My radeon hd 6670 is bottlenecked. Anything i can do without buying a new cpu?

[Jdm13oiZz]

I doubt it you have a very low budget video card. Your 6670 is not a bottleneck to much, unless you have a 6870. A 6870 would probably not work with your rig. gl

Why don't you collect your money and buy a Ivy Bridge with a 6870 ,

What exactly are you trying to do. That 6770 ,,, That is a good card for your setup. Now wait until 2013 Haswell and push the upgrade button my friend..

im pretty sure this 6670 has more in it tho :/... my friend has a 6670 too but with a amd phenom ii x4 955 3.2ghz and he can get over 100 fps in gta4 in interiors if he faces the camera all the way down and over 70 fps outside on all low without any stuttering.

while i can only get a stuttering 25-30fps on all low. even if i change the resolution to something low or high or the graphics low or high my fps does not change at all.. its the same.

 

[tweakboy]

Ram is incredibly cheap and you will almost certainly use it on your new system, I'd just buy an 8 GB (2X4gb)kit and go with it.

I agree. Get the RAM and wait a bit.. its almost time for the Ivy Bridge shuffle,, thx

 

[blckgrffn]

Ram is incredibly cheap and you will almost certainly use it on your new system, I'd just buy an 8 GB (2X4gb)kit and go with it.

I second (third!) this. It certainly can't hurt your current situation, either.

It could also get more expensive, and then you'll be kicking yourself! It looks like any 8GB kit under $30 is a pretty good deal. It has been cheaper, but typically for 1.65V ram (which I would avoid.)

 

[Jdm13oiZz]

so i should get the ram first before the cpu?...

 

[DominionSeraph]

so i should get the ram first before the cpu?...

You should reformat before you get anything.
You could have crapware loading down your system, a dpc latency or a directx dll issue, and we never did get your video card driver installed right.

The problems you're having don't seem to be due to insufficient base specs.

 

[Shmee]

Hey, just read through this thread. Dominion has a good idea, or at least may be on to something. If you still have the original install the computer came with, that could be an issue if there is tons of bloatware packaged with the HP.

With that said, many of the games you play are newer, more demanding games, which could pose an issue for your CPU and GPU.

Still, I think getting the latest drivers installed and working correctly is the first goal, and you may need to reinstall windows to do that if there is an issue with some bloatware or settings on your system. Just make sure you have everything backed up, and we should know, do you have an actual install disk? or just a restore disk/HDD partition? Most OEMs only give restore media, if any, these days it seems.

So, an alternative would be to just try to uninstall any bloatware, try ccleaner or adaware or spybot s&d.

Also, what is your HDD? could that be an issue? The ram upgrade also sounds great to me, especially if it is cheap.

 

[KompuKare]

As much as I like buying new hardware, the OP's problem sounds far more likely to be some conflict or background task. That's why originally suggested using Process Explorer to look out for CPU spikes.

Now using process explorer for that can be a bit tricky so as already suggested by OlafSicky and DominionSeraph, I think at a min you should run DPC Latency Checker (http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml) and see if there is a mysterious CPU spike either all the time (even when idle on the desktop) or possibly only when running a game. For a test game I'd get something which you know is not demanding (even a free RTS or something) and run that while having the DPC tool in the background. Or if you have a 2nd monitor watch it spike in real time.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

RAM upgrade is the cheapest thing.

you can upgrade when Ivy bridge comes out

 

[sm625]

Dual channel ram does double your bandwidth. It is difficult to quantify what that does for your particular case, but I would definitely try it first. The beefier your cpu gets, the more it is going to want that extra bandwisth. so keep that in mind if you do upgrade to a quad (or more).

In many cases dual channel bandwidth dont make no difference at all. But there are two cases where it will help.

One is where you have multiple processes running. A game by itself may not benefit from dual channels, but a game, plus an antivirus plus a couple pieces of unoptimized bloat, and you might have problems resulting in stuttering.

The other case is if your game is doing any sort of physics.

 

[Gikaseixas]

I agree with DominionSeraph, your pc comes with tons of HP software loaded and that's not optimal scenario for a gamer with a system like yours. You have a decent cpu and gpu and they should not prevent you from enjoying your gaming.

Re-install Windows, buy another stick of 4GB (ram) and try those games again

 

[LoneNinja]

1. Your video drivers still haven't been properly configured, that is a problem and could be the cause of your problems, I would do a fresh install of windows if needed to fix that. Video drivers effect the performance of the video card!

