GTA V poor performance with low GPU% and CPU%

[shovenose]

Partner’s PC is not the latest and greatest but I’m surprised how poorly GTA V runs.

What I don’t get is why the performance is under 60FPS but the utilization isn’t anywhere near 100%?

Any suggestions?

Core i7 930

12GB DDR3-1333 Triple Channel

GTX980 4GB

 

[QuietBob]

Performance in GTA V strongly depends on how fast a single core of your CPU is. In addition, the game needs eight threads to run optimally. Sadly, not much can be done in this department with an i7 930. It's still a capable CPU, but just doesn't have the pizzazz to run demanding games.

You could max out the graphics quality and increase the resolution to take some of the burden off of the processor, but don't expect miracles. Your partner's computer may be in for an upgrade.

 

[AusWolf]

Performance in GTA V strongly depends on how fast a single core of your CPU is. In addition, the game needs eight threads to run optimally. Sadly, not much can be done in this department with an i7 930. It's still a capable CPU, but just doesn't have the pizzazz to run demanding games.

You could max out the graphics quality and increase the resolution to take some of the burden off of the processor, but don't expect miracles. Your partner's computer may be in for an upgrade.

That.

It reminds me of when I had an FX-8150 CPU with a Radeon HD 7970 and both showed a 20-25% utilisation and bad stuttering in Assassin's Creed 3.

 

[P4-630]

I had a i7 6700K @ 4.5Ghz and it was bottlenecking my RTX2070 Super, now I'm on Z690 with an i7 12700K and now I see ~30% CPU load with 97~100% GPU load throughout the game, I game @ 1440p.
Now it runs at around 140~150fps. BTW GTA V is using all my 8 CPU P cores.

 

[Zyll Goliat]

Partner’s PC is not the latest and greatest but I’m surprised how poorly GTA V runs.

What I don’t get is why the performance is under 60FPS but the utilization isn’t anywhere near 100%?

Any suggestions?

Core i7 930

12GB DDR3-1333 Triple Channel

GTX980 4GB

Get some cheap 6 core Xeon for that X58 and OC above 4ghz and you will be still good to push that GTX 980 or at least OC that I7 930......GL

 

[shovenose]

I have a Supermicro board with Xeon E3-1271v3, do you think they would be a good enough upgrade? I just have to find a way to make an x16 card fit because it only has x8.

Get some cheap 6 core Xeon for that X58 and OC above 4ghz and you will be still good to push that GTX 980 or at least OC that I7 930......GL

Thanks but it’s a Dell mobo I can’t OC and I doubt it supports a Xeon.

 

[Zyll Goliat]

I have a Supermicro board with Xeon E3-1271v3, do you think they would be a good enough upgrade? I just have to find a way to make an x16 card fit because it only has x8.


Thanks but it’s a Dell mobo I can’t OC and I doubt it supports a Xeon.

If you can't OC you ain't going to get as much then your best solution is to find CPU with the best stock speed and I guess that will probably be I7 980x or Xeon x5690 and check the Dell manual(find on the net) and see if supports 6 core I7 or Xeons.......
Yes that E3-1271 V3 is much newer and faster CPU and it should be good to pair it with GTX 980

 

[QuietBob]

I have a Supermicro board with Xeon E3-1271v3, do you think they would be a good enough upgrade?

Your Xeon is essentially an i7-4790, whose single threaded performance is about 165-175% of the i7-930. It also has double the amount of threads. It should let that GTX 980 stretch its wings a bit.

EDIT: My bad. Same 4c/8t config but still much faster in ST.

 

[shovenose]

Your Xeon is essentially an i7-4790, whose single threaded performance is about 165-175% of the i7-930. It also has double the amount of threads. It should let let that GTX 980 stretch its wings a bit.

OK, I’ll give it a shot. Now I just hope the fact I only have 8GB RAM for the Supermicro will not limit me. Going from 6GB to 12GB in the i7-930 Dell made a huge difference in playability of the game.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

Partner’s PC is not the latest and greatest but I’m surprised how poorly GTA V runs.

