Low FPS in BF3 with GTX 560 Ti in SLI

T

TheOnlyShad0w

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So I'm trying to play BF3 with 2 GTX 560 Ti in SLI mode at 1920x1080, v-sync off, settings on Ultra. When I first jump in a game, I will be getting 75 fps, then it drops down to like 45, then it goes to like 18. It's horrible. I turned SLI off and the same thing happened, same fps drops, but same performance even with only 1 card. On High mode, it seems like a single card can run the game at about 60 fps, but SLI will be a little lower and will also have random frame drops down to like 30 fps. I'm using the latest beta drivers version 290.53. It seems like with this setup I should be getting over 70 fps on Ultra. Am I wrong? In Crysis 2 Ultra settings I get 75 fps average, which seems in line to me.

My specs:

-OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W PSU
-Intel 510 Series 120 GB SSD
-(2x) Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB
-Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 Motherboard
-Intel Core i5 2500k 3.3 GHz
-Corsair Vengeance 16 GB RAM
-(2x) Nvidia GTX 560 Ti

I just built this rig yesterday, so anything could be the problem.
 
Might be running into VRAM limits with those cards and Ultra. If it runs at High, but not Ultra, that's most likely what it is. Just run at High, you can't really see any difference. You can also use something like Afterburner or GPU-z to monitor VRAM usage (there might also be a console command) and see if it is exceeding your available VRAM.
 
Forceman said:
Might be running into VRAM limits with those cards and Ultra. If it runs at High, but not Ultra, that's most likely what it is. Just run at High, you can't really see any difference. You can also use something like Afterburner or GPU-z to monitor VRAM usage (there might also be a console command) and see if it is exceeding your available VRAM.
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So what you're saying is that BF3 takes more VRAM than Crysis 2?
 
I'm surprised that the OCZ power supply can even run all that. I had the same one and they warned me (guys here on the forum) that if I SLIed 460s I couldn't clock my 920 over 3.8Ghz.

It couldn't be a psu issue could it? If it wasnt getting enough power perhaps it wouldnt run as fast/powerful.

Idk just guessing
 
TheOnlyShad0w said:
Would it be possible to run a 2gb card and a 1gb card in SLI?
Click to expand...

i don't believe so, but if you can it will still only utilize 1GB of vram. you'd have to run 2 560 2GB cards to use all 2GB of vram. i'm with the others in saying that you're running out of vram. on my 7970 i'm constantly above 1GB at 1920x1080. this however should not cause your framerate to dip like you described in the original post. when i was running SLI 460's if i surpassed 1GB vram usage my framerate would remain high but i'd get excessive stutter (paging HDD).
 
Certainly a Vram limitation.

How many people in game? At 1080, cpu can be a limiting factor. Clock it to 4.5 and see if it's any different.
 
TheOnlyShad0w said:
So I'm trying to play BF3 with 2 GTX 560 Ti in SLI mode at 1920x1080, v-sync off, settings on Ultra. When I first jump in a game, I will be getting 75 fps, then it drops down to like 45, then it goes to like 18. It's horrible. I turned SLI off and the same thing happened, same fps drops, but same performance even with only 1 card. On High mode, it seems like a single card can run the game at about 60 fps, but SLI will be a little lower and will also have random frame drops down to like 30 fps. I'm using the latest beta drivers version 290.53. It seems like with this setup I should be getting over 70 fps on Ultra. Am I wrong? In Crysis 2 Ultra settings I get 75 fps average, which seems in line to me.

My specs:

-OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W PSU
-Intel 510 Series 120 GB SSD
-(2x) Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB
-Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 Motherboard
-Intel Core i5 2500k 3.3 GHz
-Corsair Vengeance 16 GB RAM
-(2x) Nvidia GTX 560 Ti

I just built this rig yesterday, so anything could be the problem.
Click to expand...

I was wondering when you'd come by lol.

Question, I'm not at home and I can't remember, can't MSI afterburner show Gpu memory usage?
 
Saxie said:
I was wondering when you'd come by lol.

Question, I'm not at home and I can't remember, can't MSI afterburner show Gpu memory usage?
Click to expand...

It can (and on-screen also). GPU-z can also, if you have a way to monitor it.
 