2. Your processor is in fact a rebranded Athlon II, AMD started calling the higher clocked Athlon II processors Phenom II because they out perform the lower clocked Phenom II processors. You don't have L3 cache but you should still be able to keep up with a 3.2Ghz Phenom II X2.

3. I looked up your computer model and got this back.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02863024&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=5099035#N1122
Are these the correct specs for your system when bought new? I see it came with an integrated 4200 and 250W PSU. Did you buy the 6670 later and add it and is it running on that 250W PSU? It's possible it's not receiving enough power to run properly.

4. You keep comparing your performance to your friend saying you have very similar set ups. What resolution and video settings is he using? Are they the exact same as yours? If not you won't get the same results.

5. The 6670 can be equipped with gddr3 or gddr5 memory and it has large effects on performance. Which version do you have? And which version does your friend have? The gddr5 version is the one most review sites benchmarked, they cost more, and seem to perform 20-40% better than the gddr3 version depending on game.
http://banglagamer.com/showthread.php?18066-hd-5670-ddr3-vs-ddr5&p=359350&viewfull=1#post359350

 

[aaksheytalwar]

3. I looked up your computer model and got this back.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02863024&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=5099035#N1122
Are these the correct specs for your system when bought new? I see it came with an integrated 4200 and 250W PSU. Did you buy the 6670 later and add it and is it running on that 250W PSU? It's possible it's not receiving enough power to run properly.

4. You keep comparing your performance to your friend saying you have very similar set ups. What resolution and video settings is he using? Are they the exact same as yours? If not you won't get the same results.

5. The 6670 can be equipped with gddr3 or gddr5 memory and it has large effects on performance. Which version do you have? And which version does your friend have? The gddr5 version is the one most review sites benchmarked, they cost more, and seem to perform 20-40% better than the gddr3 version depending on game.
http://banglagamer.com/showthread.php?18066-hd-5670-ddr3-vs-ddr5&p=359350&viewfull=1#post359350

this is all you can do besides buying a good CPU which IMO is a must anyway. And yes, getting 8gb ram may help with stuttering

 

[Jdm13oiZz]

guys, i already got rid of all the bloatware and did the msconfig thing the first couple hours i got the PC....

@LoneNinja
@3.Yeah, i bought a 6670 and stuck in a Corsair Cx430.

@4. the 6670 ive got is the ddr3 one. is it really THAT big of a difference? thats unbelieveable... Its only like 10-20 dollars more. my friend with the ddr5 version and his Phenom II x4 955 3.2ghz can reach over 120fps in the interiors on all low while i can never really get past around 30fps.. that just doesnt seem right... we both tested with settings on all low, but he had his resolution at 1366x768 and mine was at 1600x900....

even if i set my resolution down there is no fps gain at all... its the same fps..

heres my friends PC. http://www.walmart.com/ip/CyberPower-1TB-GUA140/16672335 all he did was stick a 6670 1gb ddr5 in there.

 

[DominionSeraph]

is it really THAT big of a difference?

No, there isn't. Which is why we're telling you to reformat.

 

[Jdm13oiZz]

No, there isn't. Which is why we're telling you to reformat.

the thing is.... its been the same even when the drivers were all up to date and the software was working fine with the 6670...

i dont know what happened but after like a month or so of having the 6670 the software stopped working.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

So your friend has the faster GDDR5 6670 (which a previous poster noted performs up to 40% better) and is pushing 40% fewer pixels:

1.05 million pixels - 1366x768
1.44 million pixels - 1600x900

You really shouldn't be making a direct comparison to your friend's machine. Without a better video card, yours will not perform nearly as well. Have you considered selling the 6670 and getting a 6770 or a 6850? I think the difference in price between those cards and what you could get for your current one ($30 to $60 depending) would be the best way to get better performance in your games.

 

[bononos]

..... @4. the 6670 ive got is the ddr3 one. is it really THAT big of a difference? thats unbelieveable... Its only like 10-20 dollars more. my friend with the ddr5 version and his Phenom II x4 955 3.2ghz can reach over 120fps in the interiors on all low while i can never really get past around 30fps.. that just doesnt seem right... we both tested with settings on all low, but he had his resolution at 1366x768 and mine was at 1600x900....
........

Yep its that big of a difference, all other things being equal ddr5 memory is twice as fast as ddr3 so you got the gimped version since the ddr3 versions do not run that much faster or have a wider bus.

On another note, Sapphire and Gigabyte have a slightly slower version of the 6770 as well(775 vs 850).

