I recently built my first PC and I'm really struggling to get the performance I expected from my upgrades. I've got an AMD Ryzen 9 9900X CPU, Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, an MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk motherboard, 48GB of G.SKILL Trident Z5 RAM (but I'm switching to 32GB of Team T-Force Delta soon), and a 1000W power supply—all running on Windows 11. Despite the significant upgrades from my old setup with a GTX 1060, I'm actually seeing worse performance. I've even improved my internet with new ethernet and cabling.
The main issue is that while my CPU utilization spikes to 100% when I run applications, my GPU barely functions, never exceeding 10% usage. It only drops from 100% CPU when I'm on YouTube or browsing. I've ensured my drivers are all up to date, confirmed my monitor is plugged into the GPU, and there are no overheating issues. I've tinkered with the BIOS as much as I can, but nothing seems to help. I'd really appreciate any tips on getting my GPU to do its fair share of the workload!
3 Answers
First off, make sure your display cable is connected to the GPU, not the motherboard. If it's in the motherboard, you're using the integrated graphics instead of the dedicated GPU. That could totally explain why your GPU isn't being utilized. Also, it sounds like you might be experiencing thermal throttling; check your CPU cooler to make sure it’s functioning well. What app are you running that’s causing all this CPU usage? It’s essential to check if there are any background tasks or processes bogging things down.
If your drivers are up to date and the cable is good, then it might be time to check your BIOS settings. Some settings can limit GPU performance if misconfigured. But also, keep an eye on your CPU temperatures; overheating can cause throttling issues and might explain the high CPU load.
I did tweak my BIOS but not too much since I ran into boot issues before. I’ll keep an eye on temperatures.
Your CPU and GPU definitely handle different tasks. If you're seeing 100% CPU usage, you might have some background process running, like a crypto miner or something else. Have you checked your task manager? Also, rolling back your Nvidia drivers to December could help; a lot of users reported issues with the newer updates. But remember, games like Minecraft or COD typically shouldn't max out your GPU. It's also good to monitor your CPU frequency during gaming; it should stay stable around that 5.3GHz mark.
I ran some benchmarks, and it's fluctuating rather than constantly at 100%. Plus, my fans are going crazy even when the CPU temp stays below 76°C.
I've already checked that and can confirm the display is connected to the GPU. I'm not sure what else could be affecting it.