Any suggestions?

Core i7 930

12GB DDR3-1333 Triple Channel

GTX980 4GB

I dunno why this happens with socket 1366 systems, TBH! IIRC, in the very-late-2010s, I only got 50 FPS or around there, too. That was with a 965, which is an Extreme model, too!

I still have the semi-rebuild of 2019 in the tiny storage room. In December, 2020, I got a 12 GB triple-channel kit. I've been using the GTX 970 on it, after finding out that the Radeon RX 580 interferes with legacy BIOS, it looks like. The only things changed, were the motherboard and RAM, pretty much.

 

[shovenose]

I dunno why this happens with socket 1366 systems, TBH! IIRC, in the very-late-2010s, I only got 50 FPS or around there, too. That was with a 965, which is an Extreme model, too!

See what I thought initially was RAM bandwidth. He had the 3x 2GB modules in the “wrong” slots so it was running in single channel. I put in 3x 4GB in the “correct” slots and confirmed its running in triple channel. Yes it made a huge difference over the previous configuration but it’s just still so bad for no reason. It’s WAY better on my Secondary PC which as you can see in my specs has an E5-2670v1 which is also a lousy CPU and an GTX970.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

See what I thought initially was RAM bandwidth. He had the 3x 2GB modules in the “wrong” slots so it was running in single channel. I put in 3x 4GB in the “correct” slots and confirmed its running in triple channel. Yes it made a huge difference over the previous configuration but it’s just still so bad for no reason. It’s WAY better on my Secondary PC which as you can see in my specs has an E5-2670v1 which is also a lousy CPU and an GTX970.

I don't remember it being overwhelmed either! It's not the Athlon X4 860K, FFS! The Athlon X4 860K likely would get spanked by the Core i7 Extreme 965!

In fact, the Athlon X4 860K feels more like a dual core! I'm easily getting 80-100 percent usage on the Athlon X4 860K, IIRC.

I want to get another cooler for the 1366 and the same with a PSU.

 

[QuietBob]

It reminds me of when I had an FX-8150 CPU with a Radeon HD 7970 and both showed a 20-25% utilisation and bad stuttering in Assassin's Creed 3.

Yeah, Assassin's Creed games (and many other Ubisoft titles) are similar to GTA V when it comes to CPU utilization. The newer ones can take advantage of additional threads, but ST performance still reigns supreme.

Now I just hope the fact I only have 8GB RAM for the Supermicro will not limit me.

I'd really try for 16 GB. The impact in modern games can be huge, especially with other stuff running in the background. Also, DDR3-2133 or 2400 would make a difference over 1333 MHz.

 

[P4-630]

GTA V when it comes to CPU utilization.

GTA V i using all my 8 Performance cores (16 threads) running @ 4.7Ghz albeit at ~30% load.

 

[QuietBob]

GTA V i using all my 8 Performance cores (16 threads) running @ 4.7Ghz albeit at ~30% load.

I don't doubt it. As I said, GTA V can take advantage of multiple threads, but fps will be limited by a single thread. Take a look at this graph, this is the full benchmark at 1080p max detail. Run on oc'd and tweaked 3300X (4c/8t Zen 2 with ST performance comparable to Coffee Lake Refresh):

The orange graph represents total CPU load. It's 48% on average and rarely goes above 70%. The eight threads are nowhere near being maxed out.

Now, the red graph, showing ST load, is nearly always over 90% (for 86% average) - and frequently pegged at 100%. It's a CPU bottleneck due to single thread performance. If you check sensor data, it shows time in GPU load limit. It's only 13% - which means that 87% of the time I'm being limited by the CPU here. Not by the amount of threads, but by how fast a single one is.

Interestingly, despite the bottleneck the frame rate is very smooth with 67 and 55 fps lows, and zero stutter due to even frame pacing.

 

[Lei]

Partner’s PC is not the latest and greatest but I’m surprised how poorly GTA V runs.

