[SOLVED] RX 6800 Unstable core clocks

[Quintarous]

UPDATE:
Assassin's creed odyssey is not being limited by any piece of hardware in my system as far as I can tell. The GPU simply isn't being used because the software is not using it (not because AMD's drivers are messing with it like I though, though that is technically still possible). Interestingly a couple of settings have a major impact on the stability of the framerate (terrain detail, fog, and a few more) while the hardware doesn't even break a sweat regardless of what I throw at it.
Also of note Teardown runs perfectly well and fully utilizes the GPU provided you turn v-sync completely off which introduces horrible screen tearing! with v-sync set to "every frame" the game will sometimes lock the framerate to 30 for a little while then "recover" once I move somewhere else before locking itself down again. Strange! Setting v-sync to "every other frame" simply locks the framerate to 20 permanently.

Summary of Issue

Rx 6800 GPU Core clocks fluctuate wildly causing very low and highly variable frame rates. This issue occurs in the following titles:

• Assassin's Creed Odyssey: 500 - 2100 mhz
• Minecraft Java Edition: 10 - 500 mhz
• DCS World: 500 - 2100 mhz
• Teardown: 30 - 2200 mhz

Also Control, For Honor, and Total War Three Kingdoms all have no issues and remain locked at a stable 2200 mhz when under sufficient load giving good performance.

System Configuration

• Motherboard: MSI Z390-A PRO
• CPU: Intel i7-9700k
• PSU: Seasonic 800w platinum
• Display: GIGABYTE G27Q (1440p 144Hz FreeSync)
• System Memory: 16 GB Dual Channel
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800
• OS (Version): Windows 10 x64
• Driver: 20.45.01.28-201204a-361901C-RadeonSoftwareAdrenalin2020 (12/4/2020)

 

[rgd1101]

what the cpu/gpu temp and usage during the game?

 

[Quintarous]

Nothing abnormal at all.
Cpu tops out at around 75C
And I've never seen the Gpu go above 71C

Usage on the cpu is normal and doesn't seem to be bottlenecking the card as far as I can tell.
Gpu usage goes up and down in tandem with the clock speed.

 

[Quintarous]

Also I should note I've uninstalled and reinstalled my video drivers multiple times and am confident I have not messed up the installation process.

 

[Quintarous]

I've been in contact with AMD's customer support through email over the past week and they basically admitted there's a conflict.
"This seems like optimization issue with the GPU and games. "
Obviously this is just one rep who is not an engineer or anything so whatever. But I would like to know, if anyone that happens across this thread has seen similar issues to mine please post as it would be some nice peace of mind to know it's likely not a problem with my specific configuration. Or if you've had better performance than me please leave a comment.

 

[alceryes]

Please run a userbenchmark and post the link to the results.

 

[Quintarous]

Here's a link to a UserBenchmark Test I ran for reference. It looks fairly normal (small sample size for gpu testing notwithstanding) from what I can tell.

 

[spentshells]

I think I got it,
what speed is your ram?
Right now it seems the ram is @ 2133Mhz, you either have slow ram or have not activated the xmp profile in the bios of your motherboard.

 

[Quintarous]

You sir are a genius!
New UserBenchmark Results
Ram is at 2800 mhz now. I'm gonna run an AC odyssey test and see if it makes any difference.

UPDATE: Odyssey frame timing is much more stable and consistent now! I guess the ram was bottlenecking it the whole time. It's still bottlenecked by ram speed (I think) but It's much more playable now.

As for my other troublemakers:
Teardown was doing the same thing until I turned freesync off then it fixed itself. Even when turning freesync back on it was fine weirdly enough. It is stuttery but i'm pretty confident it's just because it's an indie game in early access. It uses all the gpu power I give it though! So I'm happy with that.

Minecraft Java Edition is still being a brat though unfortunately. Core clocks stop at 501 mhz and refuse to go any higher. This one feels much more like a straight up driver issue.

 

[spentshells]

Great news! Since you got that sorted out, it looks like that system is going to serve you well for a few years. You may want to look at an even faster ram kit in the new year. Sell what you have and pick up something from this page.
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?cm_sp=C...1203954 601203955 601203957 601301280&Order=1

After xmas look for sales on high speed ram kits and maybe a decent cooler.
your current cpu regularly clocks to 5Ghz all core, if you could get it all core 4.8Ghz or better paired with faster ram you might find that this setup lasts you many more years to come.

Now I am just pushing things you don't need the 9900kf is 330 and will get cheaper yet.

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BX80684I99900KF-i9-9900KF-Processor-Unlocked/dp/B07MGBZWDZ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=9900k&qid=1608776083&sr=8-2

Slap that in your machine and you could likely make it to the next generation of consoles.

 

[Quintarous]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[alceryes]

The 9700k is fine for gaming. No need for the 9900kf.
Your RX 6800 is performing within the norm but I like to see a relative performance of 50% or higher (yours is 47%). You may be able to tweak it further but be VERY careful. Read many reviews and watch many videos before even considering it.