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Poor Crossfire Performance in BF3?

E

Eureka!

Gawd
Joined
Jul 10, 2009
Messages
573
I just got another 7950 to crossfire with my WF3. I have a Sapphire card now, overclocked to match the WF3. I've got it up and running, Crossfire is checked, and I'm getting good framerates in Heaven. But in BF3, it's performing worse than my one card did alone. Even on low, in 64 TDM I'm getting 80-110 FPS. Before I was getting 100-120. CPU utilization is still at 70%, so I don't think it's coming from that. I'm running latest 13.6 beta drivers.

I set enableULPS to 0 in registry. I'm also using RadeonPro dynamic framerate control to keep it at 120 FPS.

What else is there to do? This is pretty bad.
 
Well, I figured it out, so for google searchers, I ran HWInfo64 for a bit, it looks like my CPUs are pegged at 95%. This is a 3570K at 4.6 GHz... looks like I need something much beefier than a 3570K.
 
Eureka! said:
Well, I figured it out, so for google searchers, I ran HWInfo64 for a bit, it looks like my CPUs are pegged at 95%. This is a 3570K at 4.6 GHz... looks like I need something much beefier than a 3570K.
Click to expand...

you sure didn't figure anything out, lol.

its called high latency, its well known with AMD cards in crossfire.
 
Are you sure there isn't something going on with your mobo?

While you may be CPU limited, ithat shouldn't lead to a significant drop in FPS.

Just checking your mobo, I'm seeing conflicting info about whether it's running PCIE 3.0 or 2.0, and do you have anything populating that X4 slot on the end?
 
You won't get anything beefier for gaming than a 3570k at 4.6ghz man. Either way. it's DEFINITELY no going to bottleneck you, especially in such a well-threaded game.
 
It definitely will bottleneck you with 7950 cf in bf3 64 player maps. Hyperthreading helps a ton in this game. Its about the only one. I experienced the same thing. Running a hex core I get way higher fps than I did with my 3770k and my 3770k got way higher frame rate than I did with my 2500k. All over clocked between 4.4-4.7ghz. Turn down mesh quality to low. It will help a ton.
 
AMD/ATI has been dealing with latency issues in their cards for the last three years since the Catalyst 10.6 update. I remember playing BF:BC2 and pushing close to 90fps in most cases. The 10.5 driver rocked at that point.

When 10.6 was released, their driver support just went down hill. I went back to Nvidia after I sold my 5870's. Just a personal observation.
 
Latency issues have nothing to do with the frame rate that is displayed in say fraps which is what the op is talking about. Latency makes the game feel like crap it doesn't make your displayed framrate go down. That's the whole point the issuecame to light. High framerates but horrible stuttering.
 
jackstar7 said:
Just checking your mobo, I'm seeing conflicting info about whether it's running PCIE 3.0 or 2.0, and do you have anything populating that X4 slot on the end?
Click to expand...
Same thoughts.

What's the GPU usage for both cards, in game?
 
What resolution and refresh rate are you running at? I have a 1440p monitor @ 96hz with two 7950's in crossfire and don't have any issues maintaining a constant framerate. I assume you have the latest Catalyst Application Profiles installed as well?

Also, it may seem unnecessary but you could try putting both crossfire bridges on your cards if they have it, I had a load of issues at 96hz until I added the second bridge.
 
I have nothing in that X4 slot. Utilization for each card is around 60%. What are the Catalyst Application Profiles? I only installed whatever came with 13.6.

Thing is I mainly play 64 player TDM on Noshahr.
 
Thanks for the link. Now that I installed them, do I need to do anything else?
 
I've had plenty of crossfire headaches in the past but not with this game. I had 2 6970s though.
 
Eureka! said:
I have nothing in that X4 slot. Utilization for each card is around 60%. What are the Catalyst Application Profiles? I only installed whatever came with 13.6.

Thing is I mainly play 64 player TDM on Noshahr.
Click to expand...

60% utilization definitely sounds like you're being CPU throttled. I'd say try the Mesh thing to see how that goes and if that doesn't do enough, then it might be time to shop for a 3770k to get that extra push from the HT.

Please report back how things are going with the CAP and anything else you mess with.

Also, I don't have too many issues on 13.4. So another thing might be to hold off on the beta drivers and stick to the approved ones for now...
 
I tried both 13.4 and 13.6, no difference. No difference with CAP.

