So what are differences between Optimal and Adaptive power in nvidia panel?

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wes28222

Limp Gawd
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Hello. Fast question. What are differences between Optimal and Adaptive power in nvidia panel? I have Optimal. But sometimes in games i have fps drops which resulting in clock drop for one second. After second clock back again to normal.

So what are differences between Optimal and Adaptive power in nvidia panel?

My card is Gigabyte Xtreme 1080
 
Adaptive Attempts to use only as much power as necessary based on the gpu load. I find it often clocks my card lower than it should be if going by fps. When using optimal my clocks are higher and my frames more consistent.
 
Weird. So if my card downclocks ( from 1985mhz to 1750mhz ) during stutter for 1 second is this because i have optimal power? With adaptive it not downclock?​
 
wes28222 said:
Weird. So if my card downclocks ( from 1985mhz to 1750mhz ) during stutter for 1 second is this because i have optimal power? With adaptive it not downclock?​
Click to expand...

I think it's the other way around.
 
have a read of nvidia forum articles. and the basics are spelled out in the description in Nvidia's control panel. adaptive mode will try and adjust GPU settings based on the current load on the card. max performance will attempt to keep the gpu at max performance when 3D applications are running, regardless of the current load on the GPU. optimal will try and find a balance between those two settings. basically - if you're not stressed about power consumption, set it to prefer max performance in the global settings
 
So if i switch to Adaptive then i will be dont have clock spike during stutteR?
 
I cant understand. :"optimal will try and find a balance between those two settings"
 
Whichever game you're having performance issues in I would set the power mode to Prefer maximum performance for that game's profile in the NVCP and keep the global setting on Optimal.
wes28222 said:
I cant understand. :"optimal will try and find a balance between those two settings"
Click to expand...
Optimal will generally pick one voltage step to stay on during load unless something drastic happens, while adaptive will constantly move between voltage steps as load changes. Clock dips on Optimal can still happen if the GPU stops getting commands either due to CPU hiccups or data latency, which would cause the voltage step to change.
 
You said:"Clock dips on Optimal can still happen if the GPU stops getting commands either due to CPU hiccups or data latency, which would cause the voltage step to change."

So if i have Optimal power setting there is a more chance that gpu clock will drop due to low usage or utilization, when on adaptive not drop?

Sorry if i am understaning miscorrectly. :(
 
wes28222 said:
You said:"Clock dips on Optimal can still happen if the GPU stops getting commands either due to CPU hiccups or data latency, which would cause the voltage step to change."

So if i have Optimal power setting there is a more chance that gpu clock will drop due to low usage or utilization, when on adaptive not drop?

Sorry if i am understaning miscorrectly. :(
Click to expand...
I am saying it will be more noticeable. Let me try to visualize what happens (this is only an example with numbers I'm pulling out of my ass...):

upload_2016-10-25_14-57-5.png
 
How often does this actually come into play in the real world? I've read several posts over the years that recommended this as a fix for issues in certain games. Yet it didn't seem to do much (if anything) in any of them. Is this an "if all else fails try this" kind of setting or does it really have an impact on some games/programs?
 
{NG}Fidel said:
Adaptive Attempts to use only as much power as necessary based on the gpu load. I find it often clocks my card lower than it should be if going by fps. When using optimal my clocks are higher and my frames more consistent.
Click to expand...
I think you have that backwards... optimal is for power savings not performance.
 
So you mean :"Optimal Attempts to use only as much power as necessary based on the gpu load. I find it often clocks my card lower than it should be if going by fps. When using Adaptive my clocks are higher and my frames more consistent" ???

So is any difference between optimal and adaptive in gaming ?
Can you tell me some example with optimal and adaptive? For example with fps drop and gpu load drop.
With gpu load and fps drop clocks will spike down with Optimal? With adaptive they dont drop?
 
Im pretty sure that optimal tries to keep your gpu load at max (99%) and to do so turns down the clock speeds etc. That way it uses only the power it needs. What happens, though, is that if you do somehing in game that requires more power, the gpu needs some time to ramp-up (or it just avoids ramping up every time the load increases for a very short time) and thats when you get a framerate dip/stutter.
Adaptive should adapt a little bit faster by ramping up the gpu speed/power as soon as it is needed.
So, optimal is a very aggressive, power savings oriented mode. Adaptive is more of a balanced mode. The amount of power it saves, though, is probably tiny, in the grand scheme of things.
All of this is just basic guesswork on my part, I am not 100% sure. I would just set it to max performance and enjoy the hardware I have.
 
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But somebody said that Adaptive is the same like Optimal.
:
"Optimal Power: Basically, maximum power saving. It effectively stops the GPU from rendering anything in idle if the desktop isn't changing. Moving your cursor around for instance will trigger a render. Other than that, it's the same as Adaptive."