Forceman said:
It can (and on-screen also). GPU-z can also, if you have a way to monitor it.
Click to expand...

Thought so, I'm finally at home looking at it.

Even on medium settings there is a lot more memory being used on Battlefield 3 than I expected.... If I were the OP I would double check that make sure its the memory cap that he's hitting.


EDIT: At ultra settings I'm only using about 895mb, although, my poor GTS 250 is crying lol.
At Low settings its using 659mb Map Metro. At Ultra I'm getting about 990mb. Map Metro 64p
 
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My GPU is definitely older and weaker than yours but I never experience any FPS drop to 30, most especially not 18! I use the same video settings as yours (no MSAA) at 1920x1200. There really is something wrong in your setup and I don't think it's VRam as I only have 1 GB.
 
Saxie said:
Thought so, I'm finally at home looking at it.

Even on medium settings there is a lot more memory being used on Battlefield 3 than I expected.... If I were the OP I would double check that make sure its the memory cap that he's hitting.


EDIT: At ultra settings I'm only using about 895mb, although, my poor GTS 250 is crying lol.
At Low settings its using 659mb Map Metro. At Ultra I'm getting about 990mb. Map Metro 64p
Click to expand...

BF3 does some kind of dynamic VRAM adjustments - mine uses 1200+, and plenty of people with 7970s report 2400+ in use.
 
TheOnlyShad0w said:
So I'm trying to play BF3 with 2 GTX 560 Ti in SLI mode at 1920x1080, v-sync off, settings on Ultra. When I first jump in a game, I will be getting 75 fps, then it drops down to like 45, then it goes to like 18. It's horrible. I turned SLI off and the same thing happened, same fps drops, but same performance even with only 1 card. On High mode, it seems like a single card can run the game at about 60 fps, but SLI will be a little lower and will also have random frame drops down to like 30 fps. I'm using the latest beta drivers version 290.53. It seems like with this setup I should be getting over 70 fps on Ultra. Am I wrong? In Crysis 2 Ultra settings I get 75 fps average, which seems in line to me.

My specs:

-OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W PSU
-Intel 510 Series 120 GB SSD
-(2x) Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB
-Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 Motherboard
-Intel Core i5 2500k 3.3 GHz
-Corsair Vengeance 16 GB RAM
-(2x) Nvidia GTX 560 Ti

I just built this rig yesterday, so anything could be the problem.
Click to expand...

this doesnt sound unnormal, i get an average of 80fps on high settings but i get under 30 fps on ultra

ultra just makes little bits, mainly dx11 features, better,
 
Arcygenical said:
Certainly a Vram limitation.

How many people in game? At 1080, cpu can be a limiting factor. Clock it to 4.5 and see if it's any different.
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Overclock to 4.5? Do you want me to fry my CPU? This thing starts at 3.3 and I only have the stock heatsink.

I'll monitor my VRAM usage today while I play and report back.
 
I have the same setup as you same rez as well. The most important thing is to TURN OFF AA! Just run high post AA no differed AA and see what happens. Mine never goes below 60 frames. But with differed AA on my frames tank to like the 30-40's and that is with 2GB 560 ti cards...
 
TheOnlyShad0w said:
But does it get jaggy with only Post AA? I can't stand aliasing.
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No, the post AA does a good job of cleaning up the image. I think Medium is the best trade-off between jaggies and texture blurring, but you can try them both - performance isn't much different.
 
TheOnlyShad0w said:
Overclock to 4.5? Do you want me to fry my CPU? This thing starts at 3.3 and I only have the stock heatsink.

I'll monitor my VRAM usage today while I play and report back.
Click to expand...

The i5 2500k hits 4.5ghz with ease and is the standard OC for it.

Question, why do you even have a "k" series CPU if your not going to OC it? That makes very little sense.
 
8du8 said:
The i5 2500k hits 4.5ghz with ease and is the standard OC for it.

Question, why do you even have a "k" series CPU if your not going to OC it? That makes very little sense.
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I just built this PC 3 days ago. I havn't looked into overclocking yet because I thought it would be a good idea to get an aftermarket heatsink first.
 
