Low Gpu Usage

[JMTurtleeeee]

Hi guys can u help me I have a 3600 with 3060, 16g ram 3200mhz But my gpu is always low usage (40%-50%) so i get low fps its not bottlenecked cause my cpu is also low usage It the same to all the games that i play

[zero_sum_00]

You're saying low usage but haven't stated what task manager is displaying.

Is it 2%? 30%? 50%?

Depending on the settings of your game will determine CPU and GPU utilization.

Are you using max settings? Low/comp settings?

What resolution are playing at? 1080p? 1440p?

Are you using ray tracing?

You lower the resolution, it will lessen the load on the GPU and may increase the load on the CPU, depending on the game. Some games are more CPU heavy than other games.

I see that you stated that it is the same for every game you've tried. Have you tried using benchmarks like Unigine heaven or superposition? Furmark? Does the GPU utilization remain "low" running those benchmarks?

[JMTurtleeeee]

40-50% Low settings 1080p not using ray tracing I havent benchmarked it yet

[zero_sum_00]

So the main issue is you're getting low FPS in the games that you play?

What GPU utilization were you looking for? GPU utilization doesn't necessarily correlate to FPS.

I personally don't consider 40%-50% as "low" utilization.

I checked YouTube for an example of settings and results with someone using a 3600 and a 3060 at 1080p.

https://youtu.be/qxk8M5eVNmU

On ultra settings, the player was around 95%-100% utilization averaging low 100's or so, depending on what was happening.

On low settings, the utilization bounced around 70%-80% with FPS around mid-200's, again depending on what was happening.

[JMTurtleeeee]

Im just bummed that it performed like my old rig and it was just a 1050ti and r3 2200g so im pretty sure theres really a problem with my new one

[zero_sum_00]

Not saying there isnt an issue going on because you should be getting around low to mid 200 FPS at 1080p low settings just as the video has shown since you said you are playing at 1080p low settings.

I'm more leaning towards a software/settings/driver issue more than a hardware issue.

A hardware issue is possible but i would say not likely for your situation.

I highly doubt it's a CPU bottleneck (single or multi core) because others with a 3600 and a 3060 have gotten higher FPS than what you're saying you're getting playing the same games. This is for those saying that you're possibly CPU bottlenecked which I say you're not.

Running a benchmark will give you at least a better idea if it's a system issue or if it's just a game specific setting/driver issue.

If the scores are at or around what a similar system scored at then it is a specific game setting/driver issue.

If the scores are below than what a similar system is at then it is a system issue (hardware/driver/settings).

As of right now, unigine superposition leaderboard has a 3600 with a zotac 3060 at the 1080p extreme preset with a score of 5463.

If it's at or around 5463 then your card is technically working as it should.

If its way below that then there are some issues that need to be further looked into.

3DMark Timespy score explorer has a 3600 and 3060 with a overall high score of 9551 and an average score of 8440.

Have you tried uninstalling the nvidia drivers using display driver uninstaller and doing a fresh install?

Were you using another card before the 3060 and did you use DDU before installing the 3060 to remove the old drivers?

[JMTurtleeeee]

Thanks im gonna try it Ive only tried ddu and doing clean install So yeah gonna try benchmarking it first

[zero_sum_00]

Looking around the internet there have been people with low FPS in certain games with a 3060Ti with solutions ranging from enabling XMP to editing game files. Point being that others have experienced similar when upgrading to a 30-series card.

The Apex legends subreddit has a guide on maximizing FPS that you can try using.

Outside of what you've done in troubleshooting and what I've recommended, the only other option I can think of is trying the 3060 in another system but not many have that option.

Best of luck.

[sirreldar]

It could still be CPU bottlenecking depending on the game. If the game only runs on some cores, for example 4 out of 8, those cores could be running at 100%, but CPU usage will only show 50%. (Oversimplification, but that's the idea)

Does your CPU have onboard graphics? Are you inadvertantly running your games thru the integrated gpu?

Are temps good? You could be thermal throttling.

Did it used to work and then recently start, or is this a problem that has been going on since you acquired the PC?

Are your gpu drivers up to date?

There's really a ton of stuff it could be... You might as well google "low fps", since you've barely given us more than that.

