Question Why is my RTX 3060 Ti performing badly/unstable?

[Hyperclast]

Hi, hope you all are doing great and have a great year
Please I need some help, I recently changed my rx570 to a rtx 3060 ti, I was hoping to see a decent difference in my fps performance but I've been having a really disappointing experience with lots, but lots of stuttering in many games (Days Gone with graphics mod, NFS Heat with Unite mod, Cyberpunk 2077, Minecraft with shaders and rtx resource packs, The Crew 2) with maybe the only exception being Genshin Impact with ocassional drops from 70 to 55, and Dying light 2 running almost flawlessly with very rare fps drops from 60 to 50. Ironically with the rx570 I ran all the rest of my games perfectly, some with bad fps (30 - 40) due to being very demanding but really stable nonetheless. I don't know if it has something to do with my CPU or probably my ram?

My PC specs are:
GPU: RTX 3060 Ti Gigabyte OC 8gb
CPU: i5 8400 2.80GHz
RAM: Kingston 16gb DDR4 PC-2400 x1
Mobo: Asus Z370 Prime 4DDR4-64gb
PSU: Gigabyte P750GM
Storage: 1TB HP ssd ex900 m.2 - 1TB HDD disk - 1TB HDD disk
Windows version: Windows 10 Pro 21H2
BIOS Version: American Megatrends Inc. 0610 (UEFI Mode)
I have two monitors: a full HD 60hz monitor, and a 1366 x 768 one which I use for work (I don't know if this has something to do with it)
And an EVGA 240mm AIO Liquid cooler

I've seen videos of the rx 6600 xt running CP2077, which is supposed to be a bit slower, running it on high settings at 70 - 80 fps constantly in the most intesive areas with no issues, while I barely get 70 in some unpopulated areas, normally playing with 46 to 58 fps with huge drops to 33 fps in intensive areas.
On Minecraft I get massive fps drops from 83 fps to 30 immediately from time to time even with the old shaders I used before having this GPU, I don't get why I get good performance in few games and the rest are a stuttering mess.
Btw the temperatures of the GPU while gaming are always between 57 to 62 degrees in almost all titles, it have never gotten to 70, and it remains on 50 degrees idle (I use Wallpaper Engine which I noticed triggers the GPU fans and also make it remain in that temperatures idle, without it the fans are off and the temp remains on 48 degrees).
Hope you could give me a hand with this and sorry for the huge post (tried to be as specific as possible)

 

[Barty1884]

Did you remove your old AMD GPU drivers before installing the 3060TI?

That would be where I'd start - run DDU (in safemode), remove the AMD drivers - and I'd re-run (again, safemode) to remove the Nvidia drivers. Then reboot and install the latest.

50'C idle is fairly high, depending on your ambient temp - but Wallpaper Engine means you're never really 'idle', there's always a 3D load on your GPU.

RAM: Kingston 16gb DDR4 PC-2400 x1

This won't be helping the cause at all. Dual channel would be the bigger improvement over speed, but you'd likely benefit from both. You're running Z370, so 2x8GB of 3000-3200MHz should be fine.... although I don't recall if the CPU will trump the chipset in support.

A CPU upgrade would likely be a measurable improvement too - but given the socket, your best bet is likely only going to be clock speed + hyper threading. You could get an 8/8 chip, or even an 8/16 in the i9, but if it were me, I likely wouldn't bother - RAM (+ GPU drivers) would be the most I'd look to do to this.

 

[HeartOfAdel]

Yes, you are experiencing a cpu bottleneck. Whenever the cpu can't catch up with the gpu, gpu usage starts to fluctuate and can cause image instability. Try to check it out with msi afterburner and you'll see a gpu usage drop when there's a stutter, usually a profound one (it should 95-100% ideally).

Slow ram is also a part of that, probably even the most important part if you have only one 2400mhz 16gb stick. It can be night and day when using memory in dual channel and having dual rank of at least 3200MHz CL16.

Even aside from that, 8400 isn't a very balanced cpu for 3060 Ti even at 1440p. But you have a very capable platform and if I were you and played at 1080p, I'd upgrade to at least 8700K or 9700K with very good ram. I guarantee there will be an insane difference in smoothness.

 

[Hyperclast]

Did you remove your old AMD GPU drivers before installing the 3060TI?

That would be where I'd start - run DDU (in safemode), remove the AMD drivers - and I'd re-run (again, safemode) to remove the Nvidia drivers. Then reboot and install the latest.