TheOnlyShad0w said:
I just built this rig 3 days ago. I plan on OC but I don't know how and I assumed that OC with the stock heatsink would be dangerous.
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You can probably take it up to 4.2 or so (without raising Vcore) on the stock cooler - but yes, you're going to want an aftermarket cooler. The CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ is cheap and effective. Just watch the temps when you start overclocking with the stock cooler.
 
Forceman said:
You can probably take it up to 4.2 or so (without raising Vcore) on the stock cooler - but yes, you're going to want an aftermarket cooler. The CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ is cheap and effective. Just watch the temps when you start overclocking with the stock cooler.
Click to expand...

What is vcore? Is there a software program to OC and monitor temps?
 
Post AA on high looks just as good as any regular AA IMO and it takes almost no hit on your video card when enabled. Differed AA on the other hand takes a huge hit on your video card....
 
TheOnlyShad0w said:
What is vcore? Is there a software program to OC and monitor temps?
Click to expand...

Vcore is the voltage the CPU runs at - normally to overclock you'll need to increase this (although for Sandy Bridge you can do some overclocking with it at stock). Gigabyte has their EasyTune software you should be able to use to overclock from inside Windows - and it probably has an auto-overclock function as well. You can monitor temps through that as well, or download something simple like CoreTemp or RealTemp.
 
Test these settings in BF3 and report back: from top down>
Custom
High
Ultra
Ultra
Ultra
Ultra
Ultra
Off
High
Off
16X
HBAO

That is what I use with SLI 560 non-Ti and a 2600K @ 4.5 and get excellent image quality with 70+ fps.
 
Staypuft said:
Test these settings in BF3 and report back: from top down>
Custom
High
Ultra
Ultra
Ultra
Ultra
Ultra
Off
High
Off
16X
HBAO

That is what I use with SLI 560 non-Ti and a 2600K @ 4.5 and get excellent image quality with 70+ fps.
Click to expand...

Wow! These settings are fantastic. I don't understand it, but after having all this trouble, your settings give me a solid 60 fps and my GPU's are only running at 60% usage, even with FXAA injector! This doesn't make any sense, but I don't care. Thanks!
 
I think somethings up with your system. I average 70-100 fps with my rig (check the sig) @ 1920 X 1080 which is weaker than yours. I have everything maxed except AA which is 2X. I would try uninstalling and reinstalling your drivers, check and see that SLI bridge is installed properly and ensure that you have SLI enabled in the Nvidia control panel.
 
Was about to post a new message about BF3 and GTX 560 Ti SLI but decided to bump this.

Going to be building an Ivy Bridge rig in two months and my options for GPU is either to buy another GTX 560Ti 1GB and go SLI ($200ish cost), or sell my current 560 and buy a 7950 or Kepler ($250ish cost at least, $400ish for the card in April less selling mine for $150 or less).

I was planning on going the SLI route since it is cheaper and should provide better than 7950 performance, but am reading mixed reviews about BF3 MP performance. I want to play 1920x1200 with everything ultra, vsync off, FXAA. Is this possible on 64 player BF3 maps or will I run out of VRAM? No plans to do multi monitor.
 
This happens mostly on the new maps right? If so, its a VRAM issue. Im running into that currently as well. I could be humming along at a steady 60 fps and ill turn my mouse and it will drop to 20 for a split second then jump up. My VRAM usage is steady at 1010 MB but it does spike up to 1012 when this happens... Pre B2K, everything is okay. I turn down AA or go to high settings, its butter smooth. Im actually torn whether to buy a 7970 at this point.. I want NV but cash is burning a hole in my pocket.

Dont want to take away from your thread but, yeah, its a VRAM issue..

EDIT: One thing that did help a tiny bit, lowering my RAM timings, although they were extremely loose beforehand.
 
grambo: need more VRAM. minimum 1.5 gig for 1080p @ ultra 2xmsaa. has been proven time and time again. if youre interested go over and look at the EVGA forums. there are a lot of posts and scenarios relating to this. keep in mind, ALL ULTRA/16XANISO
 
I would not recommend getting a 560 Ti unless it's the 2 GB version. That said:

Drewis said:
grambo: need more VRAM. minimum 1.5 gig for 1080p @ ultra 2xmsaa. has been proven time and time again.
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Completely false. I run at 1080p with 4x MSAA on Ultra with 1.25 GB VRAM per card. No slowdown, no issues.
 
