GTX 560 Ti in new build underperforming

[andymac26]

i've just built a new computer and my gtx 560 ti is not performing up to what i was hoping it would.

my full specs are:
Asus P8P67 LE, Socket 1155, Intel P67 Express Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500k, Stock cooler
4GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1600
EVGA GTX 560 Ti SC
WD Caviar Black 1TB
Win 7 Pro x64

playing the original DiRT game and it was really struggling. playing on high settings (not even ultra) at 1920x1080 menus were laggy and gameplay was just unplayable.
could it be that my motherboard is not up to the task (it wasn't that cheap so i don't see how it would be). or could there be something not quite right with the graphics card?

 

[AlbertLionheart]

That chip is the sweet spot in the range and you can clock it to well over 4Gb with a custom cooler.
I would check with your local ASUS help desk (in the UK the number is 01442 202 72) and just make sure that the board will support the Sandy Bridge chips.

 

[LNCPapa]

???? No overclocking should be necessary for that game to run extremely well with that setup. First thing I'd check is if the game is fully patched up. Next I'd check drivers, perhaps run some other benchmarks or look for a game that uses the same engine and give that a try (demos should be fine) to see if you get similar bad performance. That rig should smash Dirt and Dirt 2 and do pretty well with Dirt 3 even.

 

[MrBlkfx1]

I'm willing to bet its a driver issue. Make sure everything is up to date.

 

[AlbertLionheart]

???? No overclocking should be necessary.

Did I say you need to o'clock the thing? Nope! Just check the board is appropriate for the CPU before you do anything else!

 

[dividebyzero]

I would check with your local ASUS help desk (in the UK the number is 01442 202 72) and just make sure that the board will support the Sandy Bridge chips.

What???
The (mother)board obviously supports Sandy Bridge CPU's, including the one the OP has...Here's the product page. Click CPU support List tab for further confirmation.
The only other obvious interpretation to your "advice" is that somehow a full length PCI-E spec graphics card isn't compatible with a PCI-E full-length-slot spec motherboard.....which is basically absurd.

I would reiterate the advice of LNCPapa; Check that the game is fully patched, make sure the drivers are current.
You (andymac26) could also uninstall then reinstall the game as a last resort- you may have a corrupt install. Before doing this I would make sure that your harddrive is defragged, the game disc is clean, your motherboard drivers (chipset etc.) are the latest avialable (see the product page earlier linked -under the Download tab).
Are other games or applications affected, or just DiRT ?

 

[captaincranky]

That chip is the sweet spot in the range and you can clock it to well over 4Gb with a custom cooler.
I would check with your local ASUS help desk (in the UK the number is 01442 202 72) and just make sure that the board will support the Sandy Bridge chips.

P-67 doesn't support anything but Sandy Bridge. (Socket 1155).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1 50001157 600095610&IsNodeId=1&name=LGA 1155

 

[AlbertLionheart]

Then someone has a tedious job of trying to find which component is under-performing. I'd start with the chip and take it from there! That said, I have never had a bad chip in 20 years of building systems - is that a record of some kind or blind luck?

 

[Leeky]

Its most likely not even hardware related... In my experiences those sorts of issues cause a lot more than a slow game, BSOD's being the minimum or worse. A corrupt or otherwise buggy driver install for the GPU could be the cause alone.

Its a driver, or otherwise software related issue in most cases.