What does EVGA Precision Tool's GPU usage actually show?

Hi, I just want to clarify this.

When I'm using the EVGA Precision Tool to monitor my GPU usage, does it show the GPU usage as a whole or does it show the usage of a certain part of the GPU (eg. memory, core etc)?

Furthermore, if the GPU usage stays around 40-60% and I keep getting bad framerate (around 15-20 fps)- is it a clear sign of a CPU bottleneck? Or can the bad framerate still be caused by the lack of GPU power?

Thanks

Well the GPU usage shows how much the GPU is working, if it says 50% GPU usage then that means that the GPU core is actually just working at 50% capacity. This can be caused by several reasons:

1: The game you're playing isn't fully optimized for that GPU.
2: The drivers you're using are outdated.
3: The CPU you're using is bottlenecking your GPU.

You're sayng you're getting bad framerates in games, what games are you referring to? If you're referring to very CPU-demanding titles like Starcraft 2 for example then I would assume you are CPU bottlenecked.

If you are using that E5200 and it's not oc'ed, I can see it beeing a botteneck for spme cpu intensove games.
In what games do you have bad frame rates?

I wouldn't have thought an E5200 would be a bottleneck for a 9800GT?

Games that are causing me massive grief are Battlefield 3 and Crysis 2 multiplayer right now. On the lowest possible graphics settings and at 800x600 resolution I still get around 20-25 fps average and it drops to 10-15 in firefights while the GPU usage stays at around 40-50% and CPU usage is 100% all the time.

Because those two are multiplayer games I can't play them without raging out, I just get killed when my game turns into a slideshow.

Another one is Chivalry: Medieval Warfare which I bought a few days ago because it was a Unreal Engine 3 game so I thought it wouldn't be that demanding. But same problem with this one too.

And pretty much all the newer games I've tried (Farcry 3, Sleeping Dogs etc; even some older ones like STALKER: Call of Pripyat) have this problem- low GPU and high CPU usage with low fps.

I know a guy who has a similar setup to mine but has a slightly better Intel's dual core CPU (I remember it had 4MB of L2 cache instead of 2 like my E5200) and can run BF3 on medium settings with quite high resolution (I think it was 1920x1080) and gets around 40 fps average; so I thought I should get a bit better one myself (can't afford a full upgrade right now)

So I just wanted to make sure it was my CPU that's causing the lag

PS. I'm looking at used E8400/8500/8600s if it really turns out that I would benefit from a small CPU upgrade.

Oh and my E5200 is OC'd to 3.33GHz

I guess it is the cpu bottlenecking you then, I know you said you can't afford a full upgrade, but tbh that is what you need

It is your cpu bottlenecking, because you say when there are more players it lags. That is your cpu that isn't capable to calculate all there movement.

I have seen a E5200 @ 4Ghz maybe that if you are able to get it at that speed it wil solve some problems.

KR_king said:

I have seen a E5200 @ 4Ghz maybe that if you are able to get it at that speed it wil solve some problems.

Click to expand...

Anything above my current OC is unstable.

But what do you guys think- should I get an E8400 or will my system still be too crappy to play these games on minimum settings with acceptable framerate (30+ fps)?

Dont get the E8400, stick with what you have until you can upgrade the whole system

Yup, a faster CPU will help out in multiplayer games. As for Far Cry 3 and Sleeping Dogs, those are challenging even for modern hardware to run. I don't think a faster CPU alone will help much with those. You may have to change you graphics card to (I'm guesstimating here) at least a gtx 460.

Thanks for the replies!

Would a Q6600 be an overkill to pair up with the 9800GT?

As I said, unless you are going ot be upgrading to a sandy bridge or ivy bridge cpu there isnt really any point in getting anything else, unless you can get a q6600 for like £30 or something

seumasbeathan said:

As I said, unless you are going ot be upgrading to a sandy bridge or ivy bridge cpu there isnt really any point in getting anything else, unless you can get a q6600 for like £30 or something

Click to expand...

Not quite; though I saw a used Q6600 on sale for £45 in a forum so maybe there are more people selling used Q6600s for similar prices. I'm really bummed that I missed that one...

But this is going way off topic here, sorry about that

like your signature implies, you do need a new rig, mate.

the games are going to get tougher and your system is a lil behind. dropping
more coin on the older 775 isn't going to help that much.

start saving your cash and invest in a newer platform. you can drop £100 easy
in upgrades and gain 10-15% frame-rate and still be behind in playability. you might
recheck your friends setup. with double in fps and a scoosh better processor he
is got something else you don't have.. and cache isn't one of them.

I'll finish uni in 2 years and then I can start earning money and saving up; until then I know for sure I can't even dream about getting a higher-end PC so in the mean time I'd be happy if I could run current games on absolute minimum settings at 25-30+ framerate.

So to conclude- based on your guys' input it's pointless to waste money on semi-upgrading my current PC; no matter what CPU I put in it, it won't run current and newer games on minimum settings at playable framerate.

Well, taking a break from gaming is probably for the best anyway

Thanks for the help!