MavericK96 said:
I would not recommend getting a 560 Ti unless it's the 2 GB version. That said:



Completely false. I run at 1080p with 4x MSAA on Ultra with 1.25 GB VRAM per card. No slowdown, no issues.
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Sorry man but the game uses more than that at those settings. Not sure if you have some magic but please check every other test to see that the game uses at the least 1.5. Not at all completely false.

Hell you can hit 2.5 at those settings. The game adjusts to what you have available and you may not notice it somehow.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1151904/bf3-actual-vram-usage
 
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I have a GTX 560 ti HAWK 1 GB. It's overclocked to 1000MHz core, (reference is 822MHz) so it's considerably faster then the reference and is already at reference 570 speeds.

Playing battlefield 3 with 1680x1050 resolution,

I have to disable the HBAO, and completely turn off MSAA to maintain 60 fps (minimum) (turned on vsync to verify, it never drops below 60).
Even then, it's already using 1 GB of memory. This tells me that HD (1920x1080) will certainly be VRAM limited at this setting.

If I turn the the HBAO type of aliasing on, there are occasional drops to 30 FPS (minimum) but mostly above but quite regularly dropping below 60 (30's, 40's).
The vram is full, thus likely the drops. This may be playable to some, but not for me.

Moral of the story, at 1680x1050 without even maxing the settings, the VRAM is FULL. Everything else is maxed out, but not the 2 aa settings (MSAA and post aa deferred or whatever it was called).

DEFINITELY DON'T GO SLI with a 1 GB card for BF3.
You can't turn the 2 AA settings on without the VRAM filling and causes fps drops, so a second card will not help.

The 560 ti is a decent card, but you will not be able to max out BF3, nor will SLI help in any way.
 
MavericK96 said:
Completely false. I run at 1080p with 4x MSAA on Ultra with 1.25 GB VRAM per card. No slowdown, no issues.
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the game throttles vram usage based on the amount available. with my old gpu's when i bumped up against the vram limit i saw noticeable stutter. maybe you don't notice it which is good, but others will. saying 'completely false' is pretty shortsighted.
 
spaceman said:
Sorry man but the game uses more than that at those settings. Not sure if you have some magic but please check every other test to see that the game uses at the least 1.5. Not at all completely false.

Hell you can hit 2.5 at those settings. The game adjusts to what you have available and you may not notice it somehow.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1151904/bf3-actual-vram-usage
Click to expand...

It's obviously doing some kind of VRAM management. The numbers vary too much, and run too close to what the card has, for it to be anything else. What we need is for someone with more than one card to do some testing at the same settings. Use a 6970 at 4x MSAA and record the VRAM, then pop in a 7970 with the same settings and see what the VRAM usage is.
 
spaceman said:
Sorry man but the game uses more than that at those settings. Not sure if you have some magic but please check every other test to see that the game uses at the least 1.5. Not at all completely false.

Hell you can hit 2.5 at those settings. The game adjusts to what you have available and you may not notice it somehow.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1151904/bf3-actual-vram-usage
Click to expand...

Just because it CAN use more does not mean it NEEDS more.

And no, unless you are getting slowdown it's not noticeable at all.

Porter_ said:
the game throttles vram usage based on the amount available. with my old gpu's when i bumped up against the vram limit i saw noticeable stutter. maybe you don't notice it which is good, but others will. saying 'completely false' is pretty shortsighted.
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What do you mean "don't notice it"? Yeah, there's no change in speed or graphical quality, so how exactly would one notice it? There's also no "stutter" that you claim. Sorry but it's just not there.

The statement that you "NEED more VRAM at those settings" is what I am calling completely false, because it is. You don't NEED it to play the game smoothly at max detail. It's good to have, sure, but it's by no means needed.

We need to dispel this myth that if the game uses X amount of VRAM then that's automatically the minimum amount you need. As it has been stated numerous times before, the game will use what you've got. That doesn't mean that less is going to provide less of a smooth experience.
 
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