The new GPU is showing significant performance issues—could it be related to power problems?
The new GPU is showing significant performance issues—could it be related to power problems?
So I just put in my new PNY RTX 5070 Ti GPU and I'm facing really uneven performance.
My 3DMark Steel Nomad score swings between 2500 (very low) and 7000 (above average).
I performed a DDU clean install of the latest drivers (591.44 on 12/8/25).
I’m wondering if power problems are the issue? though all my connections seem solid and my specs are within range—just trying not to start from scratch for a new graphics card... what should I do?
Here are my specs:
CPU: Intel® Core i7-9700K @ 3.6GHZ
Motherboard: EVGA 134-KS-E377
Ram: 64GB DDR4 @2133
PSU: EVGA 1kWatt 80plus gold
Windows 11
My power connections are secure (three 8-pin into the adapter)
Fastboot is turned off
GPU utilization is between 99-100%, CPU usage is at 40% during the 3DMark test
GPU clock runs steady around 2850
GPU temperatures range from 68-70°C
CPU temps are between 38-45°C
I plan to run it and aim for a 7000 score, then retest and hope for 2000... don’t think I’m pushing too hard?
When I get high scores the power draw jumps to about 300 (see below photo) but when I start Starfield my power drops below 150W and the game looks awful...
The GPU picture indicates it isn't being utilized effectively. It might be causing low FPS because of the integrated graphics card.
PerfCap's voltage setting seems unusual. The GPU appears to require higher boost, but there isn't enough voltage available. .92 is quite low; it should reach about 1.1 volts. Trying to push the board to 50W is problematic and results in too little power. A 1000W PSU would likely suffice for this setup, though not all PSUs are designed for high-power cards with spikes. Instability or shutdowns would be more likely than performance issues.
Hey there,
Your RAM is moving quite slowly. Adding more RAM would help you load much faster and improve FPS as well as overall performance. I think you should consider this right away—it might be contributing to the problem.
Are there any applications that manage your CPU, such as Armoury Crate or MSI Drago Center? If yes, disable them and check if the CPU is actually providing a boost. You can also use HWInfo to track CPU speeds, boost settings, voltage, and usage.
Not the best time to attempt a 64GB memory swap. Overclocking might be more practical, with 2400 or 2666 being reasonable options. For a 9700k, 3000 or 3200 would be ideal. Generally, during benchmarks the CPU isn't crucial for the GPU's performance, though it should still handle the task well. PCIe 3.0 is another minor concern, but little can be done about it.
1) The EVGA 1000G2 is a few years old now.
2) The adapter has all three 8-pin connectors solid, with eight 8-pin ports on the modular power supply; perhaps I should replace them with another type? Not sure...
Hello, the RAM I could afford at that time fits this setup, but it doesn’t support DDR5, so that’s out. I believe this was the top speed available for this model at the time—it’s been over a year since I’ve really worked with the hardware.
I’m not sure what the problem is yet; I saw somewhere that the 'Fastboot' option caused issues for some users, so I turned it off. That helped me get a 7000 on Steel Nomad 3dmark, but even then it was unreliable—I ran it again right after and got 4000.
I still use Starfield as my main game test because that’s what I’m really focused on, and my power consumption stays under 200W without any problems...
The issue isn’t with your 5070 Ti’s power output, but rather with underlying platform limitations. Running a high-performance GPU like the 5070 Ti on an older system creates several bottlenecks. The 9700K is outdated and underperforms compared to modern standards, especially with its 2133 MHz clock speed. Even though you’re using DDR4 RAM at 3200 MHz, it’s among the slower options, which further hampers CPU performance. PCIe 3.0 x16 connections have shown they can limit the 2080 Ti, a GPU half as powerful as yours, making it a likely cause of your power draw problems. These factors all contribute to delays in data delivery, resulting in the low power consumption you observed.
Brother!
Your reply means a lot, especially with your experience on this matter.
But I’m going to ignore your advice until I’ve tried all my troubleshooting steps because of the cost I’ve already spent 🤣
(Kidding, love you)
I plan to replace the PSU first and check the additional expense.
Everyone! Thanks!
I’ll share an update soon about the outcome of this issue.
-Jim