I built my PC back in 2020 and have made several upgrades since then, but lately, it doesn't seem to be performing as well as I expect. Here are my specs: a Ryzen 7 5800XT CPU, an MSI Gaming X RX 6600XT GPU, and 32GB of DDR4 3600MHz RAM. My storage setup includes a 256GB Sabrent Rocket SSD, a 1TB TeamGroup SSD (where I primarily keep my games), and a 6TB Seagate HDD.
I usually play games like Rocket League and Fortnite, but I'm seeing inconsistent frame rates, which is puzzling. For instance, in Rocket League, I struggle to maintain 240fps at 1600x900 on the lowest settings, while Fortnite fluctuates around 360fps. In Arc Raiders, I barely hit 60fps at 1080p medium settings. On the upside, Forza Horizon 5 performs decently on almost max settings, but games like Siege do not keep above 144fps even at the lowest settings.
I've overclocked both my GPU and CPU to their limits, and I've tried various troubleshooting steps like reinstalling Windows, adjusting overclock settings, and monitoring thermals. Despite these efforts, I still face issues with performance that can sometimes be resolved only by restarting my system.
5 Answers
Have you thought about checking your RAM settings? Make sure they are set to their XMP or EXPO speed profile. Sometimes the integrated memory controller in the CPU has trouble with certain clock ratios, which can affect performance.
It sounds like your performance numbers are about what I'd expect from your hardware. To get a better idea of how your setup stacks up, you should try out 3DMark Time Spy for benchmarking. It's a great tool for comparing your scores with others who have similar CPU and GPU setups.
I recently built a new PC and had some luck by entering all my specs into a tool like ChatGPT to get optimized BIOS settings for gaming. It suggested some detailed customizations specific to my Ryzen 9850X3D, which made a noticeable difference.
You might want to focus on stability rather than just raw performance. The 5800XT and 6600XT can work well together, but if you're seeing inconsistent results, it could be due to fluctuating clock speeds from your overclock settings. I suggest resetting your Ryzen Master and MSI Afterburner settings to defaults. After that, run a 3DMark test and play a game for about 10 minutes at fixed settings to log your fps for variance. Make sure to make changes one at a time to identify any specific issues.
Resetting Windows isn't the same as a full clean install! Ensure all your drivers are up-to-date and monitor your CPU and GPU usage when gaming. Performance should be consistent across games with your setup. If you have lingering issues, a clean install could help. Don't forget to check the condition of your drives too, as a failing drive can cause gameplay issues.
That sounds like solid advice; I think I'd like to try a reset of those settings.