How do I know I'm getting the best performance out of my PC?

[SebMachineGun]

I recently built a new PC and while I think I have done all I can to improve performance, I feel there is something I'm missing. I need help understanding GPU and CPU utilization and how I can monitor it and improve it. Please reach out so I can get more in depth. Thank you!

 

[Brian Boru]

Welcome to the forum

If you're new to PC world, then start with Task Manager and monitor the main components there.

If you're comfy in the tech, then our experts here will point you at more sophisticated tools and methods.

Main Q is: do you notice performance lags in some app or game?

Main observation: you don't want parts running at 100%, that'll wear them out quickly via heat.

 

[SebMachineGun]

@Brian Boru I'm comfortable with more advanced troubleshooting. I wouldn't say I'm experiencing performance issues. I would just like to make sure I cant get more out the components I currently have. I would like to learn how to look at that stats of my components and determine what's working well and what isn't and if anything could be bottle necking. For instance I play Escape from Tarkov, a CPU hungry game. I would like to see if my CPU is giving me the best it can basically.

 

[Colif]

what are specs of the PC? that might let us suggest ideas.

do you use afterburner to look at how PC is behaving in games?

 

[SebMachineGun]

@Colif AMD Ryzen 7 5800x, 64gb Corsair Vengeance Pro 3600 RAM, TUF GAMING RTX 3060, Samsung EVO M.2 500gb, Corsair CXM 750 PSU, ASUS AM4 TUF GAMING X570 Plus Mobo. No, I dont use afterburner. I use NVIDIAS overlay.

 

[Colif]

Afterburner might show more info.
Up until 3 months ago I could see what the Nvidia overlay looks like... but I have an AMD card now. I see its very much like the AMD overlay though it doesn't tell you about PC

Afterburner can show CPU, GPU & Ram usage on screen = https://www.gamingpcbuilder.com/msi-afterburner-overlay-customization-guide/

these all just show you details, they not really helping you make system better but at least you can compare results.
I am only running a 3600x so can't really compare - intend on getting a 5800x3d in a few months.

Do you have latest chipset drivers? https://www.amd.com/en/support/chipsets/amd-socket-am4/x570
latest BIOS? As on new PC it can help to stay up to date... after a while you only update bios if you have any problems you can't fix any other way - https://www.asus.com/motherboards-c...elpdesk_bios/?model2Name=TUF-GAMING-X570-PLUS

You unlikely to have any memory shortages any time soon.

 

[SebMachineGun]

@Colif Thanks for the links. The Geforce Experience has the same features as Afterburner it looks like. I'll double check the drivers as well. While I'm playing, my GPU is at 98% while my CPU is at like 20%. Shouldn't the CPU be higher since I'm playing a CPU intensive game? If I'm making sense of all this, a perfect world would be amazing performance with low utilization across the board, right? Alternatively, having mediocre performance with high utilization is bad?

 

[Brian Boru]

a perfect world would be amazing performance with low utilization across the board, right?

Not really, that would mean a lot of your capacity was being wasted, and you probably spent a lot more money than you needed to.

GPU is at 98%

That's way too high, even for a GPU-intensive game. That'll wear out your GPU before its time. First thing is to establish if the reading is accurate, so you need to check at least 2 reputable measuring tools.

Corollary is don't have suites of tools all running while playing—they'll all use resources too.

If 2+ measurements show ~98%, something's wrong.
♣ Confirm latest GPU drivers are in place.
♦ Turn off ALL other apps and non-MS processes, except for one measuring app.
♥ Check physical connections of 3060 in case and on mobo—confirm everything connected is properly..
♠ If you can borrow another similar card, replace the 3060 and see if problem persists.

 

[Colif]

Escape from Tarkov is single threaded. Meaning it can only use one core. It works that core hard already.
I knew it was ram intensive but I didn't realise it was single threaded as well.

That could explain why its only using 20% CPU, its going as fast as it can. If they made game multithreaded it would use more of your CPU. It might be more balanced.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Not really, that would mean a lot of your capacity was being wasted, and you probably spent a lot more money than you needed to.


