Gtx 970 Overclock Test on Unigine Heaven 4.0 (Not Meeting Expectations)
Gtx 970 Overclock Test on Unigine Heaven 4.0 (Not Meeting Expectations)
Hey everyone,
I began playing Battlefield 1 yesterday alongside my friend and observed that he consistently achieves a much higher FPS than me, even though we're using the same graphics card. I understand FPS depends not just on the GPU but also on other factors, which is why I suspect it might have been underperforming.
When running 64-player operations at HIGH SETTINGS (medium/ultra won’t make much difference), I’d see 30-40 fps during intense battles and around 70-90 when things were more peaceful on the field. I asked my friend what FPS would be, and he mentioned it should be a minimum of 70-80, sometimes even surpassing 100 at ultra speed. That’s a significant gap in my view. Although he uses an Intel CPU (the exact model isn’t clear), my FX-8350 rarely hit full 100%, usually around 90%.
Here are the specs:
- Windows 10 Pro N 64-bit
- CPU: AMD FX-8350
- RAM: 8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 802MHz
- MOBO: SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0
- GPU: 4095MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
I decided to explore overclocking my GPU. Keep in mind this was my first attempt, pushing it to its limits. If I increased these settings further, the Unigine Benchmark would freeze and the GPU would behave erratically. These are the benchmark outcomes using MSI Afterburner with those adjustments.
My question:
Does this performance meet expectations for my rig with overclocked components? Is there a way to boost my PC’s speed? I noticed some users achieving over 2000 FPS with the 970 card...
MSI Afterburner settings:
- Core Voltage: +10
- Power limit: 110%
- Core Clock: +190
- Memory Clock: +700
- Fan Speed: Auto
Monitor results:
- Power: Max 104
- Core Clock MHz: Max 1557
- Memory Clock MHz: Max 4270
- GPU Temp: Max 70°C
- Unigine Benchmark: Results updated
EDIT: I’ve installed the latest drivers. I’m using DirectX11, as 12 is the worst. V-Sync is off and the bf memory option isn’t enabled in advanced video settings.
I tried the overclock settings for Battlefield 1, but it doesn't reach full GPU power—it stays around 50-70%. As a result, my FPS is mostly under 60.
I believe your FX 8 core is the main issue in the battlefield. It just lacks sufficient power to fully utilize the 970 in a game that heavily relies on high IPC cores. That being said, BF1 is quite challenging.
the fx 8 core seems to be the main issue in battlefield. it lacks sufficient power to fully utilize the 970 in a game that heavily relies on high ipc cores. still, bf1 is quite challenging. however, why would my cpu usage stay at 75% on average? it rarely exceeds 90% and usually stays between 70-80%. shouldn't it reach 100% if it couldn't handle the game?
because it's not an 8 thread program. you need an 8 threaded program to fully utilize all 8 cores for maximum CPU usage. a single thread can only load a frame at about 12.5% of the CPU capacity at once. directx12 can boost performance since it supports more threads than dx11. with my r290x and 8350 running at stock speeds, i'm getting around 72 fps on average and as low as 44 fps, though i still see a maximum of 108 fps. it's unclear why the fps varies so much compared to what seems like a better card unless your CPU is throttling due to temperatures. i think a small CPU overclock could help, especially if your video card isn't overheating or throttling.
Maxwellmelon explains that an 8-thread program is necessary to fully utilize all CPU cores for maximum performance. A single thread can only handle a limited frame rate, while DirectX12 offers better multithreading support. His R290x with the stock clocked 8350 runs around 72 fps on average and drops to 44 fps in the minimum, though he notes the variance is higher than expected for his card. He suggests a CPU overclock might help if the GPU isn't throttling due to heat. He also mentions he's unsure if his CPU could sustain 60+ fps in Battlefield 1 and is considering further testing.
don't overclock if your CPU is getting too hot. In reality, this can lead to brief slowdowns that might reduce your performance even when using default settings.
I'm curious—are you using the standard cooler?
Is your CPU fan profile configured properly?
I notice many motherboards don’t run the CPU fan at its maximum speed until temperatures reach 80+C, which is quite high. According to AMD guidelines, your CPU fan should operate at full speed by around 61°C for long-term safety. I believe a temperature of 70°C is still acceptable since silicon typically reaches 95°C before any damage occurs on AMD chips, but we should follow the official published limits.
Check out this thread and test it with those configurations: Also, try 3d mark (standard firestrike) and share the results page. Here is my firestrike regular results page: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/15632031
maxwellmelon :
avoid overclocking when your CPU is overheating. That alone might lead to brief slowdowns, affecting performance even with default settings.
I’m curious—are you using the standard cooler?
Is your CPU fan profile configured properly?
I notice many motherboards don’t run the CPU fan at full speed until temperatures reach 80+C, which is quite high. According to AMD guidelines, you should keep the fan running at maximum by around 61°C for long-term safety. (I think 70°C is still safe since silicon reaches 95°C before any damage starts on AMD chips, though we follow their published limits.)
My CPU stays below 60°C right now and hasn’t been overclocked. I use a decent aftermarket cooler, not the original one. The model isn’t clear, but it seems to match this link: https://ic.tweakimg.net/ext/i/2000593514.jpeg