Low FPS/Stuttering on a cold boot - After a Reboot all works fine?

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Nov 6, 2015
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Hello,

- My first ever post on a forum, so I apologise if I've posted in completely the wrong place.

I'm currently experiencing a really strange issue with my FPS on all games after a cold boot. After a reboot this issue goes away and my FPS goes back to how it should be until I perform a cold boot again...

So for example on Killing Floor 2...On a cold boot I get around 80 FPS with Stuttering, but immediately after restarting my PC (warm boot) I'll get 100+ FPS without stuttering at all - Which is obviously what my card should be performing at.

I have tried all sorts so far:-

- Various Benchmarks (CPU, RAM & GPU) - RAM and CPU benchmarks don't change at all regardless of a cold/warm boot whereas the GPU's load on a cold boot is around 35% and on a warm boot it goes up to 80+% - Not too sure why this happens/
- Messed around with various settings in the BIOS - Use a Gigabyte motherboard. Changed PCI-E Gen 1 - Gen 2 - Gen 3 and none of them make any difference at all.
- Re-mounted my GPU in another PCI slot.
- Re-flashed/updated BIOS
- Re-installed graphics drivers.
- Re-installed chipset and other motherboard drivers.
- Tried re-formatting/re-installing OS
- Tried a different PSU slot which resolved the issue strangely for two cold boots but then reverted back to the same issue.

My Spec:

CPU - Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad Core
RAM - HyperX Savage 16GB (2x 8GB) 2400MHz DDR4 RAM
MoBo - Gigabyte B150M-D3H Intel Socket 1151
GPU - Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Card
OS - Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit

Please can anyone help me?? - This is driving me crazy!

Thanks!
 
Set in NV control panel, power management to max performance.

...thats all i got. :D
 
Try to monitor the various clocks when this happens. Use Afterburner and post back.
 
Definitely need to use afterburner. Watch temps, voltages, core clock, gpu usage, cpu usage and tamps. You may not have to do this with one card but when I had sli and messed with power management I had to restart the computer for it to work. Sounds like it could be cpu bottleneck on cold boot
 
Try to monitor the various clocks when this happens. Use Afterburner and post back.

Here are my findings (Blue = Cold Boot // Red = Warm Reboot)

- Power: 60-64% 71-76%
- GPU Temp: 63 72
- GPU Usage: 50 - 67% 80 - 94%
- BUS Usage: 3% 5%
- Fan Speed: 39% 62%
- Fan Tachometer (RPM): 1390 2248
- Core Clock (MHz): 1367 1367
- Memory Clock (MHz): 3506 3506
- Memory Usage (MB): 1400 - 1586 1580 - 1634
- CPU Usage: 26 - 29% 21 - 32%
- RAM Usage (MB): 3450 - 3540 4059 4157

There's an evident change in GPU Usage etc. - What's also interesting is the RAM Usage difference.
 
Warm boot means you restart the machine whereas cold boot means you start from shutdown state, right?
 
I found the problem -- you bought a Gigabyte board.

After dealing with their nonsense with my last board, a Z68XP-UD4 (supposedly one of their highest end Z68s, set all kinds of OC records, blah blah blah) ranging from failure to hold CMOS settings with brand new CMOS batteries, cold boot issues, requiring CMOS battery pulls to boot at all, failure to return from sleep, failure to restart properly, boot loops on initial startup, failure to POST at all.... you name it, this board did it. Was fine initially for like, a month, then the issues got worse over the course of the ~3 years I used it. I should have RMA'd the thing within the first year, but every time it did something stupid I'd manage to get it more or less working again with maybe 20 minutes of screwing around with the BIOS/CMOS and call it good.

The thing finally flat-out died 5 months out of warranty, because of course it did. When I started looking for a replacement I initially considered a Gigabyte Z77 board, as I'd really liked the UD4 up until it started the worst of its weirdness in the last ~6 months of its lifespan. I started reading reviews and found they were still having boot loop issues and various odd problems with sleep states, just as the Z68s had. This is in early October -- these were mature boards, which hadn't had a BIOS fix in years in some cases, but still had glaring issues. Boards that in some cases cost well over $200 new.