I'm pretty sure it's a CPU bottleneck now and I'm looking into an upgrade. I live near MC so a 3770K would be a $230+tax drop-in, but I'm not sure it'll be enough to push me to 100+ frames. I can probably upgrade to a 3930K system too but it seems excessively expensive.

What exactly does mesh quality do? Isn't that draw distance? Wouldn't that be something I need to keep high to remain competitive in BF3?
 
13.6 beta did nothing for GPUs, it added a bunch of junk for the latest release of the AMD APU thing.

The best driver version lately has been 13.5 beta, and install the latest CAP.

When you uninstall from the control panel also use the new AMD uninstall utility.:D

If you only have a 60% utilization in BF3 on a 64 player map, it ain't the GPUs....something is hamstringing the platform.
 
Lol at the frame latency comments! Oh no it takes 15 ms vs 5 ms for some of the frames to load!
Don't knock it till you rock it!

On a more serious note, the 13.4 and 13.5 drivers are the best all the 13.6 added was more opengl support from what I read.

Follow this guide, except replace Afterburner with Sapphire Trixx, Trixx has most of the options and better control of voltage (there's a scroll bar on the right of the tool so you can adjust the board power limit.
Here's the guide: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18431335

One more thing, BF3 is frame limited just like BO2 and MW3.. It's so people with crazy pcs can't out do people who have a desktop from walmart with a gtx460 installed.
Video showing fps advantage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9dZm5h2oNQ
 
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Mesh size is important to be competitive BF3 (draw distance / spotting), I have mine at ultra, and everything else at high at 1440p. Runs perfectly smooth except for the odd spot on my sig rig. The 5970 is one card, but still technically CF, and my processor is only a 930. Of course I'm not quite pushing the 110+ fps you are, but just thought I would make that information availible in case it is any value.
 
If you're running Crossfire, Afterburner 3.0 beta 10 just added everything that we haven't been able to do with Crossfire in the past.

On the settings menu you can now disable ULPS and easily run wicked OCs on AMD Crossfired cards, whereas before you had to do some fancy registry edits.

Now Afterburner takes away the Overdrive AMD imposed OC limits.

The other day after I saw this, I upgraded my Afterburner and was able to take my hd 7970s up to 1175 Core clock with ease. Before that I was limited to the Overdrive limit of 1125. There was instant improvement in Metro: Last Light.
 
Omg I run with mesh on low then back to ultra n I actually prefer it on low. When u scope in with far away targets higher mesh quality actually makes people blurry n thus harder to it. U will stay more competitive with it off. Any guide for tweaking bf3 for 120hz will say turn mesh quality down. Don't knock it just try it. How hard is it to change 1 setting n see. Or go spend 230 for a 3770k and gain 10fps then turn it down anyways like I did. Lol.
 
Well, thanks for all the answers. Looks like it's obvious, I also need a CPU upgrade. But for reference, I included a snippet from HWinfo log over 10 minutes:
GpByp0H.png
 
Can u do the same graph with mesh quality on low ?. Even with a 3930k u will not get 100+fps even with mesh on low. Its hopeless. I only get 80-99% utilization on both GPU with mesh on low. Not much diff with it on ultra but I hit 99% a lot less. Fps drops below 100 more frequently as well. Only way ull get 99% usage constant is if you go 2560x1440+. In which case you don't need a CPU. I think you'd be MUCH happier with a high res monitor than a new CPU.
 
instead of upgrading to intel 6 core i would do some more research and consider amd 8 core wich you can upgrade again soon on the same mobo when the successor is released. the new chip is rumored to boost performance 30%
 
alek said:
instead of upgrading to intel 6 core i would do some more research and consider amd 8 core wich you can upgrade again soon on the same mobo when the successor is released. the new chip is rumored to boost performance 30%
Click to expand...

Amd's processor are only useful for single card configs. They will perform slightly worse than an intel equivalent, in multi gpu congfis. And the processor you speak of, is just a binned 8350 that runs at 4.8 (boost to 5.0).

In short, it would be a "downgrade" for him to switch from his i5 to an fx.
 
alek said:
instead of upgrading to intel 6 core i would do some more research and consider amd 8 core wich you can upgrade again soon on the same mobo when the successor is released. the new chip is rumored to boost performance 30%
Click to expand...

Blasphemy. Crossfire/sli = Intel. By that time ivy bridge e will b out. Also same socket. And will spank amd as usual. At least in cf and sli. They have reasonable CPU for single GPU gaming.
 
