Disappointing 3090 FE performance - any ideas

Iwf

Iwf

Iwf

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26 Sep 2020
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My rig now comprises of a 3090FE with the posh ek waterblock, a 5800x3d processor, asus crosshair x570 mb, 360 and 240 rads and a single loop, with Corsair SF750 PS.

Decent kit, but i'm not getting the performance I think I should get and certainly not what's being posted here and there. The x570 is a bit of a waste, as the 5800 doesn't seem to like being pushed.

The 3090 maxes out at around 73 degrees c under load, but I don't seem to be able to push beyond 100 and 250 via MSI afterburner. I get a combined score of 16500 on 3dmark, though I've seen higher. I feel something else is throttling the 3090 , but don't know where to start.

any ideas ?

cheers
 
Thanks for the speedy reply. Reading through various threads I'm wondering about whether the VRAM temps are the issue. I also wonder whether the fact i'm watercooling the GPU makes a difference.

here's my 3dm link

www.3dmark.com

I scored 16 390 in Time Spy

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 x 1, 32768 MB, 64-bit Windows 10}
www.3dmark.com www.3dmark.com
 
many thanks. Actually I have Crucial 3600 memory. Asus doesn't support XMP, but calls it DO?? I'll re-enable that and see if it makes any difference.
 
I've various temp sensors measuring the outside of the tubing. Coolant is running at 25 C. peak power for the whole rig was around 500w with the 3090 drawing 400w peak. I've just posted this with +500Mhz on the clock and 95mhz on the Core. https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/76029195

annoyingly I'm sure when I first fitted the 5800x3d I got a much better score. it's been downhill since then.
 
many thanks for the comprehensive reply. I did indeed have v-sync set but not g-sync. that's got me to 18590 on the GPU and 11375 on the cpu, albeit with MSI boosting. I've not undervolted yet, but was reading up on it yesterday. i'll also fit a temp probe inside the loop, but I do recall a big different before when the GPU was under stress. At rest the GPU is running at 23c.
 
Well, that proves a point. In trying to tighten the EK block, I managed to sheer one of the threaded bolts holding the block to the 3090. I'm exploring with EK what to do. however I dug out my old OC water block and connected that. Much better performance https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/76050329. Core only got to 57, hot spot to 60 and junction 62. Core Mhz behaved much better too during the tests.

Now to fix the ek !!
 
Core is now idling at 33c with a coolant temp of 30. max It got today while gaming was 49c, significantly better than the 70+. stock settings

Still can't quite my head around undervolting and overclocking, but i'm sure i'll get there.
 
many thanks. I solved my sheered bolt issue so now await some new bolts from EK. Meanwhile i'm going to read up on hotspots and the like. I noticed a discrepancy in the height of the pads on the rear, meaning that the memory couldn't make contact with the backplane. EK only supply one thickness whereas OC supply different thicknesses. i'll pay more attention when refitting the EK block.

I do like the optimum tech videos though. That video describes undervolting I think, but does it explain overclocking? or is it a single action within the curve editor, ie drag the curve down, then take one point up to say 1950 and apply?

cheers
 
Again thanks. I noted that my last run used only 350 watts as opposed to over 400 in earlier tests.

My preferred 'game' is MS FS2020, which is, of course, limited to a single core, though we all hope DX12 and DLss is going to save the world :)

I'll continue tweaking, but am comfortable I've resolved my basic missunderstanding of the subject generally.

next up is which thermal pads I should use for the EK rebuild
 
Jay85 said:
How did you manage to strip a screw? Did you over tighten or force the screw in when its not going in smooth? The bolts should move freely in and out until its tight and its always advised not to overtighten.
Click to expand...
Simple really. The instructions say use 2.5 4mm bolts to affix the card to the block , the four around the actual gou chip. But the ek video disentangle mention that. So I used the supplied 2.5 6mm, not reading instructions. RTFM and all that. The additional pressure from my tightening shared the threaded bolt in the block. Fortunately I was able to drill out the bolts without affecting the threads. Ek are sending me new threaded bolts. Difficult to describe, but no harm done. As I say RTFM, though I’m annoyed ek didn’t supply the right number of the right bolts.
 
And my last question. Any recommendations for thermal pads? I think different thicknesses are needed, though EK only supply one. Maybe 1mm and 1.5 in places around the back
 
Radox-0 said:
TBH the EK block I found pretty meh in quality control. For me one of the screws was done in so tight from the factory when I was undoing the block, it stripped. Had to drill it out which did scuff the finish. Very annoying though not one you can see.

the EK Pads are 1mm all around. You should honestly find memory temps perfectly fine with the stock pads tbh unless you moved them / touched them a lot etc, even overclocked from what I have seen using block since they released temp wise. but yeah, if you do replace them would be 1mm all around. Don't want to go overly thick for sake of it, just enough for good contact and heat transfer.
Click to expand...
The trouble with a single thickness of pad is that some of memory chips sit higher than others on the card, which to my mind means some might not be in contact and others over compressed. Having looked again at the OC version they supply different thicknesses to compensate.
 
So, in summary, and with everyone's help I've managed to get my card sorted out, with decent settings and good synthetic test results 18400 with just over 20k on the GPU. GPU temps at idle of 34 against water temp of 32 on a 18 degree day. Stable 1935MHz during the tests , 49.5 degrees max with 66 degrees on the junction temp. Only 338w when running the tests, so I've learnt about underclocking along the way too.

It only remains for me to fix my EK block and replicate the cooling of the OC Block.

Apart from having to choose another colour for my coolant i'm a happy camper.

Thanks for all the help guys
 
So, an update is due. EK came through and the EK GPU waterblock is back in. I also snagged a MB EK waterblock so have thrown that in too. taking some advice from elsewhere I'm now pulling air in through the bottom 360 rad and out the top and side via a 280 rad.

However, I'm back to being disappointed, but with, thanks to all you guys, more knowledgeable.

Time Spy is back to reporting a 16700 score with only 18417 GPU score, a full 2000 less than what was achieved with an undervolt and the Alphacool block. Even accepting a increased coolant temp because of the warm weather, it's not great. Using @Jay85 figures I got that up to 18800 but still poor IMO.

GPU is running at 36, 49 under stress, GPU Hot spot peaked at 63 and memory junction at 60 with both around 49 when not under load. Coolant is running at 32, 35 underload. As interesting is that using the 3d Mark stress tests the rig failed the stability test. It sailed through when the Alphacool block was in place.

On this basis the Alphacool block is a better GPU block, that or I've cocked up when refitting the EK block, or i'm asking too much of my loop. Or more simply I'm expecting too much on a hot day...

I'm tempted to undertake a proper replacement of pads and paste next.
 
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