4890 underperforming - help!

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Hey guys,

I recently installed a Powercolor 1GB HD4890, and a Vantec ION2+ 520W PSU.

My other specs are AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+

2GB DDR2-800 RAM.

I feel that the card is underperforming, in COD4 on a res of 1280x1024 and medium-high settings, the fps sometimes drops as low as 50 in some maps. That said, it also goes as high as 250.

What could be causing this?? I don't think its an issue with power, that PSU should in theory be plenty of power, considering all I'm powering is one SATA drive, the GPU and CPU and RAM.

Is there a way to check that the card is getting enough power?

Are there any other suggestions? This is really frustrating :(

Should I return the card and get a 4870 rather, would this make any difference?

I'm tearing my hair out here!

[ratbuddy]

Do frames drop if you crank the settings to maximum? If not, I think you're looking at a CPU bottleneck issue. The 4890 should be strong enough to run COD4 at 1280x1024 with full settings and maximum AA. That X2 4200 is pretty slow by today's standards, and just might not be up for driving a powerful video card.

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even when i turn down the gfx, it still runs pretty slowly.

what would be the solution here ratbuddy?

If I swapped the card out for a 4870 or 4850 would this stop the bottleneck issue?

Could you elaborate a little on the concept of a bottleneck for me? Does the fact that the CPU is pretty average mean that a less high-end card would perform better?

[jiggerman]

Up the resolution and AA. If your frame rate stays the same your GFX top heavy.

50FPS should give nice game play, just up the IQ as much as you can and you will probably still get the same minimum frame rate.

Is you CPU over clocked ?

[HousERaT]

:welcome: to the forums.

You need more CPU for that card. ;)

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ye, seems that way :(

would i see better fps if i actually downgraded the card?

sorry to be ignorant jiggerman, but wat does it mean to up the IQ?

the chip isn't OC'd, maybe i should consider doing that.

can any1 point me to a guide on how to do so safely, with no need for extra cooling?

tnx very much for all ur responses guys!

[ratbuddy]

even when i turn down the gfx, it still runs pretty slowly.

what would be the solution here ratbuddy?

If I swapped the card out for a 4870 or 4850 would this stop the bottleneck issue?

Could you elaborate a little on the concept of a bottleneck for me? Does the fact that the CPU is pretty average mean that a less high-end card would perform better?

I said turn UP the graphics, not down :p

Games have a certain amount of base logic that needs to be done on the CPU. If the CPU has reached it's limit, a faster graphics card isn't going to help simply because there is nothing more for it to render. Running a slower graphics card (like that 4870) won't speed things up, but it won't slow them down either, assuming it's a bottleneck situation. Turning graphics settings up however.. That will put more load on the video card, while keeping things basically the same for the CPU. While it won't improve frames, it'll at least look nicer while running at the same speed :beer:

edit: He said IQ meaning image quality. Just a fancy way of saying 'turn the settings up.'

[jiggerman]

Yeah I would up the clock speed of the CPU. It's extra performance for free and that 4200 should be good for + 400Mhz.

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damn useless CPU! :)

i guess i better try overclock, maybe it'll make a bit of a diff.

but here is a question: i used to run cod4 just fine on my old gfx card (an 8500GT), granted the gfx sucked, but the fps was actually better.

would the cpu bottleneck have existed with any card? or does it only come into play when u pair a high end card with it? or when u max the gfx?

[ratbuddy]

damn useless CPU! :)

i guess i better try overclock, maybe it'll make a bit of a diff.

but here is a question: i used to run cod4 just fine on my old gfx card (an 8500GT), granted the gfx sucked, but the fps was actually better.

would the cpu bottleneck have existed with any card? or does it only come into play when u pair a high end card with it? or when u max the gfx?

Were the frame rates actually higher, or just smoother? With your new card skyrocketing up to 250fps and back, it will create much more of a feeling of jerkiness than if the game just ran at a constant 30 frames.

Bottlenecking depends on several factors. I wrote a 'bad analogy' post a while back attempting to explain it, maybe this will make sense for ya: http://www.ocforums.com/showpost.php?p=6088662&postcount=36

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the frames were actually higher - they never plunged into the red. But what confuses me was that this was at a lower res, with lower settings - wouldn't this mean the cpu would have to work harder?

tnx for linking that post - was very helpful.

Unfortunately my screen is small, a standard 17". Do u think getting a 20" screen would solve this problem? Due to being able to run at a higher res?

[ratbuddy]

the frames were actually higher - they never plunged into the red. But what confuses me was that this was at a lower res, with lower settings - wouldn't this mean the cpu would have to work harder?

tnx for linking that post - was very helpful.

Unfortunately my screen is small, a standard 17". Do u think getting a 20" screen would solve this problem? Due to being able to run at a higher res?

In theory, yes, the CPU would have to work harder at the lower resolution, but only if the GPU was fast enough for it to matter. I don't think an 8500GT is.

You could probably bump up to a 22" 1680x1050 for $150 or so these days and be able to drive it with that system. Another option is grabbing an Athlon 2 based dual core for $60ish and a mobo that can handle it for maybe another $60, or even just going to an X2 6000+ for $70 and keeping everything you already have. I'm not that swift with AM2/AM2+/AM3 compatibility issues, someone else can chime in on that. What model is your motherboard?

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its an AM2 platform as far as i know...

can i run AM2+ chips on it? tnx so much for all ur help rat.

edit: turns out i can run am2+ chips on it.

Would this: AMD Phenom X3 Tripple Core 8750 - Black Edition CPU - 2.4Ghz Socket AM2+ be a decent upgrade?

It did also say this though: *Note: If you install AMD AM2+ CPU on AM2 motherbord, the system bus speed will downgrade from HT3.0(5200MHz) to HT1.0(2000 MT/s) spec; however, the frequency of AM2+ CPU will not be impacted.

Would that have a severe impact on speed?

[jiggerman]

You might be better off asking in the CPU section.

I have a DFI Nforce 590 and its run a whole bunch of officially unsupported chips. The latest BIOS lists Phenom x3.

[ratbuddy]

its an AM2 platform as far as i know...

can i run AM2+ chips on it? tnx so much for all ur help rat.

edit: turns out i can run am2+ chips on it.

Would this: AMD Phenom X3 Tripple Core 8750 - Black Edition CPU - 2.4Ghz Socket AM2+ be a decent upgrade?

It did also say this though: *Note: If you install AMD AM2+ CPU on AM2 motherbord, the system bus speed will downgrade from HT3.0(5200MHz) to HT1.0(2000 MT/s) spec; however, the frequency of AM2+ CPU will not be impacted.

Would that have a severe impact on speed?

We're getting a little off track, but I'd definitely reconsider the choice of processor. Those Phenom 1 based chips, recognizable by their 4 digit model numbers are dogs. Look for (if you go AMD) a CPU that has a 3 digit model number.

Like Jiggypoo says, ask in the AMD section.