[SOLVED] Need an advice, please: After upgrading to a newer and more powerful CPU, I get the same results in games like with the older CPU

[misho8723]

Could someone from you help me with this?

Previously I had a Intel i5-4460 CPU, now I have i7-4790k.. but when I play games, I have pretty much the same fps like when I had the older one CPU.. what reason could there be for that? I mean, I know that DDR3 RAMs are old now, but still even compared to people who have the same CPU, GPU - GTX 1070 - and RAMs - 16 GB DDR3 - I have much worse results when it comes to fps in games

+ after installing the new CPU, 2 out of my 4 RAM slots stopped working - only A1 and A2 slots are working

+ here are my stats with CPU and GPU temperatures - http://i.picpar.com/0cjd.jpg

+ here is a benchmark for Far Cry New Dawn where they used i7-4770k, which is somewhat slower than my CPU, but they are getting way better results with that CPU and with my GPU

http://i.picpar.com/fNid.jpg

- my own screen of my results in FCND (with very often occuring drops even to 35 - 40 fps):

http://i.picpar.com/RPid.jpg

CPUID:

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

It's from the same generation as your previous CPU , so not surprised by the resuls.

 

[misho8723]

It's from the same generation as your previous CPU , so not surprised by the resuls.

But have you seen the benchmarks for Far Cry New Dawn ? They used a slower CPU than mine - i7-4770k - and mine card - gtx1070 - has in their test way better results than I have.. in the same places I have drops to 35-40 fps, where they have drops only to 57 fps and their average fps score is way higher too - 87 fps - compared to mine 60 - 65 fps.. again, I have the better CPU and I have worse results + after installing that new CPU, only 2 memory slots are working now and not all 4, for whatever reason

 

[tennis2]

Ram slots A1 & A2. Are those directly next to each other? When you look at the memory tabs on CPUz, does it say "dual channel"? If it's only running single channel, that would explain a sub-par performance

 

[misho8723]

Ram slots A1 & A2. Are those directly next to each other? When you look at the memory tabs on CPUz, does it say "dual channel"? If it's only running single channel, that would explain a sub-par performance

Yep, their are next to each other, so no dual-channel.. but would that be such a problem that would cause such a under-perfomance of the CPU? With drops in games even to 35-40 fps in scenes where my setup normaly should do much, much better (over 60 fps) ?

 

[tennis2]

Well, as long as the CPU is running at the proper frequency (?), I can't think of anything else that might cause that behavior.

 

[misho8723]

Well, as long as the CPU is running at the proper frequency (?), I can't think of anything else that might cause that behavior.

Well from what I read and got tips from people, the problem with the RAM slots not working after installing new CPU could be because of some pins in the CPU socket could be bent and so maybe there isn't contact between the CPU and those pins.. but I wonder if that could be the reason for the CPU now under-performing ?
And BTW, could this be a problem? CPUID shows that my RAM runs at 799.3 Mhz, when in fact they are 1600 Mhz RAMs

 

[boju]

Farcry new dawn uses the same engine as FC5 and FC5 is memory hungry and dual channel helps a lot.

I would try get that sorted so youre comparing on a level field.

Heatsink not on too tight? Too tight can cause memory problems including dual channel.

Check heatsink tension, put memory in A2/B2 and clear cmos.

Turn off pc/disconnect power cord. Remove cmos watch battery from motherboard for a minute and put back. Take not which side the battery is sitting so you put it back the same way. Clearing cmos can help memory issues.

 

[boju]

Cpuz reads single data rate, that's normal. 800*2.

 

[mgallo848]

@misho8723

That is completely normal for CPU-z to show half of your memory's rated speed. I can say you really need to move one of the sticks to the appropiate slot to get dual channel speeds. It can cause stuttering in games and possible loss of framerate.

 

[compprob237]

What motherboard do you have?
Is VSync enabled?

 

[misho8723]

Cpuz reads single data rate, that's normal. 800*2.

@misho8723

That is completely normal for CPU-z to show half of your memory's rated speed. I can say you really need to move one of the sticks to the appropiate slot to get dual channel speeds. It can cause stuttering in games and possible loss of framerate.

What motherboard do you have?
Is VSync enabled?

Thanks guys with the explanation about CPUID and the RAM info
Ok, so my MB is ASUS Z97-P
PSU is 600W
These are my temperatures in idle (with Chrome open)
http://i.picpar.com/idjd.jpg
And for example this is how the PC handles Witcher 3 - BTW not using Vsync in any game
http://i.picpar.com/jdjd.jpg
BTW is it a good idea to turn on X.M.P. in BIOS ?

 

[tennis2]

(If needed) You can bend socket pins back with a coffee straw. Be gentle.

 

[Darkbreeze]

If there are memory slots not working then there are really only two options.