I suspect you're running in to something similar -- a poorly written BIOS that's putting the machine in the wrong state when you initially start it up, but gets it right at that restart order. If you're still within return window, I'd get rid of it. If not, hope that a later BIOS fixes it, but considering Gigabyte's current track-record on this sort of thing (feel free to google the Z68 and Z77 boards -- it's an ongoing issue to this day) I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
We've had this thread a time or two before. I don't remember what the conclusions were, unfortunately. I think one found that swapping video card brands made the issue go away, but hardly a proper solution.
 
We've had this thread a time or two before. I don't remember what the conclusions were, unfortunately. I think one found that swapping video card brands made the issue go away, but hardly a proper solution.

The weird thing is that his GPU isn't stuck in a low power state. Must be something else in the system.

OP, can you check your CPU clock during cold and warm boot? Might be the CPU clocks.
 
The weird thing is that his GPU isn't stuck in a low power state. Must be something else in the system.

Right yeah, it's not the card, but changing the card tickled something else in the system to "work right". I was gonna say check the gen settings, but OP already tried that too. I'm with your bios flaw suggestion.
 
I found the problem -- you bought a Gigabyte board.

After dealing with their nonsense with my last board, a Z68XP-UD4 (supposedly one of their highest end Z68s, set all kinds of OC records, blah blah blah) ranging from failure to hold CMOS settings with brand new CMOS batteries, cold boot issues, requiring CMOS battery pulls to boot at all, failure to return from sleep, failure to restart properly, boot loops on initial startup, failure to POST at all.... you name it, this board did it. Was fine initially for like, a month, then the issues got worse over the course of the ~3 years I used it. I should have RMA'd the thing within the first year, but every time it did something stupid I'd manage to get it more or less working again with maybe 20 minutes of screwing around with the BIOS/CMOS and call it good.

The thing finally flat-out died 5 months out of warranty, because of course it did. When I started looking for a replacement I initially considered a Gigabyte Z77 board, as I'd really liked the UD4 up until it started the worst of its weirdness in the last ~6 months of its lifespan. I started reading reviews and found they were still having boot loop issues and various odd problems with sleep states, just as the Z68s had. This is in early October -- these were mature boards, which hadn't had a BIOS fix in years in some cases, but still had glaring issues. Boards that in some cases cost well over $200 new.

I suspect you're running in to something similar -- a poorly written BIOS that's putting the machine in the wrong state when you initially start it up, but gets it right at that restart order. If you're still within return window, I'd get rid of it. If not, hope that a later BIOS fixes it, but considering Gigabyte's current track-record on this sort of thing (feel free to google the Z68 and Z77 boards -- it's an ongoing issue to this day) I wouldn't hold my breath.

We've had this thread a time or two before. I don't remember what the conclusions were, unfortunately. I think one found that swapping video card brands made the issue go away, but hardly a proper solution.

Btw, very similar issue as yours. Also Gigabyte motherboard. Seems like it might be a bad motherboard BIOS.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1821875

Thank you for your responses! I think I'm with you all on the motherboard/BIOS issue. I have taken my GPU, CPU, RAM & MOBO back to the store I purchased them from for testing. The GPU has been tested and is all working correctly (As expected) - I've left the MOBO with them until Tuesday. I'll let you guys know the outcome once I do. It'll be nice to finally know a resolution for this issue. Hopefully they'll be able to replicate the issue.

Thanks again for your help so far!

EDIT: Hopefully they'll just replace the motherboard and all will work fine!
 
i had that board, it kept freezing a couple times a day for no reason.
 
When you uninstalled drivers, did you use the DDU program from guru3d? I had somewhat of a similar problem until I wiped all drivers with that and did a fresh install.
 
When you uninstalled drivers, did you use the DDU program from guru3d? I had somewhat of a similar problem until I wiped all drivers with that and did a fresh install.

I have re-installed the drivers a few times and done a clean install each time - I've even gone to the extent of re-formatting my PC too. With no luck!
 
I found the problem -- you bought a Gigabyte board.

After dealing with their nonsense with my last board, a Z68XP-UD4 (supposedly one of their highest end Z68s, set all kinds of OC records, blah blah blah) ranging from failure to hold CMOS settings with brand new CMOS batteries, cold boot issues, requiring CMOS battery pulls to boot at all, failure to return from sleep, failure to restart properly, boot loops on initial startup, failure to POST at all.... you name it, this board did it. Was fine initially for like, a month, then the issues got worse over the course of the ~3 years I used it. I should have RMA'd the thing within the first year, but every time it did something stupid I'd manage to get it more or less working again with maybe 20 minutes of screwing around with the BIOS/CMOS and call it good.

