CPU problems ?

[DizX]

Hello

This is going to be very very long, so i apologize in advance for all of my typo and grammatical errors. And please stay with me through all this, because i really need some help right now.

 

So it all started about a month or two ago, when i bought some awesome new parts to build my first rig by myself. I didnt upgrade everything, but i did spent a good amount of money on it.

I bought an extra 2Tb s of SSHD storage, a NZXT H440 chassis, a ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 and a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB GHZ- Edition. I also these parts from my older PC to complete the rig, HyperX Fury 8GB (2x4GB) CL10 1600MHz, AMD FX-8350 8 4.0GHz Black Edition and the cooler, Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. I also had an very old 600Watt 80+ bronze PSU.

 

So, i got the parts, and i built everything as planed, and everything went just fine. Nothing bad happened.

But after about a week or so, i tried OCing my CPU, because i want getting some not so right frame rates on some games (this is the problem that im contacting you guys for, but i will get back to it later). Anyway, i tried OCing my 8350 from the normal 4.3Ghz that it always runs at, to a simpler 4.5Ghz, and then tried to run BF4 SP opening scene, and in less than 5 minutes, my computer turned off without any warning or anything, just went black.

It took my a few days to figure it out, but it was the PSU. It was very old and the 780TI + the 8350 was getting too much power from it and it just stoped working.

So i bought a new PSU, a Corsair RM 1000W 80+ Gold, (and some thermal pasted. as it turns out, i forgot the thermal paste the first time and my cpu overheated as well), and everything started working just fine. 

But here here is the problem, a lot of really weird stuff are happening, and i have no idea what they mean, and whats wrong, and if even something is wrong. and even if something was wrong, it will be really hard to find the source and fix it.

So here is the deal.

I dont think that im getting as much FPS as i should be getting giving that i have the fastest 780TI around and a FX8350. i think its the CPU, i think there is something wrong with it or something.

For example, the more GPU dependent games are running much smoother than before, but not as much as the should be when compared to some benchmarks that i have seen in the 780TI review pages (i know that they have a better CPU than me, im not an idiot, just listen), and also in my Ubisoft games, i have been getting some EXTREMELY low FPS. games like Farcry 3 and AC3 and AC4 and blacklist´are all running BELOW 30FPS. and some other games like metro last light are running at a borderline 60FPS, when i was expecting a bit more (correct me if im wrong here. but either way, 25FPS in Farcry3 or splinter cell Blacklist is not right.)

Im also not running a 4K monitor or anything. In fact i have a fairly old 1600x1080 22" monitor (HP LE2201w).

I dont know if this will help or not, but i also ran the Catzilla benchmark, and my GPU scored with flying colors, but my CPU physics only scored a 214 (not sure if thats ok or horrible).

 

To summarize, these are my current PC Specs:

ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0

AMD FX-8350 8 4.0GHz Black Edition

HyperX Fury 8GB (2x4GB) CL10 1600MHz Röd

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB GHZ- Edition

Corsair RM 1000W 80+ Gold

NZXT H440

1x HDD 2Tb

1x SSHD 2Tb

1x SSD 120 Gb

 

I am running a windows 7 home premium on the SSD

I am using the latest Nvidia drivers

And i also have updated my windows and games to the latest version.

 

Why am i getting such a low or average FPS ?

(I can understand the average FPS, because i have a average CPU. But i dont get the below 30FPS on some of these games that are just driving me crazy)

 

And btw, I am running ALL these game on the highest setting, with the V-synch off. But in all of the cases, i have tried ALL the different settings, and it doesnt make much of a difference.(For example, i truned everything off this the setting page (NOT directx11 ofc), and instead of getting 25fps, i was getting 28-30).

I have also tried installing those games into my SSD, that didnt help either.

 

[Morfy]

Tried hitting the CPU up with Prime 95? see the load or if there are any errors.

[DizX]

Tried hitting the CPU up with Prime 95? see the load or if there are any errors.

I´ll try right now.

[William12h]

You could had permanently damaged your CPU by not using a thermal paste, use Prime95 to see if their are any errors. You may have to get another CPU ;(

Use temp monitoring software like HWMonitor and Core Temp to see what temps you are getting and if your GPU/CPU is underclocking.

And i recommend resetting the BIOS to its default settings, untill you find a cause.

[DizX]

 

You could had permanently damaged your CPU by not using a thermal paste, use Prime95 to see if their are any errors. You may have to get another CPU ;(

Use temp monitoring software like HWMonitor and Core Temp to see what temps you are getting and if your GPU/CPU is underclocking.

And i recommend resetting the BIOS to its default settings, untill you find a cause.

 

I did as you said. And everything went find, i think. here, i took a screen shot.

http://imgur.com/e3L6XFO

 

oh and btw, i couldnt find any stress.txt file.

a couple of new files appeared in the prime95 zip file, but no stress.txt 

if its supper important, i can do it again.