One, you have a faulty motherboard or, two, you have bent pins in the CPU socket. It would be highly advisable for you to obtain a tube of appropriate thermal interface material (thermal paste, like Arctic MX4, Arctic silver 5, Noctua NT-H1/H2, Thermal grizzly Kryonaught, etc.) so that you have some on hand for reapplying when you are ready to reinstall and then remove the CPU cooler and CPU and check the motherboard socket for bent pins. You may need a magnification device like a magnifying glass or high powered reading glasses if you don't have great eyes, as sometimes the pin or pins that are bent are hard to spot. Look for obvious bent pins or abnormal "pattern" to the pin bed.

If you have bent pins, you MIGHT be able to carefully bend them back in place, but often the result is simply the need to replace the motherboard if the bend is more than very minor as they can have a tendency to break off below the surface once they are bent too far and then bent back. There are plenty of guides on fixing bent pins online if the damage is only minor.

If there are no bent pins at all, then I'd say you need to replace the motherboard because there is no situation where it is acceptable to have only two memory slots that work.

For the record, your memory should be installed in the A2 and B2 slots, ONLY, if you have only two memory modules, and if you have four modules and they didn't ALL come together in a kit, then you should have one pair installed in the A2 and B2 slots while the other pair is installed in the A1 and B1 slots. If you have four identical sticks that all came together, then it doesn't matter which slots they are installed in but if you have two separate pairs of sticks then they need to stay together in the appropriate pair of slots, A2 with B2 for one pair, A1 with B1 for the other pair.

If you DO have four sticks, and even if they ARE all the same and came together, or even if they didn't, the problem could still be an issue with one of the modules rather than with your motherboard. If any of these kits is a new addition, and that is when your problems started, then it may simply be a problem with compatibility between the two sets of sticks. Once you achieve normal operation at the default settings, you should then enable the XMP profile.

You can find more help with memory configurations here:

*Troubleshooting problems with PC memory (RAM) and XMP profile configurations​

 

[compprob237]

Thanks guys with the explanation about CPUID and the RAM info
Ok, so my MB is ASUS Z97-P
PSU is 600W
These are my temperatures in idle (with Chrome open)
http://i.picpar.com/idjd.jpg
And for example this is how the PC handles Witcher 3 - BTW not using Vsync in any game
http://i.picpar.com/jdjd.jpg
BTW is it a good idea to turn on X.M.P. in BIOS ?

Temps look good.
FPS looked fine.
Utilization is a bit low but that's probably due to your CPU holding the GPU back.

Yes, you should enable X.M.P. if you can. If you have trouble after enabling it just try to reboot a few times and then the Asus Crashfree BIOS will kick in and reset to default.

The Asus Z97-P is a decent motherboard so that shouldn't be a problem.
Have you updated the BIOS on the motherboard? Current BIOS version is 2907. You can check this in BIOS by looking under "Information" in the EZ mode menu

The other thing of note is that the motherboard has four RAM slots. Your RAM sticks should be installed in the two gray slots.
Unless Asus changed the naming scheme The slots are labeled: DIMM_A2 and DIMM_B2
This will give you dual channel performance. Unfortunately the manual is quite confusing about this which is strange considering Asus typically does a good job on their motherboard manuals.
If they are installed in DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2 then they will operate in single channel since they're both on the same channel.

EDIT:
To expand upon what @Darkbreeze said if you suspect that you have a bad stick of RAM then test them 1 by 1 by installing the single stick in DIMM_A2 and starting the system. If it wont start this way then it's likely this is a dead RAM stick. If they all work then you probably have the socket pin issue that they mentioned. There is a small chance that the CPU's memory controller needs a few more volts going to it or the RAM to get the second channel working so you could give that a try as well. I have to run my DDR3-1333 1.5v kit at 1.56v before it detects the second channel. If I overclock I have to bump it up to 1.58v. This happens sometimes. Just look at the default voltage for your kit and if it's running at that voltage. You can go up to 1.65v (some kits don't like >1.6v though!) before you should worry about it.

 

[boju]

Could an overly tight heatsink/block cause memory issues too?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yeah, ok, three options. Kind of falls under bent pins, but not really. Definitely an unevenly tightened heatsink or overly tightened heatsink can create contact issues between the CPU and the motherboard pins. Absolutely correct.

 

[Darkbreeze]

EDIT:
To expand upon what @Darkbreeze said if you suspect that you have a bad stick of RAM then test them 1 by 1 by installing the single stick in DIMM_A2 and starting the system. If it wont start this way then it's likely this is a dead RAM stick.

The problem with this, while true, is that it is too simplified. And that is because testing each stick individually may not identify the problem because in some cases the problem is not that there is anything, per se, wrong with one of the sticks. Often it is simply than one of the sticks, or if running two pairs of sticks that were purchased separately (Even if they are the exact same model number kit or model number sticks), there may be a single stick or one of the sets of sticks that don't want to play nice with the other sticks.

So every stick might work fine by itself, but when that stick is paired up with any of the three remaining sticks, or even with any other one stick, it may not want to work. So you really need to test them all individually AND with each of the other three sticks, with ALL FOUR sticks (So stick 1 by itself, and with sticks 2, 3 and 4. Stick 2 by itself, AND with sticks 1, 3 and 4. Etc., or more specifically, stick 1 with stick 2. Then stick 1 with stick 3. Then stick 1 with stick 4. Then stick 2 with stick 3. Then stick 2 with stick four. Etc.) to see if it's actually a bad stick or simply that one of the sticks (Or one of the pairs of sticks) that doesn't like to play in a group setting.