The thing finally flat-out died 5 months out of warranty, because of course it did. When I started looking for a replacement I initially considered a Gigabyte Z77 board, as I'd really liked the UD4 up until it started the worst of its weirdness in the last ~6 months of its lifespan. I started reading reviews and found they were still having boot loop issues and various odd problems with sleep states, just as the Z68s had. This is in early October -- these were mature boards, which hadn't had a BIOS fix in years in some cases, but still had glaring issues. Boards that in some cases cost well over $200 new.

I suspect you're running in to something similar -- a poorly written BIOS that's putting the machine in the wrong state when you initially start it up, but gets it right at that restart order. If you're still within return window, I'd get rid of it. If not, hope that a later BIOS fixes it, but considering Gigabyte's current track-record on this sort of thing (feel free to google the Z68 and Z77 boards -- it's an ongoing issue to this day) I wouldn't hold my breath.

Btw, very similar issue as yours. Also Gigabyte motherboard. Seems like it might be a bad motherboard BIOS.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1821875

Right yeah, it's not the card, but changing the card tickled something else in the system to "work right". I was gonna say check the gen settings, but OP already tried that too. I'm with your bios flaw suggestion.

I've finally got my parts back from the store I purchased them from after taking them back for testing.
They ended up replacing my motherboard with an MSI one (Same chipset) and informed me all was working fine now.

I've just got home, built my PC up - Re-installed my OS and drivers etc... And guess what? Same issue! I'm so annoyed with them right now!

So a different motherboard hasn't solved the issue - Maybe it could be the chipset? Any ideas before I take it back again? Thanks!
 
I haven't seen any issues, but granted I'm on Z77 so maybe it's a chipset thing. I know many people here than have 980Tis and Z170 boards, so that's still unlikely. I'd suspect it's the Gigabyte variant of the 980Ti then? Maybe something in its VBIOS?
 
I haven't seen any issues, but granted I'm on Z77 so maybe it's a chipset thing. I know many people here than have 980Tis and Z170 boards, so that's still unlikely. I'd suspect it's the Gigabyte variant of the 980Ti then? Maybe something in its VBIOS?

I have the B150 chipset - I might try the Z170.. I'm running out of ideas here!

- I've also tried re-flashing the VBIOS but it continuously error's out complaining that it's the same BIOS version that I'm trying to flash with (There's only one version I can find on the Gigabyte website)
 
I've just switched around my Wireless Network adapter with a friend's and that seems to have resolved the issue? So strange! Both network cards work perfectly fine in my friend's PC which has the same chipset as mine...Yet only one works in mine properly.

Tested it multiple times and all is resolved. No idea why a change in network card has resolved this? I'm now using his, and he's using mine - Without an issue.

Could this be something to do with the PCI & PCI/E lanes possibly? Maybe it was too congested. The network cards are PCI btw not PCI/E
 
Some sort of issue with lane allocation on a cold boot ... we've also had that thread before but on TPU, iirc.
 
Fucking IRQs... having flashbacks to PCI/ISA days... Dump the PCI cards.
 
Some sort of issue with lane allocation on a cold boot ... we've also had that thread before but on TPU, iirc.

Fucking IRQs... having flashbacks to PCI/ISA days... Dump the PCI cards.

I think I will have to! Thank you all for your help.
Glad this has finally been resolved.

- No thanks to the technicians at the store I purchased the parts from!
 
u447c.jpg
 
I think I will have to! Thank you all for your help.
Glad this has finally been resolved.

- No thanks to the technicians at the store I purchased the parts from!

It's been long time since you possed this but I've the exactly same issue with my computer also thank you very much for pointing network card for me this is how I solved my issue.

Maybe in any time my findings can help anyone else so hear my story

In my mid-tower my graphics card and network card are next to each other and after I've read this post I try to remove my network card but it's kinda stuck with the bracket (I really don't now what it's real name metal thing that you screw in to your case) of graphic card (in short they are touching each other by brackets) so I took some time to remove it and I've gained 30 fps more in cold boot.

After several tries I again put network card to its place again same issue. Low fps in cold boot.

When I just started look for another network card in the shops I got an idea :)

I have removed bracket from the network card and put it in the case but because of weight it's pulling down and touching graphics card again then I ziptied it to prevent it from touching to my graphics card.

Then, success!! All that performance in cold boot.

I hope this clear the issue for some in the future just like mine solved.
 
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