SLI issues causing 100% CPU usage

[ArcticFenrir]

I've had it happen in several games. Battlefield 4 being one of them. But it also happens in Warframe, Tera and Thief so I'm pretty sure it's not game specific. I'll try running them in PCI 2.0 and see if that resolves it. It's good to know that the CPU could be a problem though. I can still get hold of a 2600k if need be, but replacing the motherboard for a newer CPU is not much of an option costwise. I'll leave the CPU for now and leave that as a last option.

 

[biuro74]

I'm a KFA2 (Galaxy) graphic card user as well - I've got 660Ti model EX (factory OC-ed). Maybe my post wouldn't help, but it's worth to try.

KFA2 cards have strange "feature" - mine was advertised as 1006MHz core with 1089MHz turbo, whereas it turned out max turbo is 1189 (!?). It looks like turbo works beyond advertisement but a negative impact it causes might strange behaviour like spikes, hangups, or "graphic driver stopped working, and has recovered". I experience this last one only. All would be (probably) fine, if engineers took after proper core voltage with such high turbo level.

All I suggest is to turn Afterburner on, and decrease core speeds to 1046, for both cards respectively. Just for 100% be sure you might add +50mV to each core. And check your games then.

By the way, people report SLI consisted of such two strong cards works better with i7 (comparatively to i5) CPU due to CPU high usage in some games, including BF4.

 

[ArcticFenrir]

I'll try underclocking both cards to the same level. One is higher than the other as standard but they only work at the speed of the slowest card I believe. I formatted my whole system today to check it wasn't a problem with any software hidden away I couldn't work out. This still hasn't really fixed it. I'll try underclocking both of them and if that fails I may just have to RMA both cards and be without for a little while.

 

[no_1_dave]

The bridge should be on the left connectors (closest to the monitor ports) iirc.
Also, check the bridge is the right way around (should have very small numbers 1 or 2 on each side), 1 is the top card.

Try placing the cards the other way also, so the top card becomes the bottom card

 

[ArcticFenrir]

The bridge can't go on the left connectors. The left side connector on one of the cards is causing everything to look green and purple. However I will try swapping the cards around and giving it another go. The format though seems to have stopped the CPU overload but I still get driver crashes instead of the full system lockup. It's a step in the right direction at least though.

 

[mattius1989]

I'm not sure if this might be applicable to you. I was having severe slowdown issues after a while of gaming and this seemed to fix it for me;

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/573811/nvidia-streamer-service-may-be-freezing-your-pc/

 

[Gregster]

If you are getting green and purple colours, then something is wrong. Check both cards individually with the CPU at stock. Try another bridge (in case that is the issue) and make sure you have the latest mobo BIOS.

 

[klepp0906]

It's bad nvidia drivers. SURPRISE!

google around. This is so prevelant it's a wonder anyone is still buying nvidia. Due to this exact issue I built a backup rig. Amd for the first time ever. Not surprisingly the problem wasn't there. This was with 3 290x.

My main rig is 4 titans and a 4790 and when it's functioning properly I have about 30% CPU load and 80% gpu load. However sporadically the framerate will drop by 80% until I refresh the gpu output. This happens due to cpu usage capping at 100%.

Disable SLI and all is well.

Been dealing with this for over a year. I have dozens and dozens of emails and private messages full of correspondence with several nvidia employees. They know they just don't prioritize a fix since we are a niche and the fanboys make it easy for them by their "certainty" nvidia can do no wrong.

Keep paying for a name and bad software and support. I'll be using amd from now on. Not exactly ecstatic about it considering I've been using nvidia for 15 years but that's life. I'm a realist and have no shortage of common sense.

 

[jh30uk]

Wonder how everyone here on SLI does not have same issues (the odd bad driver aside).

 

[Kaapstad]

It's bad nvidia drivers. SURPRISE!

google around. This is so prevelant it's a wonder anyone is still buying nvidia. Due to this exact issue I built a backup rig. Amd for the first time ever. Not surprisingly the problem wasn't there. This was with 3 290x.

My main rig is 4 titans and a 4790 and when it's functioning properly I have about 30% CPU load and 80% gpu load. However sporadically the framerate will drop by 80% until I refresh the gpu output. This happens due to cpu usage capping at 100%.

Disable SLI and all is well.

