What titles? How much CPU usage?


Your dropbox link requires use of a password. You can post images IN the thread like this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2580030/detailed-instructions-posting-images-tom-hardware.html

I usually use the highest settings in game, i.e. High/Ultra. I usually turn AA off. I play games at my native monitor resolution 3440x1440p.

A few titles of games i play: Battlefield 4, Dying Light, Bioshock (all of them), Borderlands. Far Cry 4, and Shadow of Mordor.

CPU usage normally stays pretty high, normally at least 70-80%, sometimes higher in more CPU intensive games. A few of the screenshots show the CPU stats as well.

As far as the dropbox link they should not require a password to view, when you first click on it there is a dialogue box for signing up for an account. You can close the dialogue box by clicking the 'x' in the top right corner of the dialogue box. After that you should be able to view the screenshots. Let me know if it still does not work. Or if its a forum policy, I can link the images as they do in the guide that you linked to.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I wasn't really sure if he was ACTUALLY referring to power or confusing it with load.

 

[schneiderderek]

The 970 G1 features 1x6 + 1x8 pin power delivery. That means it's setup in both hardware and software to (potentially) draw a LOT more power than a reference 970. What you're seeing isn't an issue, it's just you not using the board's extra power delivery/capacity, which is to be expected if you aren't overclocking the crap out of your card(s). To see any substantial increase in power limit usage, you'd have to increase the power target in your OC software of choice, as well as the voltage.

TLDR: There is absolutely nothing wrong with your setup; it's not that you aren't seeing max performance, it's that YOU aren't maxing out the GPU. NOT AN ISSUE, A FEATURE.

Thanks for the info. I figured it was not an issue, but i've never seen power utilization that 'low' and I could not find anything online. Even the previous two cards that I owned (GTX 770, GTX 660) those always hung around 100% TDP before overclocking.

Thanks again for your reply.