That's way too high, even for a GPU-intensive game. That'll wear out your GPU before its time. First thing is to establish if the reading is accurate, so you need to check at least 2 reputable measuring tools.

Corollary is don't have suites of tools all running while playing—they'll all use resources too.

If 2+ measurements show ~98%, something's wrong.
♣ Confirm latest GPU drivers are in place.
♦ Turn off ALL other apps and non-MS processes, except for one measuring app.
♥ Check physical connections of 3060 in case and on mobo—confirm everything connected is properly..
♠ If you can borrow another similar card, replace the 3060 and see if problem persists.

Disagree!

You want your GPU to be hitting close to 100% in most 3d action games. You might not get there if you have a 60hz display and run with Vsync, but with higher refresh rates you want to hit 100% on GPU as much as possible or youre leaving frames on the table, if youre not hitting max refresh already.

The common term for not hitting 100% on GPU without Vsync enabled is a 'CPU bottleneck'.

@SebMachineGun I recommend getting 3D Mark. Theres a free version, but I cant remember which benchmarks are included in it as I have the paid. I think you can run the benchmark and see your score compared to other people with the same hardware there. Bear in mind that a lot of those running it will be overclocking and tuning their rigs, so with a stock system you may find your rig is a bit below average. If its way below par then you might be able to tune a few things here and there and test again to see if you get any improvement.

 

[Colif]

Doesn't that depend on what GPU you have as to if its going to sit on 100% usage in game. I expect a 4090 can relax a lot more than a 4070 can in some games, 4k path traced Cyberpunk not included.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Doesn't that depend on what GPU you have as to if its going to sit on 100% usage in game. I expect a 4090 can relax a lot more than a 4070 can in some games, 4k path traced Cyberpunk not included.

Depends on the game too, as well as the display resolutions and refresh rate yep. Of course some games are more demanding than others. If I'm playing Doom 2 at whatever resolution I don't expect GPU to hit 10%. But if its a new 3d action game at 4k 144hz high usage is for most people desirable, because it means your getting higher frame rates.

Of course you could limit frames to 60 to lower your usage if you were playing a game that doesnt benefit like a strategy game, or if you felt that 60 was enough for you, or to save power or heat in the summer etc. Its just thats not the general consensus.

 

[Colif]

High refresh rates can enhance coil whine. Create isn't right word, it just makes it more obvious.

I have seen restricting 144hz monitors to max fps of 141 instead of letting them run at full speed can reduce the chance of screen tearing on Freesync. Not many times I seen my GPU up that high anyway. although Grim Dawn now reporting 245 but I don't think I played it long that time - just load screen. That was before I restricted its max fps.

So not running at 1000fps can have its advantages

games coming out that were designed for PS5 tier graphics are expecting more from hardware.

 

[Brian Boru]

Disagree!

Really? You're the expert of course, but I don't think I've ever heard of any piece of moving-parts electronics where running flat-out is preferable for the long-term wellbeing of the part.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Really? You're the expert of course, but I don't think I've ever heard of any piece of moving-parts electronics where running flat-out is preferable for the long-term wellbeing of the part.

Honestly yes, but its not about longevity. If you buy a 4090 and run at 1080P 60hz you probably get 30% GPU usage maximum on a demanding new game and it will last 10 years, maybe some would like to do that, but for most you buy what you need for the next few years. Thats why people talk about cards being a '1080p GPU', like a Radeon 6600XT or RTX 3060.

Not saying it wont make the part last longer to run it at half speed, but that's not supposed to be the point for performance parts. Mines been running at 100% in almost every 3d game I play for the last 3 years, unless youre doing that 24/7 cards will most likely still last way beyond warranty if you keep it clean and have a decent fan curve set and so on.

