Is BF3 a power virus?

[Seero]

BF3 makes all my GPU's run at pretty much 96-100% all the time. I have to throttle back from 880 to 830 and still they get to 100c-max 105c. Thats with MSAA and ultra settings everything maxed but it suggests the game is 'overworking' the cards somehow OR has very upwardly scalable GPU demands i.e.It can look better than it does currently on my rig. Will vertical synching help cool things down by keeping things reasonable not 160fps?

The load is fine, the temps are not. If the ventilation is okay, then there may be something wrong with the contact bewteen the HS and the GPU. Get yourself a good TIM and redo it.

As to the overkill FPS, you can set vsync on.

 

[taltamir]

power virus

Virus is a program that duplicates and installs itself without your consent.
BF3 is not a virus.
Is it malware? no it isn't, it isn't intentionally burning up your card.

Will vertical synching help cool things down by keeping things reasonable not 160fps?

Yes it would help. Turn on vsync; Force it on in the driver. there is no reason to redner 160fps. A 60Hz monitor is only displaying 60 fps, a 120Hz monitor is only displaying 120fps...

And vsync is proven to solve this issue... proven by me.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2127473
3000FPS!

 

[gorydetails]

run an adaware if u think u are infected,,,I donot think itcomes from bf3,,,

 

[Glagorx]

BF3 just wants to make you best available look at the game so it makes your card work as much as can. Just enjoy the graphics mate, it is amazing.

 

[taltamir]

BF3 just wants to make you best available look at the game so it makes your card work as much as can. Just enjoy the graphics mate, it is amazing.

the guy clearly stated he is getting 160 FPS.
This isn't the game "making itself look best" its the game wasting resources making frames and then throwing them away without anyone ever seeing them. This is why vsync solves the problem.

 

[Jacky60]

the guy clearly stated he is getting 160 FPS.
This isn't the game "making itself look best" its the game wasting resources making frames and then throwing them away without anyone ever seeing them. This is why vsync solves the problem.

AKA Power virus! But Vsynch does keep things cooler for longer but they still get too hot too quick!.

 

[taltamir]

AKA Power virus!

no, because:
1. Virus is not malware, virus is a self replicating program that installs itself without user consent or awareness.
2. This was caused out of negligence not out of malice.

Just FYI, its a common problem. For example blizzard patched SC2 to use Vsync in menues after it blew up some people's cards. It a power related bug in the game, not a power virus. Which should not cause your card to blew up / burn up unless its own safeties fail. But it does cause a waste of electricity.

 

[Smoblikat]

Games use power............nothing new.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

BF3 makes all my GPU's run at pretty much 96-100% all the time. I have to throttle back from 880 to 830 and still they get to 100c-max 105c. Thats with MSAA and ultra settings everything maxed but it suggests the game is 'overworking' the cards somehow OR has very upwardly scalable GPU demands i.e.It can look better than it does currently on my rig. Will vertical synching help cool things down by keeping things reasonable not 160fps?

no, its not a "power virus", if you're not CPU limited, and you're not running vsync and/or a game with a frame cap, and there isn't anything else wrong (ie software problem somewhere), your GPUs should always be in the upper 90% usage

programs like Furmark are described as power viruses because even though a game can take a GPU up to 99% usage, its not the same usage pattern as we see with something like Furmark which will push the GPU and total card above and beyond anything any game will ever come close to. For instance in a GPU limited game like Crysis (ie GPU running 99%) the load power consumption might be 100W less than with Furmark for a rig with a GTX580

 

[taltamir]

programs like Furmark are described as power viruses...

Actually, programs like furmark are described as power viruses because there are some whiny, uneducated idiots in nvidia and AMD that don't know:
1. The definition of a virus.
2. What a power virus is (those exist actually!)
3. That they sound tremendously whiny.
4. That this is an honest representation of a worst case scenario that DOES happen with a variety of games. I have personally played games that stressed the GPU even further then furmark could.
5. Need an excuse for cheating in power consumption tests by throttling those applications

which will push the GPU and total card above and beyond anything any game will ever come close to.

Thats if you are making excuses for the whiny little children who call themselves business execs in two specific companies.
Furmark stresses GPUs beyond your AVERAGE game. But there ARE games out there that are even harder on the GPU.

 

[Silverforce11]

For instance in a GPU limited game like Crysis (ie GPU running 99&#37 the load power consumption might be 100W less than with Furmark for a rig with a GTX580

Gtx480 in Crysis pulled ~310W. Furmark pulled around 320W. Pretty close.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Actually, programs like furmark are described as power viruses because there are some whiny, uneducated idiots in nvidia and AMD that don't know:
1. The definition of a virus.
2. What a power virus is (those exist actually!)
3. That they sound tremendously whiny.
4. That this is an honest representation of a worst case scenario that DOES happen with a variety of games. I have personally played games that stressed the GPU even further then furmark could.
5. Need an excuse for cheating in power consumption tests by throttling those applications

LOL, keep your pants on. Learn the meaning of "described as", I never intended to imply that it was a virus of any sort.

Also, unrestricted Furmark is never an accurate worst case scenario for any real world game.

Thats if you are making excuses for the whiny little children who call themselves business execs in two specific companies.
Furmark stresses GPUs beyond your AVERAGE game. But there ARE games out there that are even harder on the GPU.

no, its the actual truth, a program like Furmark (when it isn't throttled by AMD/nVidia drivers) will consume far more power than any game ever will. Its just like Linpack for producing heat with a CPU. A CPU will simply never get that hot under any realistic processing applications, its simply an absolute worst case scenario, only with a program like Furmark its even more outlandishly stressful.

Gtx480 in Crysis pulled ~310W. Furmark pulled around 320W. Pretty close.

Probably because Furmark was being throttled by your drivers. Use MSI Afterburner's version of Furmark or OCCT's GPU stress and you'll see power shoot through the roof.

 

[rgallant]

What is your ambient?

rads are in the crawl space\basement under the floor
-water temps about 23c avg. and do not climb much more than that.