Thank you very much for your response, yes I uninstalled the AMD drivers with DDU before installing the rtx, I did it twice just in case and thing improved just a little bit.

50'C idle is fairly high, depending on your ambient temp - but Wallpaper Engine means you're never really 'idle', there's always a 3D load on your GPU.

Really? Where I live is warm we are 17 degrees right now, normally we get to 22 degrees during the day. And regarding Wallpaper Engine, I see... would you recommend me to not use it so the GPU wouldn't work at the background?

This won't be helping the cause at all. Dual channel would be the bigger improvement over speed, but you'd likely benefit from both. You're running Z370, so 2x8GB of 3000-3200MHz should be fine.... although I don't recall if the CPU will trump the chipset in support.

A CPU upgrade would likely be a measurable improvement too - but given the socket, your best bet is likely only going to be clock speed + hyper threading. You could get an 8/8 chip, or even an 8/16 in the i9, but if it were me, I likely wouldn't bother - RAM (+ GPU drivers) would be the most I'd look to do to this.

I see, so I'll need to upgrade my RAM and my CPU if it's possible in order to see an improvement I'll check it out to have an idea about prices, actually I have a question regarding this, if I don't do the upgrade soon, would it cause any damage to the GPU or the rest of my components? I believe I don't have the budget atm.
Thank you for your help!

 

[Hyperclast]

Yes, you are experiencing a cpu bottleneck. Whenever the cpu can't catch up with the gpu, gpu usage starts to fluctuate and can cause image instability. Try to check it out with msi afterburner and you'll see a gpu usage drop when there's a stutter, usually a profound one (it should 95-100% ideally).

Slow ram is also a part of that, probably even the most important part if you have only one 2400mhz 16gb stick. It can be night and day when using memory in dual channel and having dual rank of at least 3200MHz CL16.

Even aside from that, 8400 isn't a very balanced cpu for 3060 Ti even at 1440p. But you have a very capable platform and if I were you and played at 1080p, I'd upgrade to at least 8700K or 9700K with very good ram. I guarantee there will be an insane difference in smoothness.

Oh I see, I had no idea that the GPU does that when there's stutter, I'll check it out as soon as I can to confirm it.
I currently play at 1080p since my monitor can't handle any more than that so I think that wouldn't me much of a trouble, but I'll definitely check out what you told me on msi afterburner and also I'll see prices for the CPU and RAM. What RAM and CPU specifically would you suggest me to buy in this case?
And of course thank you very much for your help!

 

[HeartOfAdel]

Oh I see, I had no idea that the GPU does that when there's stutter, I'll check it out as soon as I can to confirm it.
I currently play at 1080p since my monitor can't handle any more than that so I think that wouldn't me much of a trouble, but I'll definitely check out what you told me on msi afterburner and also I'll see prices for the CPU and RAM. What RAM and CPU specifically would you suggest me to buy in this case?
And of course thank you very much for your help!

Reading another answer above I wanna add that a 6 core cpu without hyperthreading with a gpu (3060 ti) that can output almost identical fps at 1080p compared to 4090 at 4k, isn't a good idea. Cpu and ram upgrade is a must to run things smoothly for years. But it isn't going to harm anything, although constant gpu power spikes when having a cpu bottleneck aren't pleasant to see.

You should go for at least i7 8700K, or i9 9900K if your budget allows. For ram, buy at least 2x8gb 3200mhz cl16, ideally I'd go for 3600mhz cl14-16. For that to work, you're gonna have to do a bit of ram testing and keep Vccsa and Vccio voltages under control in bios (below 1.25v) because motherboards might significantly overvolt them when putting high speed memory which will degrade your cpu very fast. Later down the road you can add two more sticks to have 32gb, or actually you can do it right away so you don't have to mess with bios voltages again. Two sticks will be single rank memory, and 4 in total will make it dual rank which (in my experience) noticeably improves smoothness and fps, 4 sticks of 3600mhz actually gave me better 1% lows and similar average fps to 2 sticks of 4266mhz. Hope i made it clear.

 

[HeartOfAdel]

Thank you very much for your response, yes I uninstalled the AMD drivers with DDU before installing the rtx, I did it twice just in case and thing improved just a little bit.

