Why am I getting the same FPS after upgrading to a Ryzen 5 7600 and RTX 3070 Ti?
Asked by
MellowCedar42
I upgraded from an i7-10700F with an RX 6600 to a Ryzen 5 7600 and RTX 3070 Ti, but I still average only about 90–100 FPS in BO7 and Warzone at 1080p on low settings. CPU time is roughly 10 ms, GPU time is about 5 ms, CPU usage sits around 80–90%, and GPU usage is only 60–70%. Changing the graphics settings barely changes the frame rate.
At the moment I'm using just one 16GB DDR5 module in the A2 slot, running at the default 4800 MT/s because EXPO is not enabled. The game uses around 13–14GB of RAM. I tried the module in B2, but the system froze during a game, and Windows Memory Diagnostic reported errors. The same module passed a 30-minute OCCT memory test in A2. The Ryzen 5 7600 also passed OCCT and reached only about 74°C.
Could single-channel memory and the lack of EXPO really be limiting performance this much, or could this point to a faulty motherboard slot, memory controller, or game-specific configuration? I'd rather test everything properly before buying another memory stick. What should I check next?
Answers
Yes, running one DDR5 stick means the system is operating in single-channel mode, which can cause a significant performance loss in CPU-limited games. A second matching module should let the system run dual-channel and may improve both average FPS and frame-time consistency. The fact that GPU usage is only 60–70% while lowering settings barely changes performance also points toward the CPU or memory subsystem being the limit.
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Enable EXPO after confirming the memory is rated for a higher speed than 4800 MT/s. Running at the default JEDEC speed can further reduce Ryzen performance. Ideally, use a matched 2-stick kit—something like 2x16GB—with the rated EXPO profile enabled rather than mixing unrelated modules.
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The B2 result is worth investigating instead of assuming the memory stick is bad. Test the module by itself in each recommended slot, reset BIOS settings, and use a current BIOS. If the same module consistently errors only in B2, the motherboard slot or board could be faulty; if errors follow the module, the RAM may be defective. Also check that the CPU is evenly mounted, since socket contact or cooler pressure can sometimes affect a memory channel.
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The game itself may explain part of the small GPU upgrade gain. Some Call of Duty titles favor AMD GPUs and can behave differently from other games, so an RTX 3070 Ti is not guaranteed to provide a huge improvement over an RX 6600 in this particular workload. However, the current single-stick, low-speed memory setup is still an obvious bottleneck and should be fixed before judging the CPU or GPU upgrade. DLSS can increase FPS if you become GPU-limited, but it will not solve a CPU or memory bottleneck.
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MellowCedar42: I haven’t enabled EXPO yet, so I’ll check the module’s rated speed and test that after sorting out the slot issue.