HOODedDutchman said:
Can u do the same graph with mesh quality on low ?. Even with a 3930k u will not get 100+fps even with mesh on low. Its hopeless. I only get 80-99% utilization on both GPU with mesh on low. Not much diff with it on ultra but I hit 99% a lot less. Fps drops below 100 more frequently as well. Only way ull get 99% usage constant is if you go 2560x1440+. In which case you don't need a CPU. I think you'd be MUCH happier with a high res monitor than a new CPU.
Click to expand...

I specifically went 120Hz because I realized IPS/PVA screens were giving me headaches. It seems minor but the little motion blur at high speed gaming (TDM) is enough to screw me over. I noticed this because I had a 2407WFP ultrasharp, but whenever I played on TN panels I seemed to do better overall, and with less mental stress. Now that I've been playing at 120 Hz, I don't think I could go back. I'm pretty sure the input lag is a part of that and I don't think there's any IPS screen that could remove that input lag.

I do miss the nice colors of my 2407WFP, but I have no regrets buying this 120 Hz monitor.

EDIT: I noticed you have a 3930K paired with a 120Hz monitor. Can you at least achieve 100+ fps in the majority of situations? I mainly play TDM so vehicles aren't too much of a worry for me.
 
tonyftw said:
Amd's processor are only useful for single card configs. They will perform slightly worse than an intel equivalent, in multi gpu congfis. And the processor you speak of, is just a binned 8350 that runs at 4.8 (boost to 5.0).

In short, it would be a "downgrade" for him to switch from his i5 to an fx.
Click to expand...

wow really? i guess my sources for information is lying to me and you are indeed right! THANKS (ps im signing out of this thread now)
 
alek said:
wow really? i guess my sources for information is lying to me and you are indeed right! THANKS (ps im signing out of this thread now)
Click to expand...

Unless your source was talking about steamroller (due in 2014, has a lot of potential), the rumored fx-9000 is still vishera based, with a very high stock clock.

Op, have you thought about uninstalling your drivers (atiman uninstaller for example) and then re-installing them, to see if that helps?
 
tonyftw said:
Op, have you thought about uninstalling your drivers (atiman uninstaller for example) and then re-installing them, to see if that helps?
Click to expand...

I have not, I only use the built-in uninstaller. But, as seen in the graph above, my CPU is pegged at 95-100%. I don't think it's a graphics issue... there's just no more CPU headroom to run frames.
 
Outside of maybe oc'ing the i5, I guess you can try switching to an i7 to see if it helps.

I'm assuming this problem only happens in bf3, right?
 
In TDM yes you will be above 100 fps all the time. You likely will with a 3770k as well. If your lucky enough to get a good bin and overclock to 4.5+. Its big conquest maps that have frequent drops. Before you do anything I'd try the mesh quality thing and see how you like it. Seriously you'll gain like 30fps. Thats not a joke its an immense load on the CPU. A CPU upgrade may still help, but if the mesh quality turned down gets you the frames you desire and you like it on low (like I do) then why waste the money.;)
 
tonyftw said:
Outside of maybe oc'ing the i5, I guess you can try switching to an i7 to see if it helps.

I'm assuming this problem only happens in bf3, right?
Click to expand...

It's OCed to 4.6 GHz, and this chip isn't that great so it's at 1.38V doing so (under a H70).

HOODedDutchman said:
In TDM yes you will be above 100 fps all the time. You likely will with a 3770k as well. If your lucky enough to get a good bin and overclock to 4.5+. Its big conquest maps that have frequent drops. Before you do anything I'd try the mesh quality thing and see how you like it. Seriously you'll gain like 30fps. Thats not a joke its an immense load on the CPU. A CPU upgrade may still help, but if the mesh quality turned down gets you the frames you desire and you like it on low (like I do) then why waste the money.;)
Click to expand...

I have and it's alright, but it's still dropping down to 80-90. I think I may just try upgrading to a 4770K... I was going to switch over anyway when the Ncase M1 comes out. The only problem with going the 3930K route would be that there's no mITX x79 setup.

Thanks for your help.

EDIT: I realized what it was.. I had mesh on low but everything else on Ultra... so it went from being a CPU bottleneck to a GPU bottleneck. Having everything on High with low mesh gets me to 100 fps. Thanks.
 
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I have a similar setup 3570k xfire 7970 it works well in most games but bad optimization makes certain games run better with one card. ac3 in particular will load all cores 100% and lag disabe xfire fps double and cpu load 1 core at 50%. the microstuder in bsi is also bad. often a older or newer diver will fix the problem
 
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