Really? Where I live is warm we are 17 degrees right now, normally we get to 22 degrees during the day. And regarding Wallpaper Engine, I see... would you recommend me to not use it so the GPU wouldn't work at the background?

I see, so I'll need to upgrade my RAM and my CPU if it's possible in order to see an improvement I'll check it out to have an idea about prices, actually I have a question regarding this, if I don't do the upgrade soon, would it cause any damage to the GPU or the rest of my components? I believe I don't have the budget atm.
Thank you for your help!

I'd also avoid using wallpaper engine because it puts constant strain on your gpu.

 

[Hyperclast]

Reading another answer above I wanna add that a 6 core cpu without hyperthreading with a gpu (3060 ti) that can output almost identical fps at 1080p compared to 4090 at 4k, isn't a good idea. Cpu and ram upgrade is a must to run things smoothly for years. But it isn't going to harm anything, although constant gpu power spikes when having a cpu bottleneck aren't pleasant to see.

You should go for at least i7 8700K, or i9 9900K if your budget allows. For ram, buy at least 2x8gb 3200mhz cl16, ideally I'd go for 3600mhz cl14-16. For that to work, you're gonna have to do a bit of ram testing and keep Vccsa and Vccio voltages under control in bios (below 1.25v) because motherboards might significantly overvolt them when putting high speed memory which will degrade your cpu very fast. Later down the road you can add two more sticks to have 32gb, or actually you can do it right away so you don't have to mess with bios voltages again. Two sticks will be single rank memory, and 4 in total will make it dual rank which (in my experience) noticeably improves smoothness and fps, 4 sticks of 3600mhz actually gave me better 1% lows and similar average fps to 2 sticks of 4266mhz. Hope i made it clear.

Thank you for your response it was very helpful and informative, now I have a clear idea of what to do to fix all this, plus I'm getting blue screens from time to time so I'll reinstall the gpu on the mb again.
I just have a couple of questions more, how do I regulate the voltages in bios? Once I change my CPU and RAM do I need to reduce the voltages manually, or how can I keep them under control?
And the other question is, if I don't do this upgrade soon, could my system get any damage from the cpu bottleneck? Since I don't have the budget right now. Sorry if it's a dumb question I'm a beginner in all this.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Hyperclast]

I'd also avoid using wallpaper engine because it puts constant strain on your gpu.

That's a shame, I really liked the live wallpapers but if it's not s good thing for the GPU then I would stop using it.

 

[HeartOfAdel]

Thank you for your response it was very helpful and informative, now I have a clear idea of what to do to fix all this, plus I'm getting blue screens from time to time so I'll reinstall the gpu on the mb again.
I just have a couple of questions more, how do I regulate the voltages in bios? Once I change my CPU and RAM do I need to reduce the voltages manually, or how can I keep them under control?
And the other question is, if I don't do this upgrade soon, could my system get any damage from the cpu bottleneck? Since I don't have the budget right now. Sorry if it's a dumb question I'm a beginner in all this.

Thank you in advance!

Yes, once you upgrade your cpu and ram, you're gonna have to enable xmp profile, then find vccsa and vccio voltages, and manually set them to something between 1.05-1.15v (1.25 max) for 3200mhz cl16 depending on how good the memory controller in your cpu is going to be (but try to find the lowest stable). Your motherboard might automatically put it to stupidly dangerous values after enabling xmp, that's why this process is required.
You'll have to test memory for stability in testmem5 with anta absolute config for at least 7-8 cycles (it should have 0 errors). Bear in mind that 3200mhz is only supported by intel "K" cpus. I guess 8700K will be best bank for your bunk.

And no, cpu bottlenecking isn't going to damage anything neither is wallpaper engine but it can reduce the lifespan of your 3060 Ti. You're probably not the type of person to upgrade too frequently, and would want the best longevity out of your computer.

 

[Hyperclast]

Yes, once you upgrade your cpu and ram, you're gonna have to enable xmp profile, then find vccsa and vccio voltages, and manually set them to something between 1.05-1.15v (1.25 max) for 3200mhz cl16 depending on how good the memory controller in your cpu is going to be (but try to find the lowest stable). Your motherboard might automatically put it to stupidly dangerous values after enabling xmp, that's why this process is required.
You'll have to test memory for stability in testmem5 with anta absolute config for at least 7-8 cycles (it should have 0 errors). Bear in mind that 3200mhz is only supported by intel "K" cpus. I guess 8700K will be best bank for your bunk.