[William12h]

Temps are fine, not sure about the test. - make sure you stop the test by clicking on Test and then STOP. then you will see the results. The longer you leave it the better but a few minuets to 30 mins should be fine to see if you get some errors, i you dont i would consider leaving it on for longer and if its fine with no errors after 1/2 hours then your cpu should not be damaged. 

 

One way i compare performance is using PerformanceTest (http://www.passmark.com/products/pt.htm)

I test everything and then i go to baseline and select another result with the same CPU. Compare your CPU results see  if they are more or less the same or some dramatic differences. Make sure they are the same frequencies.

 

I did as you said. And everything went find, i think. here, i took a screen shot.

http://imgur.com/e3L6XFO

 

oh and btw, i couldnt find any stress.txt file.

a couple of new files appeared in the prime95 zip file, but no stress.txt 

if its supper important, i can do it again.

 

[TDP_Equinox]

You were running an 8350 for a week WITHOUT THERMAL PASTE?!?! 
I am surprised it works at all. It is likely the CPU breaking down from the continued heat, and underclocking itself to protect itself.
Good luck sending that CPU in for an RMA, but you need a new one.
If you do get a higher level CPU (8350 is great, i am using it on my newest build) make sure your board can handle it.
A guy brought in his PC one day after upgrading from an 8120 to a 9590 and he fried his VRMs because they couldnt handle the higher wattage.

[seiny]

Here you go champ

 

[TDP_Equinox]

Here you go champ

 

i dont think you read the part where he ran his 8350 for a week without thermal paste

[DizX]

Temps are fine, not sure about the test. - make sure you stop the test by clicking on Test and then STOP. then you will see the results. The longer you leave it the better but a few minuets to 30 mins should be fine to see if you get some errors, i you dont i would consider leaving it on for longer and if its fine with no errors after 1/2 hours then your cpu should not be damaged. 

 

One way i compare performance is using PerformanceTest (http://www.passmark.com/products/pt.htm)

I test everything and then i go to baseline and select another result with the same CPU. Compare your CPU results see  if they are more or less the same or some dramatic differences. Make sure they are the same frequencies.

I just ran the test again, this time for about 30-33 mins. everything seemed fine. the temps where the same as before, maybe just a bit more.

No errors or anything.

 

You were running an 8350 for a week WITHOUT THERMAL PASTE?!?! 

I am surprised it works at all. It is likely the CPU breaking down from the continued heat, and underclocking itself to protect itself.

Good luck sending that CPU in for an RMA, but you need a new one.

If you do get a higher level CPU (8350 is great, i am using it on my newest build) make sure your board can handle it.

A guy brought in his PC one day after upgrading from an 8120 to a 9590 and he fried his VRMs because they couldnt handle the higher wattage.

I doubt that its as bad as you think. Its not like it didnt have thermal paste, its just that it didnt have new thermal paste after i dismounted and then re-mounted my cpu cooler. so basically it had air bubbles in it. 

oh and btw, in that week i really didnt put any load on the cpu anyway.

 

Here you go champ

 

Thank you sir, as it turns out, many of my cores are parked.

I will unpark them now, but not really sure if that will help, or if it does, how much.

[TDP_Equinox]

I just ran the test again, this time for about 30-33 mins. everything seemed fine. the temps where the same as before, maybe just a bit more.

No errors or anything.

 

I doubt that its as bad as you think. Its not like it didnt have thermal paste, its just that it didnt have new thermal paste after i dismounted and then re-mounted my cpu cooler. so basically it had air bubbles in it. 

oh and btw, in that week i really didnt put any load on the cpu anyway.

 

Thank you sir, as it turns out, many of my cores are parked.

I will unpark them now, but not really sure if that will help, or if it does, how much.

Okay, the old thermal paste is okay. I thought you meant like zero thermal paste at all, i was freaking out

[seiny]

i dont think you read the part where he ran his 8350 for a week without thermal paste

This is part of the troubleshooting process

[DizX]

Alright here is a update:

I unparked my cpu cores, and then i tried AC4 again.

At some part in the opening scene i used to get about 28 FPS. And when i tried again, it didnt change at all.

But then i remembered reading somewhere about turning down the PhysX to boost your FPS, so i turned it off. And valah, now i get 60-60+ FPS in that part.

Its a shame because i really like PhysX. And it doesnt seem natural for a 780TI to have problems with it.

Is there a problem ? am i missing something obvious here ? because it feels like it.

There is 2 more things. 

1, I used to have my PhysX setting in the Nvidia control panel set to my GTX 780TI, becase i thought it could handle it. but just now i changed it back to auto select, gonna see if that changes anything.

and 2nd, i still have my older gpu, a GTX 660SC left on my desk. Do you think its worth it effort to put it in my case as a dedicated PhysX card ?

because ive seen older cards slowing the newer ones down when used as a dedicated PhysX card

[DizX]

Okay, the old thermal paste is okay. I thought you meant like zero thermal paste at all, i was freaking out

Nice to know that you care

[TDP_Equinox]

Nice to know that you care

How is the 8350 so far, other than the issues you were having? I have an 8350 that i am going to be putting in a build, and am wanting some actual feedback on it, other than benchmarks.

