The issue of a RTX 2070 exhibiting minimal graphics card utilization has been addressed.
The issue of a RTX 2070 exhibiting minimal graphics card utilization has been addressed.
Hello,
Summary: My RTX2070 isn’t performing well at native 1440p resolution, despite low GPU utilization. However, using another program to force GPU loading—such as MSI Kombustor—results in significantly improved frame rates and quality.
I recently upgraded from a GTX970 to an RTX2070 hoping for substantial performance improvements in games. Here’s my current system configuration:
■Windows 10 (64-bit)
■MSI Z97-G43 motherboard
■Intel Xeon E3v1230 3.5GHz processor
■Gigabyte Windforce RTX2070 graphics card
■Intel SSD 256GB
■8GB RAM
■550W power supply
■Monitor: Dell 1440p 165Hz G-Sync
I suspect my CPU and RAM are limitations, but my budget is constrained, and I plan to upgrade them within a year. The issue is that when playing games at 1440p, I consistently experience low frame rates:
Smite – approximately 50-60 FPS with occasional dips to 20-30 (medium to high settings)
Total War: Warhammer battles – 20-30 FPS (high settings)
The Witcher 3 – 20-30 FPS (ultra settings)
My GPU usage is typically only around 20-30%, while my CPU usage (50% overall, and between 30%-80% for individual cores) is significantly higher. I’ve encountered similar discussions regarding potential CPU bottlenecks, even though the CPU isn't consistently utilizing its full capacity. However, I’ve conducted some tests and found a peculiar pattern:
When I introduce additional GPU load—for example, running MSI Afterburner Kombustor in the background—my GPU utilization increases to 50-80% during gameplay, and my game FPS dramatically improves. For instance, in Smite, I can play at Ultra settings with 140-150 FPS without drops, TW:W achieves 90-100 FPS at high settings, and The Witcher 3 reaches 60-80 FPS on ultra. If I then close the Kombustor application, my frame rates return to their previous levels with a corresponding decrease in GPU usage.
Therefore, it appears that loading the GPU proactively enhances my gaming experience with high quality and increased FPS. Conversely, when left to run independently, the GPU underperforms, resulting in low frame rates and poor performance.
This indicates that my existing CPU and RAM are capable of supporting the RTX2070’s frame rate requirements. I have updated my graphics driver using DDS, and today after work I will update my motherboard BIOS to observe if any changes occur.
Could someone explain this behavior and suggest potential solutions?
Running background applications could be straining your processor, causing the game to utilize your graphics card independently. Another possibility is that your graphics card’s performance is being limited by a reduced clock speed. You might want to experiment with MSI Afterburner and attempt a slight increase in the graphics card’s speed to test if this improves performance. Furthermore, ensure your device drivers—specifically the Intel chipset and graphics card drivers—are current, as well as updating your BIOS.
The speed of your processor and the amount of available memory are limiting performance. Utilizing DDR3 RAM with speeds of 1066 or 1333 MHz alongside a 2070 graphics card is not ideal for gaming. I understand it seems counterintuitive, but when running other applications simultaneously, I achieve consistently high frame rates exceeding 100 in ultra settings at 1440p resolution – and I recognize that this is likely due to insufficient system resources.
Running background applications could be straining your processor while the game utilizes your graphics card independently. Another possibility is that your video card’s clock speed has been intentionally lowered. Experiment with using MSI Afterburner to subtly increase the video card’s performance and observe if this improves the situation. Furthermore, ensure your graphics drivers, Intel chipset drivers, and BIOS are all current versions.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/Z97-G43
Possibly, running other applications in the background could be straining your processor while your graphics card handles the gaming process independently. Another possibility is that your graphics card’s clock speed is set too low. Attempting a slight increase in the GPU's frequency via MSI Afterburner might resolve the issue. Additionally, verify that your graphics drivers, Intel chipset drivers, and BIOS are all current. You can find more information here: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/Z97-G43. Thank you for the helpful advice. Until I acquire a new processor and memory, I’ll be utilizing a temporary solution by running Kombustor in the background simultaneously with gaming—though this method is not ideal, it does provide a solution.