New graphics card - Low FPS

I got the radeon hd 4890 for christmas. I set up everything and go to play tf2. I set everything to the highest setting(8xAA, 16xAF). I get in the game and check my fps in the resupply room while nobody is around. I get 70fps. I naturally thought that my cpu was bottlenecking pretty bad(amd athlon 4450e+ 64x2 2.3ghz), so i turned down all settings to medium with no aa or af. I get 80fps. I start to walk outside to where all the fighting is going on. And then suddenly my Fps drops to 10-15! So i try out css and garrysmod and got the same deal. I thought it was just major cpu bottlneck, so I made a thread for a new mobo and cpu. I then found out the people have the same problem even with quad cores and really hightech rigs.They get the same exact fps type deals 60-100fps out of action 10-25fps in action. It just doesn't happen with the 4890 it happens with a lot of graphics card including nvidia. I googled this to see what was up and found TONS of forums and clicked on them all. They all had the same question but it never got answered. So i am asking you gamespot. How do i fix this terrible fps?

TL;DR- Low fps-Good graphics card whats wrong? (its not anyones system cause as stated above its on many graphics cards and people experience it with thousand dollar rigs and such)

Well your CPU is a bottleneck, though this is not the big problem. There really can be many things.

• Make sure you install the new drivers AFTER uninstalling old drivers from previous cards and such.
• Might be your PSU
• Defective card

Really so many possibilities.

its not a defective card because everything else works just good.

i had no drivers to uninstall because i had integrated graphics before, and all my drivers are up to date

my psu is LSP ultra 650pro 650w psu

maybe turn down the settings a bit.

IDK, but that is a poor quality PSU. Be careful with that thing, you wouldn't want to fry your PC. Anyways I really I have no other suggestions. Make sure you have the intergrated chip turned off. Maybe you should consider what I have said and not dismiss is so quickly. Good Luck

I just read your post about lowering the settings and it still ran bad. my friend had that problem and he had a crappy PSU like yours no offence. Never ever skimp on the PSU.

IDK, but that is a poor quality PSU. Be careful with that thing, you wouldn't want to fry your PC. Anyways I really I have no other suggestions. Make sure you have the intergrated chip turned off. Maybe you should consider what I have said and not dismiss is so quickly. Good Luck

I just read your post about lowering the settings and it still ran bad. my friend had that problem and he had a crappy PSU like yours no offence. Never ever skimp on the PSU.

millerlight89

A bad/underpowered PSU will not cause components to slow down.....

I'm willing to bet that the CPU is to blame, considering that my GX630 (laptop) has very similar symptoms regardless of the detail settings.

You could try overclocking your chip and see if that boosts the framerate somewhat. Either from that, I can't think of a solution other than buying a better CPU :?

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]

IDK, but that is a poor quality PSU. Be careful with that thing, you wouldn't want to fry your PC. Anyways I really I have no other suggestions. Make sure you have the intergrated chip turned off. Maybe you should consider what I have said and not dismiss is so quickly. Good Luck

I just read your post about lowering the settings and it still ran bad. my friend had that problem and he had a crappy PSU like yours no offence. Never ever skimp on the PSU.

MaoTheChimp

A bad/underpowered PSU will not cause components to slow down.....

I'm willing to bet that the CPU is to blame, considering that my GX630 (laptop) has very similar symptoms regardless of the detail settings.

You could try overclocking your chip and see if that boosts the framerate somewhat. Either from that, I can't think of a solution other than buying a better CPU :?

Try some other games if possible to see if it's just source games or not.

You guys are thinking too hard. That CPU is from the prehistoric ages, so it's obviously a CPU bottleneck.

[QUOTE="MaoTheChimp"]

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]

IDK, but that is a poor quality PSU. Be careful with that thing, you wouldn't want to fry your PC. Anyways I really I have no other suggestions. Make sure you have the intergrated chip turned off. Maybe you should consider what I have said and not dismiss is so quickly. Good Luck

I just read your post about lowering the settings and it still ran bad. my friend had that problem and he had a crappy PSU like yours no offence. Never ever skimp on the PSU.

millerlight89

A bad/underpowered PSU will not cause components to slow down.....

I'm willing to bet that the CPU is to blame, considering that my GX630 (laptop) has very similar symptoms regardless of the detail settings.

You could try overclocking your chip and see if that boosts the framerate somewhat. Either from that, I can't think of a solution other than buying a better CPU :?

Link?