Been dealing with this for over a year. I have dozens and dozens of emails and private messages full of correspondence with several nvidia employees. They know they just don't prioritize a fix since we are a niche and the fanboys make it easy for them by their "certainty" nvidia can do no wrong.

Keep paying for a name and bad software and support. I'll be using amd from now on. Not exactly ecstatic about it considering I've been using nvidia for 15 years but that's life. I'm a realist and have no shortage of common sense.

Nothing wrong with the drivers it is your CPU/Mobo, 4 Titans are rubbish on a quad core in some games.

If you want to get the best out of 4 cards invest in an intel hexcore.

I wish I could afford a Titan oh well back to the HD 5970.

 

[whyscotty]

I'm a realist and have no shortage of common sense.

This I doubt

 

[Kaapstad]

It's bad nvidia drivers. SURPRISE!

google around. This is so prevelant it's a wonder anyone is still buying nvidia. Due to this exact issue I built a backup rig. Amd for the first time ever. Not surprisingly the problem wasn't there. This was with 3 290x.

My main rig is 4 titans and a 4790 and when it's functioning properly I have about 30% CPU load and 80% gpu load. However sporadically the framerate will drop by 80% until I refresh the gpu output. This happens due to cpu usage capping at 100%.

Disable SLI and all is well.

Been dealing with this for over a year. I have dozens and dozens of emails and private messages full of correspondence with several nvidia employees. They know they just don't prioritize a fix since we are a niche and the fanboys make it easy for them by their "certainty" nvidia can do no wrong.

Keep paying for a name and bad software and support. I'll be using amd from now on. Not exactly ecstatic about it considering I've been using nvidia for 15 years but that's life. I'm a realist and have no shortage of common sense.

I am thinking about using a 290X or Titan @4K which should I go for.

 

[setter]

I am thinking about using a 290X or Titan @4K which should I go for.

While i dont own a 4k monitor Kaap, but my first thought would be go with titans. Yes theyre old now, but they have 6gb vram onboard which will help at that res. I doubt very much if twin 780 6gb will have the grunt to do it, yes the vram is there but no use having a ferrari on top end tyres but no engine. Amd cards, the rarer than rocking horse dung 8gb 290's, not an option. Every other amd card is 4gb. Iirc the original titan came out 18 months ago, people scoffed and scolded at the price. Well, it's still going strong. To me that is value for money.

 

[jh30uk]

I think kaap was actually asking a Rhetorical question.

 

[Kaapstad]

While i dont own a 4k monitor Kaap, but my first thought would be go with titans. Yes theyre old now, but they have 6gb vram onboard which will help at that res. I doubt very much if twin 780 6gb will have the grunt to do it, yes the vram is there but no use having a ferrari on top end tyres but no engine. Amd cards, the rarer than rocking horse dung 8gb 290's, not an option. Every other amd card is 4gb. Iirc the original titan came out 18 months ago, people scoffed and scolded at the price. Well, it's still going strong. To me that is value for money.

Sorry I was having a bit of fun at klepp0906's expense.

I think kaap was actually asking a Rhetorical question.

 

[bradUK]

I have dozens and dozens of emails and private messages full of correspondence with several nvidia employees.

Sharing is caring....

 

[pgi947]

Why on earth would you pair 4 titans on a 1150 quad core? Did I hear common sense thrown in there too?

 

[snips86x]

When I was using i5 2500k with 2x 7950s I also had 100% CPU usage and low gpu usage. Switched to i7 2600k and not had it happen since.

I5 is great for single gpu but was you start adding in sli or crossfire I don't think it's good enough.

This from my own experience.

You could also try running cpu at stock and test to rule out bad overclock.

This - get yourself an i7!

 

[Kaapstad]

Why on earth would you pair 4 titans on a 1150 quad core? Did I hear common sense thrown in there too?

+1

The bit what got me was about the drivers

What I have found is for most things the drivers from both AMD and NVidia work very well using any number of cards providing (and this is the important bit) people are using the hardware in the right way (4 Titans + 4790k is very bad).

I know I have a moan about Mantle @4K sometimes and the odd quirk with drivers from both camps but these are things that would hardly ever come up in normal use for most people.

For the most part the drivers from both camps (including Mantle) work very well and I find it irritating when people are critical of them without good reason.

 

[mmj_uk]

So many new users with less than 100 posts slandering NVidia, now resurrecting old threads to have a bash. /conspiracy.