High End Graphics Card Underperforming

[Ezenemy]

Hey everyone, I have a GTX 680 4GB, 16gb ram, and a i7 2700k, it's been a while since I've been here and I'm fairly certain my specs on my profile are outdated.

In the last 6-8 months or so I have noticed my over FPS and performance in games has been a lot lower. It hasn't been too much of an issue to me because I've been busy with work and school, but now with BF4 out I am reading people with lesser cards getting better performance. For example when I first got the card I remember being able to run ArmA DayZ mod at 100+ fps, now it's 40-60 FPS if I'm lucky. On BF4 (high preset) I am getting 40-75 FPS depending on what is going on, now I know 75 FPS is good, but it only jumps to this amount when I'm stationary, and I have also noticed decreased FPS in recording gameplay using Fraps/Dxtory (I have a 7200 RPM dedicated HD for this). Any advice? My card isn't getting hot while playing, it idles at 28-30c, and goes to 45-50 while under load.

 

[Pendaws]

Have you updated to 331.65 drivers yet? is your CPU O/clocked? You using a Z68 MB?
You thought of Upgrading the HDD to a new SSD? Have you the latest BIOS??

 

[Ezenemy]

Have you updated to 331.65 drivers yet? is your CPU O/clocked? You using a Z68 MB?
You thought of Upgrading the HDD to a new SSD? Have you the latest BIOS??

I have the latest drivers, my CPU isn't O/clocked, I don't know what a Z68 is, and I haven't seen a need for a HDD, I'm not too sure what you mean by the latest BIOS.

 

[N00berG00ber]

ok, make sure to run the latest drivers form NVidia at NVidia's website. try cleaning out your computer (uninstalling un-used programs, cleaning statup programs, junk files etc) you ccleaner for junk files, and windows disk cleaner tool. make sure you clean up startup programs too.

once that's done, defrag your HDD.

after that, install MSI Afterburner and make sure the card's core and mem clocks are running at their intended speed.

I would also suggest cleaning out the inside of you computer with dust to make sure the CPU isent throttling. same with the GPU.

after all this is done, and you still have FPS issues, then the card is getting outdated. games engines and such change over time so fps reduction is expected. time for a new card than I suggest Radeon R9 280x or 290x id budget allows.

 

[Ezenemy]

ok, make sure to run the latest drivers form NVidia at NVidia's website. try cleaning out your computer (uninstalling un-used programs, cleaning statup programs, junk files etc) you ccleaner for junk files, and windows disk cleaner tool. make sure you clean up startup programs too.

once that's done, defrag your HDD.

after that, install MSI Afterburner and make sure the card's core and mem clocks are running at their intended speed.

I would also suggest cleaning out the inside of you computer with dust to make sure the CPU isent throttling. same with the GPU.

after all this is done, and you still have FPS issues, then the card is getting outdated. games engines and such change over time so fps reduction is expected. time for a new card than I suggest Radeon R9 280x or 290x id budget allows.

I have done all of the above, also, it's a 4GB GTX 680, and I've had it for less than a year, I spent $600 on it, I shouldn't have to be replacing it for a couple of years.

 

[N00berG00ber]

run a virus scan and check the usage for the CPU to make sure something is not eating it. is you CPU a dual core or a quad core?

 

[Solarstarshines]

ok, make sure to run the latest drivers form NVidia at NVidia's website. try cleaning out your computer (uninstalling un-used programs, cleaning statup programs, junk files etc) you ccleaner for junk files, and windows disk cleaner tool. make sure you clean up startup programs too.

once that's done, defrag your HDD.

after that, install MSI Afterburner and make sure the card's core and mem clocks are running at their intended speed.

I would also suggest cleaning out the inside of you computer with dust to make sure the CPU isent throttling. same with the GPU.

after all this is done, and you still have FPS issues, then the card is getting outdated. games engines and such change over time so fps reduction is expected. time for a new card than I suggest Radeon R9 280x or 290x id budget allows.

I have done all of the above, also, it's a 4GB GTX 680, and I've had it for less than a year, I spent $600 on it, I shouldn't have to be replacing it for a couple of years.

Need I mention to everyone BattleField4 is optimized towards AMD Graphics your card will perform but keep in mind the other cards you are talking about would they happen to be your card or lower AMD cards ?