You guys are thinking too hard. That CPU is from the prehistoric ages, so it's obviously a CPU bottleneck.

kaitanuvax

It is true that his CPU is getting long in the tooth, but it should still be more than enough to run Source games with no issues at all. I used to run the very same game he is running on an athlon 64 x2 4400+ with an 8800gt with no issues.. even maxed out. I have to think that he needs to optimize his PC by shutting down background processes and deleting his old temp files. Very strong possibility that his PSU is holding him back too. PSU's CAN cause poor performance in the most intensive situations, as the GPU/CPU don't get enough/stable enough power to maintain performance.

It is true that his CPU is getting long in the tooth, but it should still be more than enough to run Source games with no issues at all. I used to run the very same game he is running on an athlon 64 x2 4400+ with an 8800gt with no issues.. even maxed out. I have to think that he needs to optimize his PC by shutting down background processes and deleting his old temp files. Very strong possibility that his PSU is holding him back too. PSU's CAN cause poor performance in the most intensive situations, as the GPU/CPU don't get enough/stable enough power to maintain performance.

hartsickdiscipl

When the CPU or GPU is not getting enough power, they do NOT lose performance, they either become unstable or crash.

This is seen when overclocking the CPU; when you set the frequency too high at a specific voltage, it becomes unstable. The same is seen when overclocking the GPU; it artifacts to a certain point and ultimately fails. No performance loss is seen aside from the obvious instability.

An easy way to check that it's a CPU bottleneck? Underclock the CPU. It's impossible to damage the CPU by doing this, and the performance drop will be directly proportional to the drop in frequency when under load (aka. a CPU intensive area).

if you look on the tf2 steam boards people with AMD cpus have been having tons of problems. however it could be that your chip is pretty outdated. source games are cpu intensive not gpu intensive

if you look on the tf2 steam boards people with AMD cpus have been having tons of problems. however it could be that your chip is pretty outdated. source games are cpu intensive not gpu intensive

ironman388

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

It is true that his CPU is getting long in the tooth, but it should still be more than enough to run Source games with no issues at all. I used to run the very same game he is running on an athlon 64 x2 4400+ with an 8800gt with no issues.. even maxed out. I have to think that he needs to optimize his PC by shutting down background processes and deleting his old temp files. Very strong possibility that his PSU is holding him back too. PSU's CAN cause poor performance in the most intensive situations, as the GPU/CPU don't get enough/stable enough power to maintain performance.

MaoTheChimp

When the CPU or GPU is not getting enough power, they do NOT lose performance, they either become unstable or crash.

This is seen when overclocking the CPU; when you set the frequency too high at a specific voltage, it becomes unstable. The same is seen when overclocking the GPU; it artifacts to a certain point and ultimately fails. No performance loss is seen aside from the obvious instability.

An easy way to check that it's a CPU bottleneck? Underclock the CPU. It's impossible to damage the CPU by doing this, and the performance drop will be directly proportional to the drop in frequency when under load (aka. a CPU intensive area).

Sorry man, an insufficient PSU CAN cause poor GPU performance and/or crashing. Just because you have never personally experienced something doesn't mean it's not possible. Artifacting and crashing aren't the only signs of an underpowered GPU. I had a PSU that did a great job powering my 2 8800gt's until I suddenly started getting poor performance in games.. No artifacting, no crashing. Around the same time my PSU started making a high-pitched whining noise, and then it died.

Ok, im going to go buy some good psu from best buy like corsair or ocz or thermaltake or something. Ill put that in and report back with the results. If it works then ill probably return that psu to best buy (EXPENSIVE), and then i will question the validity of this psu's performance and ask what i could get for under $60 that will run good.

Online PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

Other PSU - you guys decide thanks

[QUOTE="MaoTheChimp"]

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

It is true that his CPU is getting long in the tooth, but it should still be more than enough to run Source games with no issues at all. I used to run the very same game he is running on an athlon 64 x2 4400+ with an 8800gt with no issues.. even maxed out. I have to think that he needs to optimize his PC by shutting down background processes and deleting his old temp files. Very strong possibility that his PSU is holding him back too. PSU's CAN cause poor performance in the most intensive situations, as the GPU/CPU don't get enough/stable enough power to maintain performance.

hartsickdiscipl

When the CPU or GPU is not getting enough power, they do NOT lose performance, they either become unstable or crash.

This is seen when overclocking the CPU; when you set the frequency too high at a specific voltage, it becomes unstable. The same is seen when overclocking the GPU; it artifacts to a certain point and ultimately fails. No performance loss is seen aside from the obvious instability.

An easy way to check that it's a CPU bottleneck? Underclock the CPU. It's impossible to damage the CPU by doing this, and the performance drop will be directly proportional to the drop in frequency when under load (aka. a CPU intensive area).

