FPS Struggles..

(Randomdeath) #1

My system:
CPU: AMD Phenom 2 x4 955 Black Edition (no oc)
RAM: (Mixed) Corsair 2x4gb + OCZ Obsidian 2x2 gb (Total: 12 gb)
Graphics Card: MSI HD 6870 Twin Frozr II
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT
PSU: RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-730S

So… I had this system about a month ago, except i had a Sapphire HD 4870. So i did a slight, budget friendly upgrade to my graphics card, as you can see. But, I got about 50 fps on minimum settings on 1080p in this game (Dirty Bomb, of course) with my old video card. With this new card im getting like 30 average on 1080p minimum settings… I lowered it to 720p and its flawless (on the old card lowering the res made no difference :confused: ) Is this because my older card is optimized for dx9 and dx10, and the new card is optimized for dx10 and dx11? I heard this game runs dx9, so could this be the problem? I made sure my card is firmly plugged into the pci-e slot, and made double sure the power connected were also firmly connected.

By the way, i have the new card running a slight oc, 953 MHz on the core and 1065 on the 1gb memory. No throttling as far as i can tell, and going into the 960s creates an unstable(ish) system. The driver crashes after about 20 minutes of gaming, then after that crashes in exactly 30 minute increments. Is there a way i can push maybe 970 or does my system not allow it? I use MSI Afterburner, if that helps at all…

Thanks all <3

(watsyurdeal) #2

Your processor is the main thing, this game is heavily cpu dependent as I went from having to use a potato config on a Core 2 Quad Q9300, to being able to get 100 fps on average, max settings on 1080p.

You should consider getting a new cpu at some point, and since it is an AMD board as far as I know it should not be terribly difficult to get a new one and not have it clash with your board, though I do not know for certain.

If nothing else, you could just spend the money you get soon on a brand spanking new Zen processor from AMD, it shouldn’t be too much for the whole package honestly, your OS will need to be replaced but you should be able to spend 400 dollars or less and get a massive improvement with the same stuff.

You’d only need new ram, a zen cpu, and a zen cpu compatible mobo, and you’d be set.

Just a possible idea for when they come around, if nothing else you could get a AMD FX-9590 and still get a huge boost. It’s up to you.

(Amerika) #3

Two quick things you can check is making sure that OneFrameThreadLag= is set to True in your ShooterEngine.ini file. The other thing is make sure your processor isn’t now overheating which would cause it to clock down in order to not fry. Use Open Hardware monitor, play the game and check to make sure the max temps your cores got to are normal under load for your processor. You might have bumped your heatsink or the new gpu is causing a lot more heat to build up in your case making it overheat.

Every FPS problem that I’ve helped with recently have been one of those or the other.

(Randomdeath) #4

Nah. I got a fan right next to my gpu so im pretty sure its not causing any extra heat (runs at 70c on full load in furmark) And the cpu is pretty old, but its still decent… I didnt want to have to replace it, but if thats the case then i guess i will have to. Also i have heard you dont need to re install your os for a new cpu, but you do if you are switching sockets or chipsets. Since i would rather keep this mobo and go for an fx 4300-6500 i might not need to re install, since whatever i buy is most likely going to be am3/am3+… Thanks for the help though!

(Randomdeath) #5

@Amerika @Watsyurdeal http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286 Would this work? I of course want to play games better but i also animate and make videos… So encoding and multi core performance is important to me. I dont know a lot about processors, I dont follow them as closely as i do graphics cards. Would this be a decent upgrade? I looked at the comparison on CPU Boss, but most of their stuff is synthetic.

(watsyurdeal) #6

It’s not the right socket type, you’re using AM3 and this is AM3+

(Amerika) #7

Well, that sounds pretty hot. I Googled your proc and looked at quite a few places and found that most people recommend that you never exceed 60c for that particular processor. How hot is it running when you’re playing DB? Your issues might be resolved more cheaply by simply troubleshooting heat issues.

Also, did you check the setting I asked about in your shooterengine.ini file?

(Randomdeath) #8

Yes I did, @Amerika… Heat is fine, and I just realized getting less than 60 fps is related to cpu, but my main question was why am i getting LESS frames per second with a card that is more than TWICE as powerful? I ‘upgraded’ my graphics card and now i get 30 avg and 50 max on min settings with 1080p, this is on the 6870. on the 4870 i got 50 avg and 70 max on min settings 1080p, and the fps didnt change if i lowered the res. now with the ‘new’ card i get 100+ on 720p so thats fine, but i definately prefer 1080p… Also @Watsyurdeal My motherboard is Am3/Am3+… Since the two sockets are so alike you can have the same socket on the board. The different socket differentiates on the CPU, not the Motherboard. So i will be fine on that note.

(Amerika) #9

According to everything I read your heat isn’t fine at all. A new video card might be generating significantly more heat in your case causing your processor to clock itself down so it doesn’t melt…which would reduce your FPS.

It takes only a few seconds to download open hardware monitor, play DB for 10 minutes and check your max core temps when you’re done (Open Hardware Monitor keeps them recorded).

(Randomdeath) #10

Graphics card runs at 63 playing DB and CPU runs at 72… Im pretty sure it isnt a heat problem. One front fan, a rear fan, a fan right next to the graphics card, and of course no oc on the cpu because of the stock cooler. But also keep in mind my graphics card is an MSI Twin Frozr 2 so it has a way better cooler than referance. I do think if i had the referance cooeler i would be dealing with heat issues. But im not.

