using pcie 16x to 1x riser for r9 290x

[pecabyte]

hey, i dont have a huge cabinet to fit my graphics card, so i had to use the riser, so the thing is, i am experiencing huge lag in games. I used gtx 560 for far cry 4 and warface, and they both ran smoothly. My pc spec is amd phenom x2 560, gigabyte 78lmt-s2p mb and 8gb kinston ram 1866mhz. the only high end stuff is the graphics card, i can surprisingly play ac unity, which runs, ok ok, playable. But apart from that, warface and far cry 4 should run properly, but both ar having lag, so is this my system fault, graphics card fault, driver is 16.10.1, or maybe the games? is anybody else experiencing this ? i am using sapphire r9 290x trix oc graphics card

 

[geofelt]

A X1 interface to your graphics card will cripple it's performance.

But, your cpu is old and quite slow, passmark 2069 and single thread 1102.
By comparison, the cheapest intel cpu, the $43 G3900 has a rating of 3391/171.
Most games depend on the single thread performance.

Here is my stock approach to sorting out your limiting factor:
Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer with many participants tend to like many threads.

You need to find out which.
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To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.


If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system,
and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
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[pecabyte]

i had a 16x to 16x riser, but the cable broke off.. so i went for this1, even when i was using the 16x to 16x riser, i was getting lag in both the games.

 

[spdragoo]

Hmm, bad luck with the riser. But it seems strange that you need the riser, since the board comes with a full-size x16 slot (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3833#sp).

In any case, if you were having the problem before, then it's likely that you're looking at the CPU being the culprit. If that's the case, you're somewhat limited on what will work with the board (http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=3833) -- dont' think I'd ever heard of an "FX-4330" before -- but luckily the top chip on there is the FX-8300, which is also currently one of Tom's picks for mid-level gaming CPUs (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-cpus,3986.html), & will only run you about $110 USD. Its base core speed isn't any faster, but it can boost much higher, & dramatically ups your core count for better overall performance. Not to mention moving you from a 7th-tier CPU to a 2nd-tier (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html).

 

[pecabyte]

I need the riser cuz my cabinet aint big enough to fit 309mm graphics card. Thats what i said before actually. I know the graphics card alone is handling all the heavy games, but far cry 4 and warface have performed really well with gtx 560(i didnt need riser for that, it fit into the case), so i was confused with either the system couldnt handle the card, which is absurd, or the riser is limiting the card's potential.. i'll probably run some benchmark test. The cpu is old but strong enough to run the games and ram is enough. So lets see.