Low FPS. Tweak current 580, SLI 580, or buy a new card?

[EvilPeppard]

Good morning fellow PC gurus and gaming fans! I am having an issue with FPS, and I really feel I should be getting better performance with my current system. I am looking for your assistance in finding the weak spot in my system, and see where I can make improvements.

My current system specs are at the end of this post. I think my system is still quite powerful, but maybe I need to start considering a new system? I really want to exhaust all options on my current system before I go dropping money on a new system build, plus I am not really in the position to buy parts for a full build right now. Please rank my current system as a low/medium/high end gaming system so I have a feel for where things stand.

Here is the scenario. My wife and I currently play the MMORPG Rift. I play with all the settings on Ultra, but only get about 25 FPS in open areas. When I get a lot of action on the screen, my frames drop to ~15, and can even go as low as 10 FPS or below when there is a ton of action on the screen, spell effects going off, and such. I have tried adjusting my settings from Ultra, to High, to Medium, and as crazy as it sounds, my frames don't seem to really change. The result is the same when I get a ton of action on the screen; only 10 - 15 FPS. Last night I was getting only 4 FPS in a large world boss fight (zone event in the new Storm Legion area). Obviously I can't do anything with frames that low, and as a tank, that makes me useless for the group.

Another thing I've noticed is my GPU utilization. I run the latest NVidia drivers, 306.97, and the latest version of eVGA Precision X, ver 3.0.4. When I am gaming, even in big events, my GPU shows only 25% - 50% utilization. Does that sound correct? Seems like it should be working harder to make sure my FPS is higher.

I need help figuring out where the weak point is, because I just don't believe my system is so weak I cannot get more FPS. Here are the options I have available. Please help direct me.

1. Tweak my current system using suggestions from you, without making any hardware changes. Perhaps I have some software settings incorrect, or I should consider overclocking my GPU a little?

2. SLI my GTX 580? I do have means to get another exact model of my GTX 580, and I already have the setup in place to SLI my GTX 580. For reference, I had an SLI setup in my rig with two GTX 570s, but was always concerned about heat issues running the two cards in such close proximity on the mobo. The SLI setup wasn't used in Rift, I was using it in SWTOR, but didn't really seem like I gained much of a boost from it.

3. Forget the SLI setup on the GTX 580s, and purchase a new GTX 670.

4. Last resort, and least viable for me right now, start considering a whole new build from scratch.

Again, I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Thank you in advance for taking the time to help me out.

Game rig specs:

Case: AZZA Hurrican 2000
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, LGA1366
CPU: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
CPU cooling: Noctua 6 Dual Heatpipe with 140mm/120mm Dual SSO Bearing Fans CPU Cooler NH-D14
RAM: 12GB Corsair PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Triple Channel Memory Kit CMX6GX3M3A1600C9
Over clocked: none
HD1: Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB SSD
HD2: SATA 2.0 Western Digital Green, 1TB
Raid: none
OS: Windows 8 Professional
Video card: EVGA GTX580 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce 3072MB GDDR5 PCB PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card
Monitor 1: 28" Hanns G HZ281HPB LCD
Monitor 2: 28" Hanns G HG281DPB LCD
Sound: Onboard RealTek 7.1 surround
Power supply: Corsair HX1000W
UPS: CyberPower Intelligent LCD Series GreenPower UPS CP1500AVRLCD 1500VA 900W
Keyboard: Logitech G510
Mouse: Logitech G600 MMO gaming mouse
Headphones: Razer Moray gaming earbuds

 

[\dev\goat]

Rift is a very CPU bound game. Your i7 is in dire need of an overclock.

when I went from 570 --> sli 570 my fps didn't really change in Rift. Cpu speed helped the most.

 

[Anonaru]

Rift is a very CPU bound game. Your i7 is in dire need of an overclock.

when I went from 570 --> sli 570 my fps didn't really change in Rift. Cpu speed helped the most.

Well, if he is gaming on a dual-monitor setup, SLI might not be such a terrible idea. I do otherwise maintain that Rift, like most MMOs, have poor prediction and very CPU-reliant game engines. I would wager a noticable improvement in the FPS department by bringing that i7 up to 3.5 realm

 

[EvilPeppard]

Thank you for the replies. My CPU temps during gaming are ~50 degrees Celsius. I know the temps will go up with overclocking. My CPU usage is about 25% when playing Rift.

I am not an overclocker, so I am not familiar with the best methods to O/C my CPU. Should I use some type of software to O/C, or do I need to use BIOS settings? I know I can search around here, but could you possibly direct me to the proper settings I should adjust to squeeze some more power out of my CPU, please?