You can also try to overclock your GPU according to this video one person mentioned your exact frame output on Ultra settings so I don't think there is anything wrong


40-75 FPS

 

[Boozad]

For example when I first got the card I remember being able to run ArmA DayZ mod at 100+ fps, now it's 40-60 FPS if I'm lucky.

Have you been performing clean installs of updated GPU drivers or just installing them over the top of old ones? It's always best practice to perform clean installs and if you haven't done so I'd recommend it. Download and install GeForce Experience, this makes performing clean installs a doddle and always notifies you when updates are available.

Also it would be worth monitoring your temperatures whilst playing, if you've made certain your GPU is clean and free of dust I doubt it's overheating, but if you don't have a program controlling your fan profile it's possible.

 

[MPN]

For BF4 it could be that the game is not fully optimized yet.
I have read several places that people with high end gaming rigs have fps prolems.
give it a week or two and see if a get fixed with a patch.

And i dont think a 4GB 680 is outdated alrdy. Might be broken, who knows.

If you can i suggest you try a clean format on your PC and see if that helps. Can be old files clogging up you preformance, Or send it inn where you bought it and have them test it before getting a new GPU.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Boozad has the correct anwser. A 4GB GTX 680 is within a generation or so of state of the art for consumer GPU's, a totally clean driver install well very likely improve the performance.

Run a bench mark on the GPU and compare the results with similar systems, that well tell you if there's a problem with your system.

 

[Solarstarshines]

I would agree Optimization for sure the 680 4gb is a monster

Still the Video I posted people have said the same thing so it is out putting at least playable frames

 

[smarteyeball]

I don't know what a Z68 is,

It's the intel chipset of your motherboard. Nothing to do with the issue at hand however.

and I haven't seen a need for a HDD,

Cause you don't. SSD's are nice but not entirely necessary. For gaming, they only affect loading times.

I'm not too sure what you mean by the latest BIOS.

The BIOS or Basic Input Out System is the writing/screens that appear after the PC goes beep before it loads the Operating System.

Put simply, It "talks to" and "initiates/controls" the hardware when turning the PC on. It's where you set your hardware settings.

Updating the BIOS is generally recommended since each release contains bug fixes etc. But it's also "If it ain't broke/don't fix" thing too. If your PC was 'fine' before, then it's unlikely the BIOS has anything to do with your issue.

Run a bench mark on the GPU and compare the results with similar systems, that well tell you if there's a problem with your system.

Benchmarks like Unigine Heaven 4.0 are useful to compare to other systems as mentioned. If your card is under performing then the results will show it.

As mentioned, monitoring temps and clock speeds with either Afterburner or EVGA Precision X will also determine if the card is hitting it's full clock speeds as well as showing utilization.

If ticking the "perform clean installation" box while installing the 331.65 drivers doesn't work, you can uninstall the nvidia drivers first and then use an app like Driver Fusion to "clean" the remnants. Then re-install the drivers.

Performing a fresh OS installation should be considered an absolute last resort.

BF4 is not the best comparison. Aside from immature drivers, other users with lower cards may be using "similar" settings but missing key differences like post processing used etc.

 

[Ezenemy]

For example when I first got the card I remember being able to run ArmA DayZ mod at 100+ fps, now it's 40-60 FPS if I'm lucky.

Have you been performing clean installs of updated GPU drivers or just installing them over the top of old ones? It's always best practice to perform clean installs and if you haven't done so I'd recommend it. Download and install GeForce Experience, this makes performing clean installs a doddle and always notifies you when updates are available.

Also it would be worth monitoring your temperatures whilst playing, if you've made certain your GPU is clean and free of dust I doubt it's overheating, but if you don't have a program controlling your fan profile it's possible.

I just installed a fresh driver.

Boozad has the correct anwser. A 4GB GTX 680 is within a generation or so of state of the art for consumer GPU's, a totally clean driver install well very likely improve the performance.

Run a bench mark on the GPU and compare the results with similar systems, that well tell you if there's a problem with your system.

I don't know what a Z68 is,

It's the intel chipset of your motherboard. Nothing to do with the issue at hand however.

and I haven't seen a need for a HDD,

Cause you don't. SSD's are nice but not entirely necessary. For gaming, they only affect loading times.

