[SOLVED] Underperforming PC

[StuffedChocolate]

So I have my own custom built PC which is underperforming. The GPU is capping out at strange times when running on my setup on low settings in not that high requirement games. On an almost identical PC the same GPU performs flawlessly with lower usage percentage. He can run games on Ultra on his pretty much identical PC where my PC struggle on Medium and Low settings.

The only thing capping at times is my GPU. Sometimes I experience extensive lag with no clear cap on anything.

I am at a loss here and have no idea what I can do to make the PC perform better.

The specs:

GPU: Nvidia 1070 TI (wiped all previous drivers and reinstalled with updated driver today, is overclocked)
MOBO: X99-A (updated bios today)
CPU: i7-5820k
RAM: 32 GB DDR4
Storage: Samsung EVO SSD + HDD for extra storage.
PSU: 850W Corsair 80 Plus Gold (bought and installed today)
Network: 1000Mb down and 100 Mb up

I hope somebody here have some suggestions.

 

[Diddly]

Is the GPU thermally throttling? or the CPU for that matter?

 

[LORDPrometheus]

Well with the drivers up to date there are a few possibilities,

1. You are trying to play at a much higher resolution. A 1070TI can do medium-high at 4k and ultra at 1440P so if he is at 1080P and you are at 4k then that's a problem

2. Unstable overclock. If your GPU is overclocked try setting it back to factory settings sometimes faster means worse if it is not fully stable

3. You are running on the integrated GPU instead of the 1070TI. You can check this easily enough in display settings and by making sure your display cord is in the GPU not the Motherboard

4. You have severe thermal issues. easiest thing to do here is use HWMonitor while in game. If you go past 84C on the GPU it will throttle.

5. RAM instability or failure. Make sure all your RAM is detected and running at its correct frequency by turning on the XMP memory profile

6. A faulty graphics card. this is the last likely possibility and much less probable than other issues

 

[Ketchup79]

"He can run" Who is this he?

And as mentioned above, use HWMonitor to confirm the temp of your GPU and all CPU cores under load.

I would also you run the latest 3DMark and post your score. See if you score is in line with others running a 1070 Ti.

 

[StuffedChocolate]

1. You are trying to play at a much higher resolution. A 1070TI can do medium-high at 4k and ultra at 1440P so if he is at 1080P and you are at 4k then that's a problem

He runs a higher resolution and at 144hz. I run a lower resolution and 60 hz, so this is not the issue.

2. Unstable overclock. If your GPU is overclocked try setting it back to factory settings sometimes faster means worse if it is not fully stable

I started overclocking today because the PC wasn't performing up to par so this isn't the issue either.

3. You are running on the integrated GPU instead of the 1070TI. You can check this easily enough in display settings and by making sure your display cord is in the GPU not the Motherboard

Not this. All monitors are running on the GPU. I have also tried narrowing down to 1 monitor with no increase in performance.

4. You have severe thermal issues. easiest thing to do here is use HWMonitor while in game. If you go past 84C on the GPU it will throttle.

I am monitoring everything live when playing. This is not an issue. I use MSI Afterburner for both overclocking and monitoring.

5. RAM instability or failure. Make sure all your RAM is detected and running at its correct frequency by turning on the XMP memory profile

This is actually my best bet as well. I will try to go through each ram block and find out if the game runs better with some of them gone.

6. A faulty graphics card. this is the last likely possibility and much less probable than other issues

Definitely not this one as the graphic cards works as intended in another PC setup.

I will try the RAM solution and cross my fingers it'll work.

 

[StuffedChocolate]

"He can run" Who is this he?

"He" is my boyfriend who has an identical computer setup. We removed my GPU and inserted it into his computer to figure out if it was faulty. As he has an identical GPU he would quickly be able to identify any issues. But there were none when the GPU was in his computer. So something in my PC - that is not my GPU - doesn't work and I have a hard time figuring out what. But I am going to see if faulty ram is to blame for this. I will post my 3dmark if that doesn't work.

 

[Ketchup79]

"Faulty" RAM would give you a blue screen or crash, not slow you down. Could be something (or some things) running in the background on your computer.

Question: are you running the latest Drivers from Asus and Nvidia, or are you letting Windows pick the drivers that need to be updated?

X99-A - Support

www.asus.com

 

[StuffedChocolate]

Sorry for the late reply.

http://www.3dmark.com/spy/9408862

Here is a link to my 3DMark test. The FPS score on the graphics is approx. 10 lower than that of my boyfriend's who has an identical GPU, but I don't know that much about 3DMark and what a normal/good result is.

His scores can be seen in this link: http://www.3dmark.com/spy/9408921

There is no faulty RAM and they all perform at their desired frequency. I have all the latest drivers on both motherboard and nvidia. Motherboard drivers are downloaded directly from Asus and the graphics drivers are installed through Nvidia Geforce Experience.

Any other ideas?

 

[Ketchup79]

Install and run CPU-Z. Go to the Mainboard tab. What number shows in the Link Width field?

 

[StuffedChocolate]

Install and run CPU-Z. Go to the Mainboard tab. What number shows in the Link Width field?

I think you found the problem. The link width is x1.

I have actually just ordered a new motherboard because I suspected it was where the issue was. Seems the money is well spent. Upgraded my CPU in the same round. So I am getting a Ryzen 2700X now. I also bought a 144hz curved screen. It's going to be good. Thank you for the help Ketchup!

 

[Ketchup79]

Sounds like a nice upgrade. Enjoy! Glad I could help.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I think you found the problem. The link width is x1.

Was the graphics card installed in some other slot than upper one (PCIEX16_1)?

 

[StuffedChocolate]

Was the graphics card installed in some other slot than upper one (PCIEX16_1)?

No. It is in the top most slot.