So question by me.
I have random framerate drops in GTA V and Rise of Tomb Raider with gpu clocks spikes going down for just 1 second.
So this is not because i have optimal power? Or maybe Optimal its not the same exactly like Adaptive,like he said? I have optimal in nvidia panel.

So maybe that gpu clock drops 1 second ,they are not related to optimal?
 
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wes28222 said:
But somebody said that Adaptive is the same like Optimal.
:
"Optimal Power: Basically, maximum power saving. It effectively stops the GPU from rendering anything in idle if the desktop isn't changing. Moving your cursor around for instance will trigger a render. Other than that, it's the same as Adaptive."

So question by me.
I have random framerate drops in GTA V and Rise of Tomb Raider with gpu clocks spikes going down for just 1 second.
So this is not because i have optimal power? Or maybe Optimal its not the same exactly like Adaptive,like he said? I have optimal in nvidia panel.

So maybe that gpu clock drops 1 second ,they are not related to optimal?
Click to expand...
That's what you just wrote - optimal is almost the same as adaptive, except that optimal tries even harder to save power and sometimes does not increase the gpu power to the level the game needs and you have a framerate drop. Both optimal and adaptive are adjusting gpu power and speed to reduce power consumption, but Optimal does that much more aggressively than adaptive and because it tries too hard your gpu is slowed down too much and you get a framerate drop. Change that setting to prefer maximum performance, or whatever it's called, and forget about all your problems - it will allow you to enjoy what your hardware is actually capable of.
 
But i find in google:"Optimal Power
Maximum power saving. It effectively stops the GPU from rendering anything in idle if the desktop isn't changing. Moving your cursor around for instance will trigger a render. Other than that, it's the same as Adaptive"

So finally its the same like Adaptive or not?


Also Koween said:"That's what you just wrote - optimal is almost the same as adaptive, except that optimal tries even harder to save power and sometimes does not increase the gpu power to the level the game needs and you have a framerate drop. Both optimal and adaptive are adjusting gpu power and speed to reduce power consumption, but Optimal does that much more aggressively than adaptive and because it tries too hard your gpu is slowed down too much and you get a framerate drop"


So its not the same in 100% like adaptive?
 
If they were the same then you would have only setting.
Optimal is a setting for most power savings, but it also introduces slowdowns.
Adaptive tries to save power as well, but it does not slow down your gpu as much.
Maximum performace (or whatever the third one is) does not try to save power and just gives you maximum performance.
So, what you found on google is correct.
If you want to get technical on how exactly they do that, you may have to try looking it up on nvidia.com somewhere.
 
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Ah sorry i didnt write about this. GPUZ showing "UTIL" ( utilization ) during drop.

Sometimes its fine 5 hours, sometimes drop fps and gpu core clock for a fraction of a second and bring clocks back again. It happens when i am idling some time in game. Just standing by character in the same place in game without touching keyboard or mouse. It happen when i am standing only.

Screen, i added black arrows to show:

https://s10.postimg.org/8q5uqmnkp/image.jpg

On screen:

It drop for a second from 1985mhz to 1759mhz. UTIL gpuz. GPU LOAD 99%

So it can be because i have OPTIMAL power, and not Adaptive?
 
wes28222 said:
So it can be because i have OPTIMAL power, and not Adaptive?
Click to expand...

You are getting wayyy too hung up on names it seems, or your idea of what should be happening. You will run into the same issue's with both modes. The amount of money/electricity saved while gaming using either of those modes compared to maximum isnt worth the dick around and headache its causing you.
 
Samson4EiT said:
You are getting wayyy too hung up on names it seems, or your idea of what should be happening. You will run into the same issue's with both modes. The amount of money/electricity saved while gaming using either of those modes compared to maximum isnt worth the dick around and headache its causing you.
Click to expand...
What you mean?
 
Not sure if OP is serious with his continuous confusion over things that have been explained multiple times...

or spamming to 100 posts
 
Just confused. It happens when i am idling some time in game. Just standing by character in the same place in game without touching keyboard or mouse. It happen when i am standing only.

During drop core clock can drop from 1980mhz to 1700mhz for a second.After second goes back to 1980mhz. It happens very rarely.GPUZ shows util perfcap during that drop.
So its because i have optimal power or that doesnt matter?
 
Xinmosni said:
Not sure if OP is serious with his continuous confusion over things that have been explained multiple times...

or spamming to 100 posts
Click to expand...

check his post history and his thread history then you will see what this kind of thread is, but also check in every other hardware site in the net and you will find the same pre-made post and pre-made answer for everything just exactly the same, he just change sometimes the model of the card. so yes, he is a forum troll.

wes.PNG

wes28222 said:
Just confused. It happens when i am idling some time in game. Just standing by character in the same place in game without touching keyboard or mouse. It happen when i am standing only.