(Randomdeath) #11

All of my mesurements are taken in Celsius, because thats what most programs use… i beleive my card will start to clock down at 80 or 90c and the cpu at 80c. So yea its close, but i have been running this cpu since it was new. So it could be startiing to go, but the thing is… i cant really afford a chocolate bar right now, let alone a new processor. And @Watsyurdeal you were right i cant plug an am3+ chip into my am3 board, but what if i punch out the blocked pin? Will it work then?

(watsyurdeal) #12

Hell no it won’t, you’ll kill the processor.

Plus the mobo is not designed to be compatible both on a hardware and software/firmware level.

Given what I’ve heard I’d say look into improving your cooling situation. New fans, reapply thermal paste, maybe a aio liquid cooler, just some ideas.

(Randomdeath) #13

New fans? Those wont make a difference… I cant fit an aio in my case… Cooling is fine, the processor is getting old and i have pretty much abused it its whole life, its probably just age thats making it get hotter. But i still think you have completely missed the question of the OP, @Watsyurdeal, I asked if anyone knows why im getting LESS frames with a new graphics card. I dont give a shit that my processor is older than world war 2 i want to know why with the new gpu im getting less fps… HD 4870 is my old card, i got 50 fps 1080p minimum settings. NOW with the NEW card, which is and hd 6870… TWO generations newer, im getting 30fps 1080p minimum settings. I lowered to 720p and its fine, and on the old card lowering the resolution did nothing. I want to know if my card is a little defective, or if its how the card is built, or if there is a problem with how i installed the drivers… I dont care that my cpu is old and runs hot because i KNOW that already

(watsyurdeal) #14

It is exactly the reason, you cpu is over 5 years old, you need to upgrade that before you get a new card. You’re bottlenecking the GPU because the CPU is too old to keep up.

(Randomdeath) #15

@Watsyurdeal I know im bottle necking the gpu, but just because this card is more held back than the other one because its better, doesnt mean i should be getting less frame rates. i should at the very least be getting better frame rates. and you forget that it costs upwards of 200 dollars to get a decent upgrade from here, and thats WITHOUT re-purchasing the operating system. so with all that, its about 500 bucks. starting with 0, thats pretty far off. so “just get a new cpu” is an overestimate of my budget. Note: I am 15 years old and can not legally get a job anywhere, so im stuck with odd-jobs, all of which dont pay much. I live in a neighborhood where if the neighbor isn’t selling cocaine, hes selling crystal meth. This is quite literal, i might add. Housing is quite cheap here, thats why we live here at all. So mowing the old lady’s lawn two houses down isn’t a reality to me, and the nearest town is a two hour bike ride… So if you want to help please do your best to find an AM3+ Board and a nice FX chip that will be cozy with my 6870 in games, and with Blender for rendering projects. Also if it sucks at encoding video, its not an option for me.

(Amerika) #16

You’re not understanding. You say you have fans so your heat is fine yet your processor is literally burning up according to what you’re telling me. You’re 12c over what people consider the highest temperature that processor can handle and still be safe. Your fans or fan placement does not matter at all since your CPU is burning up. It’s quite possibly hitting it’s max thermal threshold and clocking itself down just so it can survive. You might have already damaged it.

You can choose to ignore what I am saying, it’s your choice. It’s just weird how often people will tell me and swear that “it’s not a heat issue” when there is very clearly a heat issue. And the weirdest part is it is usually the easiest and cheapest problem to fix.

I also very clearly explained why you would be getting less FPS with a new card. I’m not making these things up. I help people with these issues pretty often.

Good luck!

(Randomdeath) #17

@Amerika I thought 80 was the max threshold… :confused: You are right i might have damaged it already… Thanks for restating in simpler words, im kind of a noob at PC building…

(Amerika) #18

No problem. I’ve read quite a bit and 62c is the absolute maximum safe temperature per AMD themselves and most people recommend that particular processor never get over 55c under maximum load (as in Prime95 testing). I can’t 100% guarantee that is causing your FPS issue but where there is smoke (hopefully not literally)…

The best thing you can do is to take off the side of your case and check temps to see if it’s an airflow thing. You might also want to reseat your CPU fan or potentially replacing it with an aftermarket air cooler with solid reviews (EVO 212 is a good lower cost one). Or, as you’ve discussed, look into replacing it all if you have the means. Your hardware wasn’t very powerful even when it was released and that was over half a decade ago.

(Randomdeath) #19

@Amerika Agreed. Checking the temps soon, And i have a 212 evo in my brothers computer. He doesnt use it anymore so ill ask him for it. But he has an i5 about the same age as my phenom… Hopefully i have the amd bracket sitting around here somewhere. After thats all sorted i will be upgrading to an fx-8000 series with a nice Cryorig cooler. Those look sweet and seem well enough reviewed. But i need a little help finding a decent motherboard… Can you help me out? I dont know anything about motherboards except socket types :confused: for mobo i have a max budget of 80 bucks. Is the good? or should i go higher…

(Amerika) #20

Honestly, I would stay as far away as possible from AMD processors/chipsets. There are typically way more problems with them in gaming simply because most of the industry develops/builds/tests primarily with Intel/Nvidia setups. It’s not always the case but there is a lot higher % chance that your system will work if it’s Intel (and I also recommend Nvidia for similar reasons but it’s less of an issue).

Yeah, you’ll definitely need that AMD bracket. And they are annoying to install haha.

But back to your purchase…I’d go with an Intel i5 Skylake setup with a Gigabyte board (they make low cost/high performance boards). AMD went in big on multicore processors and it never panned out with AAA games and you have issues with older/middling road games (like DB) due to bad low-thread performance.

That’s just my opinion but it’s a pretty educated one.