Poor performance on FAR CRY 5, gtx 1070 i54690
Poor performance on FAR CRY 5, gtx 1070 i54690
Welcome. Don't let your hardware get you down, it could definitely be a lot worse. You'd be surprised what that i5 is capable of. I think that you basically have a moderate bottleneck from that i5. I too own a 1070 but my i5 is a 6th gen i5 so my bottleneck is just a minor one and not so tough to deal with. The good news is that while a moderate bottleneck is not exactly a minor bottleneck and easy to deal with, at least it's not a major bottleneck and a complete pain to deal with.
This right here is actually good news. You say it worked a bit, but still on heavy scenes, your CPU is hitting 100% again. For starters, this means you have identified that this is indeed a bottleneck. Knowing the problem is halfway to solving it. I say first to accept that your CPU is going to hit and hold 100%. The remedy will be to just get it to do that less often so that your CPU stays in a temperature range that is not considered hot, thus not putting a hit on your fps like it's been doing. You want your CPU in the 50's to low 60's(degrees). This will be an indicator that your bottleneck is no longer moderate and indeed minor.
The next step is to lower every single graphic setting in Far Cry 5. Put them as low as they can possibly go. Leave the resolution where it is at. Then play the game for a good 20-45 minutes and see if that gets rid of the 100% CPU usage. If it does, you're on the right track and we've identified the bottleneck even more.
After that, you'll need to do some things to your PC in general to optimize it for gaming. This step will be completely necessary with that i5. The more things you do to your PC to free up CPU usage and utilize more GPU usage, the more graphic settings you'll be able to crank up from their lowest they can go.
I adjusted everything to low settings, but the 100% persistence only shows during really intense tasks. It's significantly less now compared to before. Still, FPS drops during those high-demand moments and when usage is below 100%. What actions can I take on my PC to reduce CPU load? I've already unparked the CPU cores. Also, would upgrading to a better air cooling system help? Thanks a lot!
without altering the hardware, maintain maximum graphics settings to reduce CPU usage for slightly better frame rates. if the CPU stays below 80°C and isn't throttling, no extra cooling is required or any changes will occur.
This is likely to increase CPU usage, not reduce it.
The highest CPU temperature on an i5-4690 reaches 72.72 degrees. Beyond that point, it leaves the safe range and may begin throttling performance. Maintaining temperatures between the 50s and 60s offers no concerns regarding heat at all.
This is positive news and typical. You're moving toward a minor limitation. FPS can also drop in specific game areas. Venture outside the city into the countryside in GTA 5, then return to the city to see the point clearly. FPS changes significantly in these zones—just like in GTA 5 itself. The same applies to The Witcher 3. When fire spells are used or special effects activate, CPU usage will reach 100%. That’s normal.
Reducing CPU temperature is beneficial and worthwhile. You don’t necessarily need a high-end cooling solution; just something better than the standard setup. Still, stock should suffice when high usage isn’t frequent, preventing such extreme temperatures.
There are various factors at play, and you’ve either already addressed them or haven’t. Each step helps, but noticeable gains come from consistent optimization.
Numerous guides and videos exist online for improving PC performance for gaming. In each, you’ll find similar recommendations. The key is to thoroughly follow instructions and optimize your system. Here are some examples of videos that proved effective for me...
I’ve been using this person for a while—they’re worth paying attention to...
I found one yesterday with useful tips...
This one has been saved for a long time, packed with actionable advice...
Another video is full of practical steps...
Just another random find I bookmarked a while back. It contains helpful tips too.
Pay attention to what these experts say. You don’t have to follow every suggestion. If something isn’t clear or doesn’t clarify your doubts, skip it. When dealing with registry changes, listen carefully and only proceed if you’re confident. Personally, I avoid making registry edits unless absolutely necessary.
These suggestions won’t be a magic solution, but they will improve performance noticeably. They’ll also speed up Windows startup and enhance boot times. Always remember to restart your PC after making these adjustments.
We've confirmed the CPU is the issue and are addressing it. I own a 1070/i5 setup and haven't faced any problems with games at 1440p, so I'm sharing my tips to help you achieve smooth performance.
Hello. I recall facing challenges in BF1 before fine-tuning my PC for gaming. Now I enjoy seamless 1440p visuals at around 105 fps, mostly maintaining 85-90 fps when navigating crowded lobbies. The key lies in adjusting every configuration to OFF in the basic settings and configuring advanced settings as follows...
DX12 OFF
Resolution Scale to 95% (this alleviates the bottleneck, though it may introduce minor blurriness)
UI Scale Factor to 50 (default setting I believe)
Framerate limiter set to the maximum achievable fps, reducing this will ease pressure on your CPU
Texture Quality at Medium (visual impact is negligible with a CPU bottleneck)
Texture Filtering set to High
Lighting Quality reduced to Low (essential when dealing with CPU limitations)
Effects Quality at High
Post Process Quality at Low (necessary under CPU strain)
Mesh Quality at High (lowering this can prevent noticeable pops from distance on Windows and roofs)
Terrain Quality at Medium (avoid setting it to Low; otherwise the terrain appears overly flat due to disabled parallax)
Undergrowth Quality at High (consider lowering it to Medium or even Low)
Antialiasing Post set to TAA (others cause unappealing differences in leaf shading)
Ambient Occlusion turned OFF (not a strong preference, but you can adjust as desired)
Regarding the persistent bottleneck, beyond full optimization for gaming content, there’s another solution. You can configure a custom fan curve within your BIOS. It’s straightforward once located—typically under Hardware Monitor, though the exact path varies by system.
This is how I’ve adjusted mine; you can follow suit since my CPU model remains similar in thermal performance.
CPU Fan settings:
- Level 1: 40°C
- Level 2: 50°C
- Level 3: 55°C
- Level 4: 60°C
- Percent 1: 20%
- Percent 2: 60%
- Percent 3: 70%
- Percent 4: 85%
Feel free to adjust these values as needed, but keep in mind the relationship between temperature and fan speed. When temperatures reach around 40°C, the fan starts at 20%, climbs to 60% at 50°C, 70% at 55°C, and reaches 85% at 60°C. Adjusting accordingly helps maintain stability without overloading your system.
Keep in mind that higher fan speeds will make the cooling unit noisier, but modern coolers often perform better than expected. Investing in a better cooler can reduce noise while improving efficiency. Still, don’t overlook the solid performance of stock solutions—especially for Intel processors.
This curve ensures my CPU stays consistently in the 50s during games, keeping fan speeds below 75-80% and preventing overheating. Even with a moderate bottleneck, focusing on temperature and frame rate stability is key.
Hey there! Just wanted to check in and see how it's going. I adjusted the CPU priority to High following the advice from that Reddit post. Still got some questions though—check out this picture. My CPU isn't even at 100%, not even the GPU. But the FPS dropped during gameplay. What could be causing that? On the positive side, I really appreciate you taking the time to help me!
Good news. Persistence works. I'm happy you're hearing this.
I think the issue might be related to heat. It seems your CPU fan speed is probably set to its default level when it should be running higher. Have you considered adjusting the fan curve in your BIOS? If not, that could be a good solution. In my opinion, keeping the CPU temperature around 50 degrees would help stabilize your FPS and reduce those drops.