Low fps in games with low GPU/CPU usage

Goebbels

Posts: 26   +0
Hello. In a previous thread I said I would format, reinstall windows, and reinstall drivers, all of which achieved absolutely nothing. I still get low fps in games, split second freezes, etc...

Now the main problem that concerns me, is the constant low fps. I play all games at a mere resolution of 1600x900, and even on such a low resolution which my rig should easily hand... oh right, here are the specs:
  • CPU: I-5 2500 (without the 'k') @ 3.3Ghz
  • GPU: ASUS GTX 580 direct cu II overclocked to 878 Mhz
  • Motherboard: Intel DH67CL
  • RAM: APACER 8GB DDR3 @ 1333 Mhz
  • PSU: 875 Watts thermaltake toughpower 80Plus certfied (good quality)
Now with this card, and at a mere resolution of 1600x900, almost any game made after 2005 gives an agonizingly low fps, even with an overclocked GTX 580, and this is always accompanied by low CPU and/or GPU usage, as far as I can tell anyway. It might also be useful to mention that my monitor's max resolution is 1600x900. (I play every game at max settings of course)


Examples:
Of course, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Starcraft 2, a very CPU intensive RTS game:
Here is the common Starcraft 2 map that many Starcraft 2 players are familiar with; it's a blank map with 250 carriers and 250 Battlecruisers, you can see the low framerate in the top left corner:
SC2_2012_08_04_00_21_06_09.png


Now the CPU usage during this scene:
Dwm_2012_08_04_00_22_08_14.png

(a special thank you to Bill Gates for providing this vague graph that I can understand nothing from). So is this the CPU usage starcraft 2 is supposed to have?

And as you would expect, the GPU usage is very low, even when all settings are maxed out, as this is not a very GPU intensive game:
Dwm_2012_08_04_00_22_23_42.png


And another note: fps drops happen in the Starcraft 2 campaign mode regularly, I mean it actually drops to 30~20 fps in the single player campaign!

I'm just gonna sum up the rest so as not to make this thread too long for you to read; in Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2011), a first person GPU intensive game, I get an average fps of 41 fps, and it most often dips to 30 fps except when looking at the ceiling. The GPU usage in this game maxes out at 92%, and sometimes won't go above 52% even when framerate is 30 fps. And in Rome: Total war (2004), a CPU intensive RTS game, framerate in the single player campaign battle mode drops regularly to 30 fps (whereas on my laptop with integrated graphics the framerate never drops to below 60fps in the campaign).
And there is something important I failed to mention above, I'm running at a resolution of 1600x900.

Is this a hardware problem?
It might be, I don't know. But strangely, here is the GPU usage after a furmark benchmark test:
Dwm_2012_08_04_02_17_49_43.png

Also, the CPU can max out all 4 cores at a constant 100% using prime95 (a CPU stress test). And when I run 3DMark 11, another benchmarking software, I get maximum CPU usage hovering at 95~100% on all cores, and an acceptable GPU usage that hovers between 96% and 99%, and these percentages include the 3DMark 11 combined CPU and GPU test. Here is the 3DMark 11 score: http://3dmark.com/3dm11/4037175
It seems that only benchmarking programs and stress tests can make full use of the hardware?

PS: A joke: The friend who helped me buy the PC, said I was so stupid to get such a small monitor with a mere resolution of 1600x900 if I was getting such a powerful Graphics card with it. He said on such a resolution the GTX 580 was overkill.



I've searched the internet for people with the same issue, and on all the forums I read I never found a single solution, all the answers that are ever given to this problem are the usual default answers: "update your drivers", "check your temps", etc etc...
 
Just what exactly do I have to do to get an answer around here?

Edit: Note: If you feel you know the answer to the primary question, please answer that question and not this one. Just taking precautions here.
 
Still here. Yes I'm such a nuisance.
By the way, this happens with all the games, I'll post some usage pics of Fallout 3 if anyone wishes.
 
I started having the same problem with my GTX 580 and Q9450 @ 3.2GHz around 2 weeks ago. All games barely run at 40-60fps when they previous used to run at 90-120 on my 120Hz monitor. My PC has also started failing to power on sometimes by PS/2 keyboard or Wake On LAN so I suspect a hardware fault: possibly the PSU failing or my northbridge degrading.
 
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