 

[compprob237]

The problem with this, while true, is that it is too simplified. And that is because testing each stick individually may not identify the problem because in some cases the problem is not that there is anything, per se, wrong with one of the sticks. Often it is simply than one of the sticks, or if running two pairs of sticks that were purchased separately (Even if they are the exact same model number kit or model number sticks), there may be a single stick or one of the sets of sticks that don't want to play nice with the other sticks.

So every stick might work fine by itself, but when that stick is paired up with any of the three remaining sticks, or even with any other one stick, it may not want to work. So you really need to test them all individually AND with each of the other three sticks, with ALL FOUR sticks (So stick 1 by itself, and with sticks 2, 3 and 4. Stick 2 by itself, AND with sticks 1, 3 and 4. Etc., or more specifically, stick 1 with stick 2. Then stick 1 with stick 3. Then stick 1 with stick 4. Then stick 2 with stick 3. Then stick 2 with stick four. Etc.) to see if it's actually a bad stick or simply that one of the sticks (Or one of the pairs of sticks) that doesn't like to play in a group setting.

Yes, my post was intended to be a first step. I think what's happening here is that we're in agreement it's just that I did not extrapolate on the 2nd step and beyond. My intention was to do this test and then move forward after OP responded.

On a side note:
I've had an issue on my X58 motherboards (triple channel) where the second channel wouldn't be detected (similar to OP's problem), and after some troubleshooting I found out it was the motherboard itself not playing nice specifically with the second channel. Boosting VDIMM from 1.5v to 1.56v fixed the problem and once I overclocked the problem returned requiring even more voltage (1.58v eventually at 4.4-4.8GHz, RAM NOT overclocked). I was merely trying to eliminate a bad stick from the equation before suggesting other possible tests like increasing VDIMM or IMC voltages.

 

[misho8723]

So guys I tried some things - for example put 8 GB RAM is A1 slot, then put 4 GB RAM in A2 -it was working... tried to put both 4 GB RAM sticks in A1+A2 - worked... put both 8 GB RAMs in A1+A2- worked.. but if I tried any of those sticks in B1 or B2 it did this :

View: https://youtu.be/JAEwsRrnvjE

This is BIOS with some of those RAM combinations:

I can only see if I don't have those pins bent tomorrow, because right now I don't have a any more of the thermal paste and I need working PC for today

 

[boju]

Im confused why a1 and a2 slots are still being used ( do a2 b2 simple not work or?) so ill put this picture here how memory setup should be.

If a2 and b2 are not working check for bent pins. For heatsink tension, finger tight till it stops from your own force then half turn with screw driver. Should really use a torque instrument but half turn with screw driver is good enough.

 

[misho8723]

Im confused why a1 and a2 slots are still being used ( do a2 b2 simple not work or?) so ill put this picture here how memory setup should be.

If a2 and b2 are not working check for bent pins. For heatsink tension, finger tight till it stops from your own force then half turn with screw driver. Should really use a torque instrument but half turn with screw driver is good enough.

I'm using A1 and A2 because they are the only ones working.. when I put any of my RAMs into B1 or B2, the PC does what you can see in my video posted in my previous post.. I mean, I know the best thing would be to use A2 + B2, but well, I can't right now because PC then doesn't work

 

[boju]

Fair enough. I needed to clear that up for myself.

Those are the slots you should be using for dual channel and best performance. Need to troubleshoot and find out why they don't work.

Three possible reasons.

1. Bent pins
2. Over tight heatsink
3. Mismatched ram

Possibly 4th being a faulty board but if you had a2 & b2 working with your previous cpu then that leads me to think reasons 1 or 2.

 

[misho8723]

Fair enough. I needed to clear that up for myself.

Those are the slots you should be using for dual channel and best performance. Need to troubleshoot and find out why they don't work.

Three possible reasons.

1. Bent pins
2. Over tight heatsink
3. Mismatched ram

Possibly 4th being a faulty board but if you had a2 & b2 working with your previous cpu then that leads me to think reasons 1 or 2.

I'm going to try to see if I have those bet pins tomorrow, as well try out my older CPU and how that's going to work.. previously with my old CPU I used all my memory slots, A2+B2 were used by my 8 GB RAMs and A1+B1 were used by 4 GB RAMs - all are Kingston DDR3-1600MHz CL9 Savage XMP.. but right after I installed my new CPU, B1+B2 stopped working.. and I have a question, could those bet pins be why my new CPU is under-perfoming? Is that because of the problem with memory slots?

 

[boju]

Cpu pins complete the circuitry, bent pins ( usually on the outer edges as they are most vulnerable ) is never good for reliability or performance. Dual channel mode not working is a good sign something is up and your cpu is missing the doubled bandwidth it provides. FC5 as i said earlier loves memory bandwidth and new dawn is on the same engine. There are youtube comparisons between single vs dual channel for FC5, i suggest you take a look.