 

[Jdm13oiZz]

So your friend has the faster GDDR5 6670 (which a previous poster noted performs up to 40% better) and is pushing 40% fewer pixels:

1.05 million pixels - 1366x768
1.44 million pixels - 1600x900

You really shouldn't be making a direct comparison to your friend's machine. Without a better video card, yours will not perform nearly as well. Have you considered selling the 6670 and getting a 6770 or a 6850? I think the difference in price between those cards and what you could get for your current one ($30 to $60 depending) would be the best way to get better performance in your games.

i just bought the card two months ago.... the ddr5 was only around 20 dollars more but i wanted to keep a extra 20 in my pockets and because everyone told me the ddr3 isnt any different from the ddr5 and i should be fine -.-....

i feel like everyone keeps giving me false info and i cant decide what to listen to... ugh....

 

[frozentundra123456]

So your friend has the faster GDDR5 6670 (which a previous poster noted performs up to 40% better) and is pushing 40% fewer pixels:

1.05 million pixels - 1366x768
1.44 million pixels - 1600x900

You really shouldn't be making a direct comparison to your friend's machine. Without a better video card, yours will not perform nearly as well. Have you considered selling the 6670 and getting a 6770 or a 6850? I think the difference in price between those cards and what you could get for your current one ($30 to $60 depending) would be the best way to get better performance in your games.

Yes, but look at post 13. The OP says the framerate is the same all the way from 640x480 to 1600x900. I assume when he means the framerate is the same that he means it is low. This sounds like CPU limited, but I agree with most posters that that CPU should not bottleneck a DDR3 6670. It still seems to me that some part is defective or throttling due to overheating or something, or that there is something in the background that is eating up CPU power.

One quick test would be to switch cards with the friend who has the faster DDR5 6670 and see if there is any improvement. Honestly, the whole problem just doesnt make sense.

 

[frozentundra123456]

i just bought the card two months ago.... the ddr5 was only around 20 dollars more but i wanted to keep a extra 20 in my pockets and because everyone told me the ddr3 isnt any different from the ddr5 and i should be fine -.-....

i feel like everyone keeps giving me false info and i cant decide what to listen to... ugh....

I hate the way video card makers handle this. They usually put 1GB of slower DDR3 in place of 512MB of faster DDR5 because it sounds good to advertise 1GB of video memory. In actual fact, a low end card like this can probably not utilize more than 512MB, and the faster DDR5 gives twice the bandwidth. But whoever said DDR3 vs DDR5 did not matter gave you bad advice. I have a several year old 9800GT, and even that card has a 256 bit memory bus. Now they are using 128 bit buses intended for DDR5. Using DDR3 on a 128 bit bus really cripples the card.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

i just bought the card two months ago.... the ddr5 was only around 20 dollars more but i wanted to keep a extra 20 in my pockets and because everyone told me the ddr3 isnt any different from the ddr5 and i should be fine -.-....

i feel like everyone keeps giving me false info and i cant decide what to listen to... ugh....

I don't mean to discourage you from acting. I would agree with others who have said that something seems to be wrong with your system. I think the first thing to do is to eliminate the possibility of software issues and reinstall Windows. It's really not that hard or time consuming, and it's free.

As for the CPU, I had a Phenom II 555 for a while and it was fine for gaming with a GTX 460, which is several times faster than a 6670. A 3.5GHz dual core machine should *not* be bottlenecking your video card. The 6670 DDR3 is more of an HTPC video card than a gaming card; it's at the extreme low end of "mid range." If you really want to game on your computer you're going to need to upgrade that GPU sooner or later.

 

[Jdm13oiZz]

the games i have problems with the most are the quad core games, which tend to stutter at around 25-45fps. But the dual core games they tend to stutter at high fps like 60+, thats what ive noticed..

i dont really have a problem gaming at around this fps its just i wish i could get a little more with the quad core games and no stuttering for both dual core, and quad core games.

 

[blckgrffn]

Step 1:

Re-install Windows. From scratch. Eliminate the possibility of this being software related.

 

[Jdm13oiZz]

Step 1:

Re-install Windows. From scratch. Eliminate the possibility of this being software related.

uhh, i dont know if i wanna do that.... I dont have any cd's to backup my files and ive got over 300gigs of used space...

 

[fuzzymath10]

In a worst case scenario you can get a free partitioning tool, create another small 20GB partition, and install Windows temporarily.

After uninstalling/reinstalling drivers repeatedly, weird things can happen.