Windows 8 + Radeon HD 7770 FPS Drops

[th3pip3r]

Hello Tom's Forum,

I am having some graphical issues with my Radeon HD 7770, but to begin.. here is my current system build:

CPU: Intel i5 3570k
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 7770 OC GHz ed.
PSU: Corsair Builder 430W
MOBO: ASRock Z77 Pro4 M
RAM: 2x4GB
HDD: Seagate 1TB
OS: Windows 8 Pro (64 bit)

I've done a clean factory reset since upgrading to Windows 8, followed my updating all of my drivers directly from ASRock, Intel, and Gigabyte/AMD.

My issues are these:

1) When playing League of Legends (1920x1080 Benchmark FPS cap (200-300fps)) I get a sudden black screen which last a few seconds and then the game returns now running between 15-50 fps, making the game unstable and unplayable.
2) Assuming this was a graphics issues, I tried updating the graphics driver, only to receive a BSOD from the Catalyst Installer.

What I've tried:
1) Running the game at lower settings. Running other games and found similar problems. No black screening, just lower FPS rates when before they were high.

2) Updating the Display Driver. I downloaded the latest drivers for Windows 8 64 bit and began the install. Computer crashes with the BSOD giving error: irql_not_less_or_equal. I did a custom install selecting everything but the Display Driver (HDMI Audio, Catalyst Control Center, etc.) and each of these installed correctly. However, the Display Driver continued to cause a BSOD. NOTE: When running the installer, it informs me that my current version for the Display Driver is outdated and should be updated to the new version 9.010.800. However, DxDiag shows my current version to be at 9.2.

It seems like the driver is crashing, or getting overloaded/overheated and can't perform. It then cuts out and reduces its pace.

What I'm considering:

1) Since I didn't have this problem with the same build in Windows 7, I may just revert back to the version of the OS instead.
2) Maybe just wait for another release of the Driver which hopefully won't BSOD on me.
3) The recommended PSU Watt for the HD 7770 is 450w compared to my 430w. Perhaps upgrading to a more capable PSU would fix my problem. However, I didn't experience this in windows 7 with the same rig, and it is to my understanding that Manufacturers overshoot the PSU requirements and I should be able to get away with 430w.
4) Send the graphics card back to the manufacturer requesting a new one. Perhaps this is a faulty product and I should speak to Gigabyte directly.

Any advice you could five would really be appreciated. I can give more information about my problems/build if necessary.

Thanks

 

[nondy]

might be a driver problem, bec the same configuration work yung window 7 os without any issue

 

[th3pip3r]

Yes, my thoughts aswell. However, I get a Blue Screen of Death when trying to update the Driver... :/

 

[ikaz]

Well have you first totally removed the old driver (rebooting afterwards) instead of just trying to upgrade over the top ?

 

[th3pip3r]

I did a full factory reset. Windows 8 incorporates this as a feature within their computer settings for a wipe and fresh install of the OS. Unless there was a driver already on the OS, then from the beginning I have been getting this error. I will try to uninstall whatever driver there is now, and report back if it fixes it.

 

[th3pip3r]

Update: Still working on updating the drivers. It seems like Microsoft distributes a driver within Windows 8 that works for the 7770. It also automatically updates the drivers to the latest version. I've gone into the system settings and disabled this function. I've also downloaded the device driver from both Gigabye.com and Amd.com. I don't think this should really make a difference as they both show the same release date for the driver, but it's better to try them both in anycase, I would imagine.
I'm doing a complete uninstall and disabling of the graphics card for the fresh install. Hopefully that will cover it. If this fails, my next step will be to plug my monitor into the motherboard using the Intell HD 4000 display instead of the discrete. Maybe that will help get past the BSOD.

 

[th3pip3r]

Also, while I'm working on this. My device, the Gigabyte Radeon HD 7770 GHz ed. 1GB GDDR5 supports PCI Express 3.0. I have 2 x 2.0 slots and 1 x 3.0 slot on my mobo. Would I notice a difference between the 3.0 slot? I currently have it in the 2.0, but maybe if I put it in the 3.0 that could help?

 

[th3pip3r]

Best answer selected by th3pip3r.

 

[th3pip3r]

SOLVED: OK what I did was uninstall the current driver and then restarted my computer. The windows driver was then enabled. I tried installing the AMD.com driver over this but received a BSOD. I then restarted my computer, disabling the driver (not uninstalling the Windows out of the box version), and then restarted the computer. Next I installed the AMD.com driver which finally installed perfectly. I am now at a stable install of the current driver. I will continue testing the driver for stability and efficiency, but for now I consider this solved.