And no, cpu bottlenecking isn't going to damage anything neither is wallpaper engine but it can reduce the lifespan of your 3060 Ti. You're probably not the type of person to upgrade too frequently, and would want the best longevity out of your computer.

Alright all clear now! I'll look up how to set vccsa and vccio voltages for my z370p once I do the upgrade with a decent pair of 3200 mhz cl16 ram sticks and also the i7 8400K so I don't screw everything up lol.

And yes you are right, I just upgraded after 5 years of usage but I plan to do this specific upgrade this same year asap, with all the explanation you gave me now I feel a lot more calm tbh and have a clear idea of what to do now. Just one more thing and I think that would be it.
About the mb I have the Asus z370p, does that mb is capable enough to handle future upgrades after the one we were talking about in this thread? Let's say I would like to go for the latest GPU someday and go crazy with RAM and such, what specs on a mb should I pay attention to to know if it's the correct one for my rig?

 

[HeartOfAdel]

Alright all clear now! I'll look up how to set vccsa and vccio voltages for my z370p once I do the upgrade with a decent pair of 3200 mhz cl16 ram sticks and also the i7 8400K so I don't screw everything up lol.

And yes you are right, I just upgraded after 5 years of usage but I plan to do this specific upgrade this same year asap, with all the explanation you gave me now I feel a lot more calm tbh and have a clear idea of what to do now. Just one more thing and I think that would be it.
About the mb I have the Asus z370p, does that mb is capable enough to handle future upgrades after the one we were talking about in this thread? Let's say I would like to go for the latest GPU someday and go crazy with RAM and such, what specs on a mb should I pay attention to to know if it's the correct one for my rig?

Glad it helped

Motherboard can handle future upgrades but if you've had it already for 5 years, i wouldn't expect wonders. Your mobo supports up to 64gb of ram, but if you buy 2 stick of 8gb soon, you'll only be able to add two more for the total of 32gb which is plenty overkill and not needed for gaming till like 2030 at least (But 16gb might be at limit a couple years later). 32 will outlast your pc most likely.

i7 8700K is about the best cpu for this platform after i9 9900K and there are within 5-15% of each other and have a limited amount of gpu power that they can handle without bottlenecking. For 1080p i'd say you'd already be at the limit of "cpu-gpu balance" with your 3060 Ti, at 1440p it would be an oced 3070 ti (and gpus alike), at 4K it's good with 4080 performance. If you plan to stay at 1080p this should be the final stop for this computer (with 32gb ram onboard in the end), but if you plan buying a more powerful gpu then you'll need a resolution upgrade as well. If it's something you plan to do years later with newer generations, then i think your computer will be too old for those upgrades due to its physical age.

 

[Hyperclast]

Glad it helped

Motherboard can handle future upgrades but if you've had it already for 5 years, i wouldn't expect wonders. Your mobo supports up to 64gb of ram, but if you buy 2 stick of 8gb soon, you'll only be able to add two more for the total of 32gb which is plenty overkill and not needed for gaming till like 2030 at least (But 16gb might be at limit a couple years later). 32 will outlast your pc most likely.

i7 8700K is about the best cpu for this platform after i9 9900K and there are within 5-15% of each other and have a limited amount of gpu power that they can handle without bottlenecking. For 1080p i'd say you'd already be at the limit of "cpu-gpu balance" with your 3060 Ti, at 1440p it would be an oced 3070 ti (and gpus alike), at 4K it's good with 4080 performance. If you plan to stay at 1080p this should be the final stop for this computer (with 32gb ram onboard in the end), but if you plan buying a more powerful gpu then you'll need a resolution upgrade as well. If it's something you plan to do years later with newer generations, then i think your computer will be too old for those upgrades due to its physical age.

I see, I'm glad that I can take some time to upgrade my current system
and for future I guess I'll have to get a whole new pc so everything is compatible so I save the issues I've been having lately with the 3060ti lol, but I'll wait a decent time for that, for the moment I'll focus on getting the cpu and ram you told me about asap this year and stick playing with 1080p on ultra for now since I'm very comfortable with that.
The day I decide to do a serious upgrade I'll definitely be around this forums so I'm sure of what to get/ to do!
I think that would be everything for now, maybe I have a bit of doubts on the specific process of how to control the voltages on my specific mobo but with what you told me I'll just look for a tutorial later on. Thank you so much for all your help friend, I really appreciate it