During drop core clock can drop from 1980mhz to 1700mhz for a second.After second goes back to 1980mhz. It happens very rarely.GPUZ shows util perfcap during that drop.
So its because i have optimal power or that doesnt matter?
Click to expand...

RMA the card, is faulty hardware. you can't do nothing to fix it.
 
So i was expected solution , support and help. Why peoples are so in rage here?
 
Araxie said:
check his post history and his thread history then you will see what this kind of thread is, but also check in every other hardware site in the net and you will find the same pre-made post and pre-made answer for everything just exactly the same, he just change sometimes the model of the card. so yes, he is a forum troll.

View attachment 9561



RMA the card, is faulty hardware. you can't do nothing to fix it.
Click to expand...
Its my interest how much topics i created. Not yours.
 
Araxie said:
check his post history and his thread history then you will see what this kind of thread is, but also check in every other hardware site in the net and you will find the same pre-made post and pre-made answer for everything just exactly the same, he just change sometimes the model of the card. so yes, he is a forum troll.

View attachment 9561



RMA the card, is faulty hardware. you can't do nothing to fix it.
Click to expand...
This is the same MO as the guy who frequently asked about if the temperature his video card was running at was okay and if he should RMA it. It's been going on for years. Best thing to do is just leave your answer if you must and don't argue with the guy.
 
image.jpg



Can somebody explain me ? Please. I even made a screen during fps dip and i added black arrows.
Gpuz shows util, core clock dropped for a second. Is this related to because i have optimal power?
 
Why are you convinced the issue is related to the power setting? If you are convinced, why not try each setting and see what it does? Try it out for yourself.

What was the CPU usage during this time period? What background programs/services do you have running? Are you sharing Windows 10 updates with other computers in your network? Is Windows 10 Store running and updating? So many possibilities....

Also, why haven't you activated Windows yet? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Windows 10 is the cause of the short drop in FPS because it is checking activation status periodically. I could be wrong, but I don't have any non-activated Windows 10 installations so I can't prove it. Prove me wrong by activating Windows. You own a legit copy of Windows 10, right?

The bottom line is that there are simply too many possible reasons for your FPS drops. Nobody here can give you an answer for that reason. We don't know all of the history of your computer. We can guess over and over and still be wrong. You will need to figure this one out yourself. You could try re-installing Windows 10 and only loading the graphics drivers and the game and see if it still does it. But for a 1 second pause once in a while, I don't think it's worth it.

Code: 
Aktywuj Windows
Przejdz do ustawien, aby aktywowac system Windows
Code: 
Detected language: Polish
Activate Windows
Go to Settings to activate Windows
 
I ask about power related, because in benchmarks like 3dmarks or Heaven i dont have this issue. Only in GTA V and ROTTR.
 
My experience is as follows.

Max performance - this will not let the clocks fall below 3d base clocks (it doesnt pin it at max boost clocks), between 3d base clocks and max boost clock it works the same as adaptive.
Adaptive - The default mode on older drivers, it will adjust clock speeds depending on the load put on the card, in my experience this does not cause any performance issues in most games.
Optimal - Default mode on latest drivers, It seems to be less agressive on ramping up clock speeds with the aim of more power savings, in my experience its performance affecting so I do not use it.

In the past I have only really used max performance to stabilise my previous gtx970 as it was unstable sometimes at intermediate clocks between 2d and 3d base speed so rthis stabilised the card, on my 1070 I have never needed to use the performance mode and always keep it at adaptive. This is especially the case as well that boost 3.0 ramps up much more agressive than boost 2.0, my card only needs to be at 60% load or so and then it will be at full max boost speed. Boost 2.0 tended to only go to max boost with load above 80%.
 
Like Armenius said "Whichever game you're having performance issues in I would set the power mode to Prefer maximum performance for that game's profile in the NVCP and keep the global setting on Optimal." Also wouldn't hurt to try max performance in the power plan but don't go off the deep end in there either.
 
I doubt that this is caused by Windows 10 not activated or some process. Because some time ago ( on other pc with 4790k ) with activated Windows 10 i get the same drops in GTAV ( but drops was without core clock drops ) . Maybe because card was 980 ti with adaptive setting?


Now i have 1080 gtx + optimal setting + 6700K + Windows 10 ( not activated )


So maybe its because i have optimal power setting?
 
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Maybe it's because you don't fucking listen.

jk i won't bite, but it's amusing to see just how many did.
 
It happens when i am idling in game. Just standing by character in the same place in game without touching keyboard or mouse. It happen when i am standing only.







After 20-30 ( very random ) minutes non activity in game, there is a fps drop and core clock drop for a fraction of second. IS this related to optimal ?

It happens in GTA V and Rise of Tomb RAider.

Screen:

image.jpg
 
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