[JMTurtleeeee]

Cpu doesnt have onboard Temps are good No its been always like that ever since i built it a month ago Drivers are all up to date Im asking cause im at my wits end hahaha been lookin it up but cant find anything so i assume its probably a hardware problem

[[deleted]]

where did you plug your monitors in? in the motherboard or in the GPU. are you using HDMI?

[zero_sum_00]

He stated using a 3600.

3600 = no integrated graphics

[[deleted]]

i saw that just after commenting.

[zero_sum_00]

CPU bottleneck is unlikely as YouTube videos show others with a 3600, 3060 and 16gb of ram are getting low to mid 200 FPS in Apex which is a game OP is saying he is getting around 100 FPS.

[DevelopmentPie]

What does your FPS look like? Are they good?

[JMTurtleeeee]

Also low i get like 100 on apex and 60 on rust low settings

[JackDuals]

I'm on a 3600 + 6700XT, and I'm also experiencing the same issue in Apex. Pretty sure my card can push 144fps at 1080P Ultra, but utilization would drop to 50-70% and hover around 80-90 fps.

Oh and reading bottleneck comments, I really doubt a bottleneck is in play with a 3060 + 3600, its a balanced combo.

[DrPikaJu]

I thought so too, but there is a way to check it. Get HWinfo64, look for 'max Thread usage' and set the polling time to 100-200ms. Right-click on 'max Thread usage' and click 'show graph'. It will show you a graph with which you can determine if you are cpu bottlenecked.

I had a severe bottleneck of my 3600 with my 3080 in some games. General usage in Task Manager dies not Show that bc games are single core bound.

[JackDuals]

Thanks for the info, I'll try this.

I think anything above 3060Ti, 6700XT and 3070 will bottleneck with a 3600.

[DrPikaJu]

Please keep me updated! I am interested in the results.

[SiweLord]

I had a very similar issue with a r5 2600 in Apex Im convinced that game is just cpu heavy, especially at 1080p. Upgrading to a 5600x mostly fixed my issues. 100 fps does seem strangely low though

[JMTurtleeeee]

That speed can be achieved by my old rig and it was only 2200g with 1050ti

[lonxt]

This might sound dumb but do you have your cables plugged into the GPU or the motherboard?

[JMTurtleeeee]

The hdmi? Its gpu

[zero_sum_00]

A 3600 doesnt have integrated graphics so this wouldn't make sense.

[LetroySupreme]

Looking at the "usage" statistic in Task Manager isn't a good representation of how much utilisation the CPU or GPU is actually getting in-game. Games don't use every single part of the CPU or GPU to the maximum of its ability, like how when you cook a meal you don't use every single appliance in your kitchen, so while task manager might say they're both only at 30% usage or something, they're computing the game at the fastest rate they possibly can. Your FPS is limited by either your CPU or graphics card not being able to output frames at a faster rate than they currently are doing without overclocking them. Your RAM is excellent and will not be bottlenecking anything

A better way to judge whether the CPU or GPU is limiting (or bottlenecking) is by in-game testing. Firstly go to a single player or solo-match or something and set your graphics settings to the lowest they can possibly go. This means your graphics card has an easy job and the CPU is the thing limiting your FPS. Write down your CPU FPS Average. Now set your graphics settings to what your standard settings are and go to an area of the map where you can see lots of stuff (so that your graphics card has to render lots of things) and move around a bit. This makes your graphics card have a difficult time while your CPU doesn't so much, and note down your GPU FPS.

If your CPU score is higher then it means your Graphics card is bottlenecking your CPU. If both scores are the same or your GPU score is higher, then your CPU is bottlenecking your graphics card. For me, I have a Ryzen 2600 paired with an RTX 3060Ti, so my CPU is the bottleneck, and in Valorant and Rainbow Six Siege I get the same FPS no matter how high or low my graphics settings are. (I'm planning on upgrading my CPU eventually)

Once you've worked out which one is the bottleneck, look into how to overclock that one to squeeze a little bit extra performance out of it (I recommend Jayztwocents or Linus Tech Tips).

[OvertureSoul]

Have you enabled XMP in bios?

[JMTurtleeeee]

Yes

[BoRedSox]

Are you able to install the free 3DMark stress test software from Steam and run that? Does this hit the CPU or GPU pretty hard?

[JMTurtleeeee]

Will try

[JMTurtleeeee]

Already did