I recently upgraded my graphics card to a 5070 Ti from a 3070, and I'm kind of frustrated because I'm still only hitting about 100 FPS in Dark and Darker while playing at 1440p. I've got an i9 12900K processor and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, so I expected a significant performance boost, but the FPS seems about the same as it was with my old card. I've tried various DLSS presets with no luck, and I really want to max out my 144Hz monitor. My friend, who upgraded to an RX 9070 XT with similar specs, is consistently getting over 250 FPS. Even in 3DMark Steel Nomad, I'm only seeing around 70 FPS, while he's getting more than 140. 3DMark indicates my benchmarks are fine for my hardware, so I'm left wondering if I made a mistake with my GPU choice. I know that Dark and Darker has optimization issues, as my GPU usage hovers around 45% and CPU usage around 30%. I've followed overclocking and undervolting guides, but my frame rate remains the same, although it feels more stable. Am I missing something? Why does my 3070 seem to perform similarly?
5 Answers
What exactly are your friend's CPU specs? It could really play a role here. And I'm skeptical about his claims of getting 140 FPS in Steel Nomad; the benchmarks generally show lower FPS for the 9070 XT. Many users see similar results to what you're getting!
Have you enabled XMP in your BIOS? If your RAM is running at stock speeds, that could be a huge factor in your performance issues. I recently tested both the 5070 Ti and the RX 9070 XT, and they were both hitting similar frames in benchmark tests. I'm starting to think your friend might be exaggerating his FPS scores, honestly.
Definitely check XMP! And just to clarify, it should be XMP, not EXPO; that's for AMD systems.
I get what you mean! I think his claims might be based on settings changes, like FSR. He could be mistaken about his exact FPS.
Try monitoring all CPU cores with MSI Afterburner while you play. You might find that several cores aren’t being utilized. Adjusting the CPU affinity in task manager for your game could help too. Also, make sure your chipset drivers are updated—sometimes that helps a lot with performance issues!
I agree! Keeping those drivers up to date is crucial. Good luck with the testing!
Did you wipe your drivers before reinstalling? It's often best to use DDU for a clean slate. If you just did a complete OS reinstall, it should have cleared them, but it's worth checking if any old driver remnants are affecting performance.
Yeah, a clean reinstall should do the trick! Just ensure no old drivers interfere with your new setup.
It sounds like your system is CPU bound, which is why you're not seeing the performance gains you expected. Your CPU is likely maxing out a single core while only lightly using the others. Check the boost clocks to ensure your i9 is running at the expected speeds. Also, it might be an idea to use XMP for your RAM if you're not already doing that. What CPU does your friend have? I wouldn't be surprised if he has a chip that's better for gaming performance.
Totally! Dark and Darker seems to favor CPUs like the X3D series, which could explain your friend's FPS advantage.
I see your point! I've read that some games still don't fully utilize multi-core CPUs well, so that could be affecting your FPS.
Good point! He might be using FSR settings or some optimizations that boost his FPS without him realizing.