Unusual Frame Rate Inconsistencies

SOLVED This problem was caused by a shorted out power supply that damaged the motherboard so after replacing it and the CPU everything is running as it should.


I'm currently getting some unusual lag in game and can seem to get my FPS above 25. However at seemingly random times i run it and it will run fine at around 70+ fps in the same situation as bellow. I've re-installed the game several times and have even run the original tech demo to compare and I still get exactly 25 fps. I've tested my GPU, CPU and RAM for faults and all are working correctly and preform fine in other games. I can also confirm that this is not CPU throtilling as I've recently re-seated and changed my thermal paste when changing to a CoolerMaster evo 212 cooler and temperatures are fine.

Specs:
Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
8GB DDR3 RAM
Asus M4A87TD motherboard

My settings are as follows and I only run at 1366x768:

With 1 stock D15 and physics enabled i get 25FPS

With 3 stock D15's and physics enabled I still get exactly 25FPS


Thanks

 

That frame rate monitor is a little broken I think, It always shows 25FPS no matter what for me too.

"Control F" is a far better FPS monitor.

 

Have you tried with everything on lowest/highest and see what happens? Also try with fullscreen on.

 

Oh i see what you mean it reads differently when I'm getting better FPS :/

Anyway I now get a reading of about 15-19(max) fps with one car and about 2-4 fps with three

 

That is way too low for your system. Does it really feel that laggy?

P.S: Your physics fps should be 2000, but with one car you only have 1120... I think there is something wrong with your CPU causing a major bottleneck. You can see those FPS in the debug screen on the bottom

P.S 2: Please enable anisotropic filter. It barely affects performance and the roads look much better,

 

Yep, it feels around right for 19fps and has quite alot of skipping. I just done the same test on all low with AA off and still the exact same 15-19 FPS however it now has less skipping and is just laggy...

And yes physics FPS is identical on lowest.

 

My cpu is slower and i get 24fps so there is sth wrong with your pc. Check if your cpu isn't overheating.

 

Do you have your power settings on balanced or gaming? if you have it on anything else thats why.

 

Nope I just recently changed the CPU fan to a 120mm one as well as replaced the thermal paste so it sits around 40c-45c all the time

Yep its all setup fine, and I even tried overclocking slightly to see if it would help and it didn't...

 

Hate to bump but does anyone have any idea on this, its making it completely un-playable for me.

 

Like David said, because your physics FPS is so low the problem is that there is definitely something wrong CPU side. I'd download a CPU monitoring software that you trust and keep an eye on your clock speed. I'd also try clearing all OC settings and returning BIOS to factory settings, to see if you messed up when overclocking.

 

How low do you have to put the game resolution to get decent frame rates?

I know you said your temps are 40-45c sitting, does that mean idle?
What are your temps while you're playing?

 

Its sitting around that temperature idle and while in game only gaining maybe 2-3c, again kinda unusual. When I tested this time it sat at 45c idle and in-game and didn't move at all.

My CPU is completely stock clocked, I double checked in the bios. The core speeds also match those of a stock one

Stock Idle:


Mine Idle:


In game Idle basically identical:



According to speed fan its only using around 23-32% of my cpu.



Thanks for the help so far guys

 

How low do you have to put the game resolution to get decent frame rates?

 

I tried each resolution and even at 800x600 i was still getting 15-19 fps on the grid map with the stock D15

 

What is your monitor resolution set at?

What are your GPU temps while playing?
Your CPU is definitely not being asked to
crunch any numbers, it's like your GPU is
working hard and struggling somehow.

 

Install MSI Afterburner or open it if you already have it and look at the GPU usage graph while you play the game. If you get the same FPS with the physics off then that makes me think it could be a GPU issue.

 

Dafuq? Do you only have 1 core enabled? So that's the problem, get into the bios and enable the other 3 cores, and that's it. But if it is running at 45ºC with only 1 core...

 

No its defiantly running all 4 I've already checked that twice

Monitors max resolution is 1366x768 and the GPU sits at about 35-42c


I'll try Cwazywazy's suggestion when I get back home tomorrow.

 

Sorry for the late reply.

Ok so after testing with MSI afterburner I'm getting quite unusual readings the usage was rising to 100 and dropping back again randomly. This is after playing for about 5 mins just driving the pickup randomly and not minimizing. All the settings are on max and the post FX off.



Thanks