[DizX]

How is the 8350 so far, other than the issues you were having? I have an 8350 that i am going to be putting in a build, and am wanting some actual feedback on it, other than benchmarks.

I think its fair to say that mine has been through some rough shit with me, and it has never done anything stupid, until now, which im beginning to doubt is even a CPU problem. seems way more like a PhysX problem now.

Anyway, it all depends on what you´re looking for. Im more looking for absolute gaming power, so 8350 was not a great choice for me.

But if you want something stable, reliable, and relatively cheap, there is no reason not to get one.

[TDP_Equinox]

I think its fair to say that mine has been through some rough shit with me, and it has never done anything stupid, until now, which im beginning to doubt is even a CPU problem. seems way more like a PhysX problem now.

Anyway, it all depends on what you´re looking for. Im more looking for absolute gaming power, so 8350 was not a great choice for me.

But if you want something stable, reliable, and relatively cheap, there is no reason not to get one.

My usage will vary from high end gaming to video rendering to web browsing to even things like running a virtual machine. I already have my 8350 so its set in stone, but thanks for the feedback.

[Guest Tanst1395]

Alright here is a update:

I unparked my cpu cores, and then i tried AC4 again.

At some part in the opening scene i used to get about 28 FPS. And when i tried again, it didnt change at all.

But then i remembered reading somewhere about turning down the PhysX to boost your FPS, so i turned it off. And valah, now i get 60-60+ FPS in that part.

Its a shame because i really like PhysX. And it doesnt seem natural for a 780TI to have problems with it.

Is there a problem ? am i missing something obvious here ? because it feels like it.

There is 2 more things. 

1, I used to have my PhysX setting in the Nvidia control panel set to my GTX 780TI, becase i thought it could handle it. but just now i changed it back to auto select, gonna see if that changes anything.

and 2nd, i still have my older gpu, a GTX 660SC left on my desk. Do you think its worth it effort to put it in my case as a dedicated PhysX card ?

because ive seen older cards slowing the newer ones down when used as a dedicated PhysX card

there are three factors 1. its partially your cpu as amd(more suited for editing/workstation) is not as good for gaming as intel. 2. the gigabyte windforce has been known to be very "clunky" due to its already high clock speed. 3. the fact that AC4 is a heavily demanding game/known for a few performance issues  http://www.hardwareluxx.com/index.php/reviews/hardware/vgacards/29094-test-asus-geforce-gtx-780-ti-directcu-ii.html?start=17 there are better benchmarks out there but i remember one where a 780ti would get about 30 so i dont think its you/a problem

  found it http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-780-ti/performance

Edited July 22, 2014 by Tanst1395

[DizX]

there are three factors 1. its partially your cpu as amd(more suited for editing/workstation) is not as good for gaming as intel. 2. the gigabyte windforce has been known to be very "clunky" due to its already high clock speed. 3. the fact that AC4 is a heavily demanding game/known for a few performance issues  http://www.hardwareluxx.com/index.php/reviews/hardware/vgacards/29094-test-asus-geforce-gtx-780-ti-directcu-ii.html?start=17 there are better benchmarks out there but i remember one where a 780ti would get about 30 so i dont think its you/a problem

  found it http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-780-ti/performance

Thanks man.This makes me a little less worried.

Although still not sure why Splinter cell blacklist is running at about 20 something FPS. Before the upgrade it was above 30 on medium, but now i completely lowered it down and it is giving me 35 max.

Im gonna try using me old 660 as a dedicated PhysX card and see if that changes anything.

[Morfy]

Thanks man.This makes me a little less worried.

Although still not sure why Splinter cell blacklist is running at about 20 something FPS. Before the upgrade it was above 30 on medium, but now i completely lowered it down and it is giving me 35 max.

Im gonna try using me old 660 as a dedicated PhysX card and see if that changes anything.

Before you do that, i might ask. Are you sure you were using the GTX 780TI for physx? you can change the setting in the Nvidia control panel.

[DizX]

Before you do that, i might ask. Are you sure you were using the GTX 780TI for physx? you can change the setting in the Nvidia control panel.

It was set to the GTX 780TI before, but yesterday when i thought all these problem couldve been from PhysX, i changed it back to the default setting, which is auto-select.

[Morfy]

It was set to the GTX 780TI before, but yesterday when i thought all these problem couldve been from PhysX, i changed it back to the default setting, which is auto-select.

And does it work better? In any game i tested, Swithching between my gtx 660 or the CPU for physx didn't make a difference, neither did turning it off, so you have some strange shiz going on...