PNY GeForce RTX 4070 XLR8 Review

The PNY GeForce RTX 4070 XLR8 comes with adjustable RGB lighting and a stronger VRM, but ticks at reference clock speeds. Noise levels are fantastic, whisper quiet, which makes the card one of the quietest RTX 4070 cards available on the market.

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Check out the chart of average FPS here, the lower down cards are hitting 60FPS average at 1080p at 100% usage across the suite of games there. If you go down to 4k Ultra, even the RTX4090 doesnt manage 144 FPS average at 100%. Its perfectly normal and expected for cards to be at 100% in a demanding game.

As a general rule, if youre not hitting 100% GPU usage, then you should be thinking about a CPU upgrade. Thats all subjective and relative to different peoples wants and needs and different games demands as well. But generally that's the case.

High refresh rates can enhance coil whine. Create isn't right word, it just makes it more obvious.

I have seen restricting 144hz monitors to max fps of 141 instead of letting them run at full speed can reduce the chance of screen tearing on Freesync. Not many times I seen my GPU up that high anyway. although Grim Dawn now reporting 245 but I don't think I played it long that time - just load screen. That was before I restricted its max fps.

So not running at 1000fps can have its advantages

games coming out that were designed for PS5 tier graphics are expecting more from hardware.

Yea you can also lower your power limit or undervolt the card to save on heat or power. Tearing happens when you go over the refresh rate, I think its game by game whether frame capping or Vsync works better. I usually just put Vsync on, my card rarely hits refresh these days in demanding games anyway even with reduced settings.

 

[Colif]

i use Radeon chill, minimum of 75, max of 141. GPU can obviously do more but monitor can't. i have no idea of usage of my card in games. But well, none of the games I play so far on it have been graphically intensive. Not sure when that will change really.

some people are going nuts over specs of this game

Minimum:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64 bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700 / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Memory: 16(Dual-channel) GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (VRAM 8 GB) / Radeon RX 5700XT (8GB)
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 110 GB available space
Recommended
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64 bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i7-12700 / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Memory: 16(Dual-channel) GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080Ti (VRAM 12 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 6800XT (VRAM 16 GB)
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 110 GB available space

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strange, I am sure I have seen that game advertised as needing 32gb of ram as well.

if more games match PS5/Xbox specs they will want an 8 core CPU as minimum to play.
The GPU specs is based on VRAM.

 

[SebMachineGun]

Thank you all for your input. So, run 3D Mark while I play and see what my stats are, the compare those stats to common builds and consider a CPU upgrade?

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Thank you all for your input. So, run 3D Mark while I play and see what my stats are, the compare those stats to common builds and consider a CPU upgrade?

3d Mark is a good tool for judging how your system is performing yep

Any kind of upgrade only when you feel you arent getting the performance that you want. A 5800X is a pretty good match for a 3060. TBH it would be fine with any card currently on the market. Sorry if that messaging got a bit confused with the crosstalk there.

@Colif Thanks for the links. The Geforce Experience has the same features as Afterburner it looks like. I'll double check the drivers as well. While I'm playing, my GPU is at 98% while my CPU is at like 20%. Shouldn't the CPU be higher since I'm playing a CPU intensive game? If I'm making sense of all this, a perfect world would be amazing performance with low utilization across the board, right? Alternatively, having mediocre performance with high utilization is bad?

Tarkov only uses 2 cores of the CPU well AFAIK. So if it maxes out 2 cores then it will only be at 20% usage. Thats not a problem with your system its a problem with how the game is programmed. We call that poorly optimized/threaded.


Basically if your GPU is at close to 100% everything is as it should be there, couldn't be much better.

 

[Colif]

its unclear how many cores it can use.
i see some saying it can use 2-6 threads, other guiides suggest turning multi threading off to improve performance but these 2 aren't mutually exclusive. The last is just about using real cores and not hyperthreaded ones. https://tarkov.academy/game-settings/

it could just be your PC is op. Some other people with 20% CPU & 100% GPU - https://forum.escapefromtarkov.com/topic/165474-cpu-usage-low-gpu-usage-high/

it seems normal for newer PC