GTX 970 performance drops unexpectedly
GTX 970 performance drops unexpectedly
System details: AMD 3600x / ASRock B550M-HDV (latest BIOS installed). ThermalTake 1000w PSU EVGA GTX 970 FTW ACX 2.0 1TB Sabrent M.2 / 2TB WD HDD, Windows 10 64bit. Built this setup roughly four months ago and it’s functioning well. Recently moved the GPU to install a new HDD, and after reassembly the GPU is lagging. Desktop applications are smooth, but most games cap around ~10 FPS. I double-checked connections many times and confirmed everything was secured properly—no loose parts or issues. HWMonitor is showing odd values. GPU power draw stays between 340-360W even when off, clock speed is stuck at 135 and graphics clock at 440. These numbers don’t seem to update, suggesting a possible faulty display. Thermal readings appear normal, fans run but don’t activate, keeping temperatures under 45°C. I’ve reinstalled drivers and tested the card on another machine, still getting the same performance drop. I’m beginning to suspect the GPU might have failed unexpectedly. Anyone have suggestions on possible causes or fixes? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Everyone overestimates the value of hwinfo. After fixing voltage rails for a GPU, I ended up making a few cuts on my socket. I’m using a 1.36V setup in BIOS, with the second highest LLC setting on my 2600K and an ASUS P8Z68-V PRO motherboard. CPU-Z and AIDA show minor swings between 1.358 and 1.366. HWinfo displayed 1.38 to 1.393, while under load my readings came back around 1.368 to 1.374v.
The section that's unclear is your current post. Please review it again along with the OPs post. There’s no software issue mentioned here—it seems the OP is dealing with a hardware problem, likely related to their graphics card.
This was the direction I was considering (and worried about too). I'll attempt to flash the BIOS and check if it helps. Thanks for the advice – really appreciated!