What I don’t get is why the performance is under 60FPS but the utilization isn’t anywhere near 100%?

Any suggestions?

Core i7 930

12GB DDR3-1333 Triple Channel

GTX980 4GB

So what fps are you getting?
Your dell monitor is 60hz. Having V-sync on in the game settings, that's why you're getting a framerate just below the monitor's refresh rate.

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[P4-630]

I don't doubt it. As I said, GTA V can take advantage of multiple threads, but fps will be limited by a single thread. Take a look at this graph, this is the full benchmark at 1080p max detail. Run on oc'd and tweaked 3300X (4c/8t Zen 2 with ST performance comparable to Coffee Lake Refresh):

View attachment 262576

The orange graph represents total CPU load. It's 48% on average and rarely goes above 70%. The eight threads are nowhere near being maxed out.

Now, the red graph, showing ST load, is nearly always over 90% (for 86% average) - and frequently at 100%. It's a CPU bottleneck due to single thread performance. If you check sensor data, it shows time in GPU load limit. It's only 13% - which means that 87% of the time I'm being limited by the CPU here.

Interestingly, despite the bottleneck the frame rate is very smooth with 67 and 55 fps lows and zero stutter.

I'm currently limited by my GPU.

My CPU usage during GTA V (note: a lot of explosions and cars flying around going on )

 

[QuietBob]

My CPU usage during GTA V (note: a lot of explosions and cars flying around going on )
View attachment 262583

Thanks for the upload! I see most of the time only seven threads are being utilized at 50+ %, that's why I said eight are optimal. But it's even better with an 8c/16t CPU, when each of these game threads gets exclusive access to a physical core.

 

[shovenose]

Yeah, Assassin's Creed games (and many other Ubisoft titles) are similar to GTA V when it comes to CPU utilization. The newer ones can take advantage of additional threads, but ST performance still reigns supreme.


I'd really try for 16 GB. The impact in modern games can be huge, especially with other stuff running in the background. Also, DDR3-2133 or 2400 would make a difference over 1333 MHz.

Yeah I think I’ll pick up a cheap used consumer grade mobo for the Xeon. I realized I do actually have 16gb of Ram in the Supermicro board but it’s a pain to work with. I hate that board.

So what fps are you getting?
Your dell monitor is 60hz. Having V-sync on in the game settings, that's why you're getting a framerate just below the monitor's refresh rate.

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On that computer we’re using a tv but it should also be 60fps not 30-40

 

[Lei]

On that computer we’re using a tv but it should also be 60fps not 30-40

Alright, I thought 50 is the absolute minimum you were getting.
It would normally be ~57 on a 60hz display.

@shovenose
Are you scaling up your display?

It's possible that you have done some dpi scaling and now your GTA is following that.
For example it is rendering higher than your resolution then trying to fit that into the resolution your display can show. Make sure your display settings is at 100%

 

[80251]

I have the same issue with GTA V and my 9700k (@ 5.1 Ghz.) + 1080ti. The FPS drop in areas with lots of grass is particularly bad but the total CPU utilization is still low as is the GPU utilization.

 

[Atomic77]

GTA V actually runs pretty good on my laptop and I don't even have a dedicated graphics card. my desktop computer a core i7 11th gen runs the game really well. my laptop is a ryzen 5.

 

[Lei]

I have the same issue with GTA V and my 9700k (@ 5.1 Ghz.) + 1080ti. The FPS drop in areas with lots of grass is particularly bad but the total CPU utilization is still low as is the GPU utilization.

I guess you need to lower the tesselation. That's cpu heavy. Makes tree trunks wobbly.

 

[shovenose]

Alright, I thought 50 is the absolute minimum you were getting.
It would normally be ~57 on a 60hz display.

@shovenose
Are you scaling up your display?

It's possible that you have done some dpi scaling and now your GTA is following that.
For example it is rendering higher than your resolution then trying to fit that into the resolution your display can show. Make sure your display settings is at 100%

Nope, all at 100%