Sorry man, an insufficient PSU CAN cause poor GPU performance and/or crashing. Just because you have never personally experienced something doesn't mean it's not possible. Artifacting and crashing aren't the only signs of an underpowered GPU. I had a PSU that did a great job powering my 2 8800gt's until I suddenly started getting poor performance in games.. No artifacting, no crashing. Around the same time my PSU started making a high-pitched whining noise, and then it died.

Pardon me if I'm doubting you, I'm still not convinced. Even if the PSU did supply insufficient voltage, the VREG's on the card and mobo will address this issue. If the PSU under-currents the components, the system will crash. If the voltage ripple is out-of-spec, the system will crash (or if you're unlucky, it will damage the components to varying degrees). There is absolutely no way that anyone will lose performance from a under-powered or out-of-spec PSU; it's just plain and simple logic. And I have yet to find an article or test which is contrary to what I believe. If you find a legitimate test, I'll stand corrected, but right now I'm still unconvinced.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="MaoTheChimp"]

When the CPU or GPU is not getting enough power, they do NOT lose performance, they either become unstable or crash.

This is seen when overclocking the CPU; when you set the frequency too high at a specific voltage, it becomes unstable. The same is seen when overclocking the GPU; it artifacts to a certain point and ultimately fails. No performance loss is seen aside from the obvious instability.

An easy way to check that it's a CPU bottleneck? Underclock the CPU. It's impossible to damage the CPU by doing this, and the performance drop will be directly proportional to the drop in frequency when under load (aka. a CPU intensive area).

MaoTheChimp

Sorry man, an insufficient PSU CAN cause poor GPU performance and/or crashing. Just because you have never personally experienced something doesn't mean it's not possible. Artifacting and crashing aren't the only signs of an underpowered GPU. I had a PSU that did a great job powering my 2 8800gt's until I suddenly started getting poor performance in games.. No artifacting, no crashing. Around the same time my PSU started making a high-pitched whining noise, and then it died.

Pardon me if I'm doubting you, I'm still not convinced. Even if the PSU did supply insufficient voltage, the VREG's on the card and mobo will address this issue. If the PSU under-currents the components, the system will crash. If the voltage ripple is out-of-spec, the system will crash (or if you're unlucky, it will damage the components to varying degrees). There is absolutely no way that anyone will lose performance from a under-powered or out-of-spec PSU; it's just plain and simple logic. And I have yet to find an article or test which is contrary to what I believe. If you find a legitimate test, I'll stand corrected, but right now I'm still unconvinced.

Im just about to go test that at best buy

Yeah i dont think it is the psu might be a faulty card.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="MaoTheChimp"]

When the CPU or GPU is not getting enough power, they do NOT lose performance, they either become unstable or crash.

This is seen when overclocking the CPU; when you set the frequency too high at a specific voltage, it becomes unstable. The same is seen when overclocking the GPU; it artifacts to a certain point and ultimately fails. No performance loss is seen aside from the obvious instability.

An easy way to check that it's a CPU bottleneck? Underclock the CPU. It's impossible to damage the CPU by doing this, and the performance drop will be directly proportional to the drop in frequency when under load (aka. a CPU intensive area).

MaoTheChimp

Sorry man, an insufficient PSU CAN cause poor GPU performance and/or crashing. Just because you have never personally experienced something doesn't mean it's not possible. Artifacting and crashing aren't the only signs of an underpowered GPU. I had a PSU that did a great job powering my 2 8800gt's until I suddenly started getting poor performance in games.. No artifacting, no crashing. Around the same time my PSU started making a high-pitched whining noise, and then it died.

Pardon me if I'm doubting you, I'm still not convinced. Even if the PSU did supply insufficient voltage, the VREG's on the card and mobo will address this issue. If the PSU under-currents the components, the system will crash. If the voltage ripple is out-of-spec, the system will crash (or if you're unlucky, it will damage the components to varying degrees). There is absolutely no way that anyone will lose performance from a under-powered or out-of-spec PSU; it's just plain and simple logic. And I have yet to find an article or test which is contrary to what I believe. If you find a legitimate test, I'll stand corrected, but right now I'm still unconvinced.

I can't find a more legitimate test than my own PC. Since you don't believe me, you can continue in your mindset.

Wait a second i just realized something. I have a hd 4890 so i downloaded the 4890 drivers. But when i look under device manager it says my card is 4800 series and there's drivers for something that just says 4800 series, so should i get those drivers?patrick157

If the ATI site lists a driver for a specific model (like 4890), I would use that. But since you're not happy with your performance, it can't hurt to try the generic 4800 series drivers too. I know my device manager shows mine as a '5800 series.'