EDIT: Looks like Easy Tune 6 version, ver B12.1112.1 (Windows 8 compatible) is available from GigaByte for my system.

 

[Anonaru]

Rift is a very CPU bound game. Your i7 is in dire need of an overclock.

when I went from 570 --> sli 570 my fps didn't really change in Rift. Cpu speed helped the most.

Thank you for the replies. My CPU temps during gaming are ~50 degrees Celsius. I know the temps will go up with overclocking. My CPU usage is about 25% when playing Rift.

I am not an overclocker, so I am not familiar with the best methods to O/C my CPU. Should I use some type of software to O/C, or do I need to use BIOS settings? I know I can search around here, but could you possibly direct me to the proper settings I should adjust to squeeze some more power out of my CPU, please?

Aye, I believe Rift utilizes multiple cores quite poorly-- The best way to OC is always in the BIOS, and really for a starter you could probably get away with a few multiplier bumps without changing your voltage or anythign else

50c isn't that bad for that part, but yes, it will get warmer the more you OC

 

[EarthDog]

+1 for overclocking in the bios. There is a link in my signature to help you out with that.

Also, its VOLTAGE that really makes the temperatures jump when overclocking, not clockspeed. That said, he doesnt have an unlocked CPU so he cannot o/c with the multiplier, its bclk.

 

[Anonaru]

+1 for overclocking in the bios. There is a link in my signature to help you out with that.

Also, its VOLTAGE that really makes the temperatures jump when overclocking, not clockspeed. That said, he doesnt have an unlocked CPU so he cannot o/c with the multiplier, its bclk.

Augh, why do I keep forgetting

Aye, that'll make this story a little more rough around the edges.

 

[EarthDog]

Not really... that is how it was done on that generation of CPU's. bclk to 200+ on decent boards are quite normal. Big difference between that and SB/IB.

I would def. try o/c the CPU before I bought a new GPU... no doubt in my mind.

 

[Anonaru]

Not really... that is how it was done on that generation of CPU's. bclk to 200+ on decent boards are quite normal. Big difference between that and SB/IB.

I would def. try o/c the CPU before I bought a new GPU... no doubt in my mind.

Agreed with running a good OC before buying another card. Especially for a game like Rift, that isn't all that GPU intensive but rapes your PC in lightly-threaded herp derp.

What I meant is, it makes the story a bit more rough for a first timer than simply bumping up a multi haha. I didn't mean to suggest it is difficult by any means

 

[EvilPeppard]

Thank you all for the continued replies. I will look at EarthDog's link and review the steps provided, then go from there.

 

[EvilPeppard]

Thank you all for the continued replies. I will look at EarthDog's link and review the steps provided, then go from there.

Ok, I have read through EarthDog's guide. I had to read it a few times over to really understand, but I think I have enough info to get started.

Looking at CPU-Z, it appears my CPU is currently using a multiplier of x24, although if I sit and watch CPU-Z, the multiplier drops down at times. I've seen it hit x20, x12, then back to x24, all the while seeing the CPU MHz speed change when the multiplier changes. I imagine this has to do with power conservation when the computer is not under a load or something.

I guess the simplest thing to do will be go into the BIOS and find where the 'x24 ' multiplier is, then bump the multiplier up a little, and see how my machine responds, such as temperatures, etc.

Later, for a more comprehensive approach to overclocking, I can strictly follow EarthDog's guide, find my bclock isolation, along with the other steps.

I understand the value of o/c-ing via the BIOS and not via software. I've already begun to read that o/c-ing via software can actually cause more problems than o/c-ing via BIOS.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

 

[EarthDog]

Again, you cannot bump the multiplier up on your CPU, you must use the bclk in the first place (bclk*multi = clockspeed). Where you are going with your overclock, you only need to worry about voltage (vcore and Vtt/QPI) and your ram speeds (as when you raise your bclk, you raise your ram speed - so you need to lower your memory multiplier as well).

 

[EvilPeppard]

Also, as an overall view for myself, please rank my current setup as you feel it compares to today's technology. A simple low/medium/high with a brief explanation would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Please rank my current system as a low/medium/high end gaming system so I have a feel for where things stand.