I'm not too sure what you mean by the latest BIOS.

The BIOS or Basic Input Out System is the writing/screens that appear after the PC goes beep before it loads the Operating System.

Put simply, It "talks to" and "initiates/controls" the hardware when turning the PC on. It's where you set your hardware settings.

Updating the BIOS is generally recommended since each release contains bug fixes etc. But it's also "If it ain't broke/don't fix" thing too. If your PC was 'fine' before, then it's unlikely the BIOS has anything to do with your issue.

Run a bench mark on the GPU and compare the results with similar systems, that well tell you if there's a problem with your system.

Benchmarks like Unigine Heaven 4.0 are useful to compare to other systems as mentioned. If your card is under performing then the results will show it.

As mentioned, monitoring temps and clock speeds with either Afterburner or EVGA Precision X will also determine if the card is hitting it's full clock speeds as well as showing utilization.

If ticking the "perform clean installation" box while installing the 331.65 drivers doesn't work, you can uninstall the nvidia drivers first and then use an app like Driver Fusion to "clean" the remnants. Then re-install the drivers.

Performing a fresh OS installation should be considered an absolute last resort.

BF4 is not the best comparison. Aside from immature drivers, other users with lower cards may be using "similar" settings but missing key differences like post processing used etc.

This is the result

0a999657f1e9fa703c4981a7e12837f1.png

I was getting around 50c for the temperature while running the test, for some reason half way through the test both my screens blacked out for a couple of seconds and then it like selected the HDMI input again and everything came back, after that the temperature rose up to 70c.

edit: when I record I get around 60c

 

[Solarstarshines]

everything looks on point

I still stand by my post your card is fine you need to either wait till they work on battlefield fixes or play it like it is

 

[kbrady1979]

In the "PC Custom Builds and Overclocking" subforum, there are several threads dedicated to GPU performance. There may even be a benchmark or two that you can run and compare to what others are getting. I suspect it may be a driver problem, coupled with an optimization problem. You can completely remove all old drivers and install the latest, but can't do much for Nvidia optimization for BF4. I don't know how you feel about overclocking your 680, or how much you will gain, but if you aren't having temperature issues, you could always give it a go. Several people on this forum OC their graphics cards and will be more than willing to help you do that.

Also, there is NOTHING wrong with your graphics card. It's still a monster.

 

[Boozad]

I just installed a fresh driver.

Did you perform a clean install?

 

[smarteyeball]

This is the result

0a999657f1e9fa703c4981a7e12837f1.png

Ignore the min, but that looks about right for the card.

I was getting around 50c for the temperature while running the test, for some reason half way through the test both my screens blacked out for a couple of seconds and then it like selected the HDMI input again and everything came back, after that the temperature rose up to 70c.

The blanking out "could be" the driver failing and recovering.

Type Event viewer in the search box, Open Event Viewer>Custom Views>Administrative Events and see if there any" Warning! / Display / Event ID 4101 "Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding and has successfully recovered."

Some apps/game don't like having extended monitors enabled when going full screen on primary. As a test, when gaming, benching try disabling the secondary monitor.

What app are you using to monitor temps?

Essentially you need to discover if your card is hitting full 3D clocks under load.

 

[Ezenemy]

I just installed a fresh driver.

Did you perform a clean install?

Yes, I did.

This is the result

0a999657f1e9fa703c4981a7e12837f1.png

Ignore the min, but that looks about right for the card.

I was getting around 50c for the temperature while running the test, for some reason half way through the test both my screens blacked out for a couple of seconds and then it like selected the HDMI input again and everything came back, after that the temperature rose up to 70c.

The blanking out "could be" the driver failing and recovering.

Type Event viewer in the search box, Open Event Viewer>Custom Views>Administrative Events and see if there any" Warning! / Display / Event ID 4101 "Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding and has successfully recovered."

Some apps/game don't like having extended monitors enabled when going full screen on primary. As a test, when gaming, benching try disabling the secondary monitor.

What app are you using to monitor temps?

Essentially you need to discover if your card is hitting full 3D clocks under load.

Precision X

everything looks on point

I still stand by my post your card is fine you need to either wait till they work on battlefield fixes or play it like it is

I didn't pay over $600 less than a year ago for the upcoming releases this year for 45-60 FPS on Medium settings without even recording.