Why don't some games max out my GPU usage?

[SPL Tech]

I am running Titanfall with two GTX 660s in SLI and I noticed that even with all the settings maxed running at 1080P, the game still does not max out the GPU usage of the cards. Typically it hovers around 60% for both cards. However, my framerates are not amazing. Typically I am looking at 30FPS with all max settings, or 45-50 FPS if I turn the shader quality down to low and leave everything else maxed.

So why is the game not utilizing the full potential of the cards to achieve better framerates? This is not something specific to Titanfall (although its worse in Titanfall), I have seen other games with the same problem. With a 3570K at 4.6 GHz., I am not bottlenecked at the CPU either.

 

[SPL Tech]

waaat, no one knows?!

 

[SPL Tech]

 

[manu2b]

Do you use adaptive vSync?

 

[wingman99]

Some games top out higher than the CPU can keep up with the IPC.

like if your getting 300+FPS video card can be going faster that what the CPU can keep up.

Also v-sync will top out your video card work so it wont be fully loaded.

 

[SPL Tech]

I wasent using any vsync in Titanfall when I took that screenshot. But I do normally use it, and I think the real question is why not use it? There is no reason to process more frames than your monitor can display, and adaptive vsync does not suffer from tearing issues like normal vsync as I understand.

 

[EarthDog]

Adaptive and normal vsync are both there to stop screen tearing. The difference between the two is that with nvidia's adaptive vsync, under 60 fps it essentially turns off versus regular it drops your fps by multiples of your monitors refresh rate causing hitching/choppyness.

 

[SPL Tech]

Well, regardless I dont think vsync has anything to do with the original issue as the frame rate is typically below 60 FPS in Titanfall with everything maxed at 1080P.

 

[ShrimpBrime]

If I'm to understand it, Titan fall is pretty much just out of the Beta and now for sale at a good dolla price.

This however will not change the way the driver works for this set of cards and game, perhaps try different drivers, or update the ones you have if they are not already up to date.

Eventually NV will get some newer drivers up for better support with Titan Fall and you should then see better GPU usage.

 

[cullam3n]

Unless there's a new patch I'm not aware of, Titanfall does not currently support SLI, at least not 100%.

Depends on the game, whether vysnc is on, etc. Some games like Borderlands 2 are more CPU intensive than GPU intensive, so the GPUs aren't at max usage because the CPU is doing most of the work.

 

[Luke1978]

omg I can't stop laughing