Game rig specs:

Case: AZZA Hurrican 2000
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, LGA1366
CPU: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
CPU cooling: Noctua 6 Dual Heatpipe with 140mm/120mm Dual SSO Bearing Fans CPU Cooler NH-D14
RAM: 12GB Corsair PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Triple Channel Memory Kit CMX6GX3M3A1600C9
Over clocked: none
HD1: Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB SSD
HD2: SATA 2.0 Western Digital Green, 1TB
Raid: none
OS: Windows 8 Professional
Video card: EVGA GTX580 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce 3072MB GDDR5 PCB PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card
Monitor 1: 28" Hanns G HZ281HPB LCD
Monitor 2: 28" Hanns G HG281DPB LCD
Sound: Onboard RealTek 7.1 surround
Power supply: Corsair HX1000W
UPS: CyberPower Intelligent LCD Series GreenPower UPS CP1500AVRLCD 1500VA 900W
Keyboard: Logitech G510
Mouse: Logitech G600 MMO gaming mouse
Headphones: Razer Moray gaming earbuds

 

[EarthDog]

Medium.

CPU is a couple generations behind (but still adequate for today's games, especially overclocked). PSU is massive overkill, so you are good there. Ram quantity is fine as well. GPU is solid, but power hungry compared to a comparable card (7870/GTX660). All other parts are irrelevant for gaming performance.

 

[\dev\goat]

Medium-high if you got the i7 closer to 4ghz

 

[EvilPeppard]

Medium.
PSU is massive overkill, so you are good there.

Thanks. I have the 1000w because I was running dual GTX 570s in SLI before I purchased the GTX 580. I felt I wasn't getting the performance I needed from the 570s or expected from SLI, so I bought the GTX 580.

 

[EvilPeppard]

Medium-high if you got the i7 closer to 4ghz

I've done some basic overclock trials and errors. Don't laugh at my overclocking noobness, please. I am still learning.

Here are initial tests. The first screenshot is of my settings before I changed anything:

3.60 overclock - appears stable (but only for about 15-20 minutes under Prime95 stress test):

I tried going higher, 3.73, 3.84, 4.08. My computer didn't like any of those settings. The BIOS warned me my settings were incorrect and would result in boot failure.

The 3.60 settings I've attached appear to be the most stable. I've been running Prime95 as I type this for over 15 minutes with no errors, and my temps are running at 58-60 degrees Celsius while testing. (UPDATE: as I was typing this, my computer BSOD'd about 18 minutes into the test, so I guess it isn't stable).

I need to continue learning about other parts to change in the BIOS. One thing I do not really understand is the 'System Memory Multiplier (SPD)'. You can see it in my second screenshot that I have it set to '6.0'. I am not really clear on what this does, other than step my memory speed down. If I leave it at 'auto' while trying to achieve 3.60GHz, or higher, the BIOS errors on boot with the warning I explained above.

Anyway, thank you again for helping me learn. Based on the BSOD during the 3.60GHz test, it appears I have a lot to still learn. I obviously have settings still incorrect, so I will continue reviewing EarthDog's instructions to see what I am missing.

Based on what people are saying so far about the weak spot on my rig, I may just drop $500 for a new mobo, cpu, and memory, then go from there.

 

[\dev\goat]

Based on what people are saying so far about the weak spot on my rig, I may just drop $500 for a new mobo, cpu, and memory, then go from there.

You still have a really good processor, I wouldn't do that yet. When we say "medium", it's "medium" compared to the top cpu's of today. In the context of gaming, it's still REALLY good.

Your memory speed is a ratio, relative to your bclk. You want to keep it in tune as your bclk increases. That's why leaving it on Auto is making it crash, probably.

right now it's 6, so 6 x 150 = 900. 900 x 2 (double data rate) = 1800mhz memory.

You seem to have hit your limit with the default voltages, it's time now to push some more juice into it to go any higher.

edit: and I'm not well versed on socket 1366 voltages, someone else will have to come along and help with that.

 

[EvilPeppard]

You still have a really good processor, I wouldn't do that yet. When we say "medium", it's "medium" compared to the top cpu's of today. In the context of gaming, it's still REALLY good.

Your memory speed is a ratio, relative to your bclk. You want to keep it in tune as your bclk increases. That's why leaving it on Auto is making it crash, probably.

right now it's 6, so 6 x 150 = 900. 900 x 2 (double data rate) = 1600mhz memory.

You seem to have hit your limit with the default voltages, it's time now to push some more juice into it to go any higher.

edit: and I'm not well versed on socket 1366 voltages, someone else will have to come along and help with that.

Many thanks, \dev\goat. I understand the memory speed now. I was forgetting to double it, so I was wondering why it was so low. Incidentally 900 x 2 = 1800, not 1600.

I will research more what I need to do to stabilize the 3.60 overclock.

 

[\dev\goat]

There was a rift in the space/time continuum that temporarily made 9x2=16, I'm sorry I forgot to note that at the bottom of my post.

I've never been wrong before, for the record