Damn, you guys don't give up. Look, even with my system, I only get about 74FPS avg in Left 4 Dead maxed out, which most likely uses the same engine as TF2. In heavy action, the frames drop to 20-40s.

So you are saying our stuff is working fine our bottleneck is just over 9000 lolshawn157

Yes. It's better to accept the fact that our CPU sucks than to go in denial. Then you go waste more money on something that isn't broken, like that poor guy above just did.

[QUOTE="MaoTheChimp"]

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

Sorry man, an insufficient PSU CAN cause poor GPU performance and/or crashing. Just because you have never personally experienced something doesn't mean it's not possible. Artifacting and crashing aren't the only signs of an underpowered GPU. I had a PSU that did a great job powering my 2 8800gt's until I suddenly started getting poor performance in games.. No artifacting, no crashing. Around the same time my PSU started making a high-pitched whining noise, and then it died.

hartsickdiscipl

Pardon me if I'm doubting you, I'm still not convinced. Even if the PSU did supply insufficient voltage, the VREG's on the card and mobo will address this issue. If the PSU under-currents the components, the system will crash. If the voltage ripple is out-of-spec, the system will crash (or if you're unlucky, it will damage the components to varying degrees). There is absolutely no way that anyone will lose performance from a under-powered or out-of-spec PSU; it's just plain and simple logic. And I have yet to find an article or test which is contrary to what I believe. If you find a legitimate test, I'll stand corrected, but right now I'm still unconvinced.

I can't find a more legitimate test than my own PC. Since you don't believe me, you can continue in your mindset.

It's not the "mindset" I'm in, nor my ego or just me being stubborn. It's about not believing every single statement I hear.

If I were to believe something just because someone gives a "legitimate" test or opinion, I'd be going around saying AMD sucks, Corsair and Seasonic sucks, and computer gaming will die by 2011. Obviously, none of this is true.

I base my input on previous tests on my own part, plus from information I gather from others. That being said, I've disagreed with peoples opinions many times before; on some occasions I'm right, on others, I'm not.

So while this may sound harsh, realize that I'm trying to give some honest advice here. I'm not on some secret mission to set fire to the OP's system.

Ok i just bought a corsair tx650w psu. NOTHING CHANGED. So that brings an end to the psu discussion and that the psu had nothing to do with this. So nao what?

Anyone know if a 4870 would bottleneck more than a 4890 with this setup?

Ok i just bought a corsair tx650w psu. NOTHING CHANGED. So that brings an end to the psu discussion and that the psu had nothing to do with this. So nao what?

patrick157

Ok i just bought a corsair tx650w psu. NOTHING CHANGED. So that brings an end to the psu discussion and that the psu had nothing to do with this. So nao what?

patrick157

Now you go read my previous posts and facepalm. ^^

Ok i don't think it's a faulty card because it can run everything on high. But if i put it down to dx8 all low settings i still get the same fps as if it was all on high. 60-80fps no action 10-20fps in action. patrick157

its not a defective card because everything else works just good.

i had no drivers to uninstall because i had integrated graphics before, and all my drivers are up to date

my psu is LSP ultra 650pro 650w psu

patrick157

GPU? Check. PSU? Check. Mobo?

Tell me when you reach the CPU.

He did nothing happened also he mentioned other people with like i7's and better mobo's are having the same problem with nvidia cards anyone know what would cause this?shawn157

[QUOTE="shawn157"]He did nothing happened also he mentioned other people with like i7's and better mobo's are having the same problem with nvidia cards anyone know what would cause this?neatfeatguy

There's no other possibility. When you turn settings and resolution down drasticly and still get the same fps, it's a CPU bottleneck. I doubt people with quad cores have this problem as well. If that were true, I would have seen TF2 in the same sentence as GTA4 everywhere.

There's no other possibility. When you turn settings and resolution down drasticly and still get the same fps, it's a CPU bottleneck. I doubt people with quad cores have this problem as well. If that were true, I would have seen TF2 in the same sentence as GTA4 everywhere.

kaitanuvax

he just checked it by having people with i7's having the same problem...shawn157

L4D runs fine on my E8400 (stock) paired with a 4890, so I'm not sure why it wouldn't run well with an i7.

[QUOTE="shawn157"]he just checked it by having people with i7's having the same problem...MaoTheChimp

L4D runs fine on my E8400 (stock) paired with a 4890, so I'm not sure why it wouldn't run well with an i7.