# sudden and random FPS drop - 7870



## rakesh_ic (Jan 31, 2013)

I own a new sapphire 7870 (bought just a month ago). I am experiencing sudden drop in fps while playing games, even while playing a low level game like LOL. This issue is gone as soon as I restart the machine and everything is normal thereafter. It is pretty random and so I am not able to find out what triggers it.

I have even upgraded the drivers to 13.1 (latest) 

my rig details are in my signature.

Kindly let me know the steps to troubleshoot the issue.

It would be of great help if u can post the possible reason for this and the steps to follow to eradicate this.

Note:: I have checked the temperatures whenever I faced the issue and they are well within control (idling on 30 and 35-40 while playing LOL).


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## tkin (Jan 31, 2013)

Download and run this tool: DPC Latency Checker

Also what kind of game is LOL?

And are you sure you don't have a virus?


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## furious_gamer (Jan 31, 2013)

may be too many background process, say AV,and other utilities started updating their version/database. It happened to me, when i was using Kaspersky and what i used to do, i kill the AV process, so i will not have any sudden FPS dips.


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## Nerevarine (Feb 1, 2013)

tkin said:


> Download and run this tool: DPC Latency Checker
> 
> Also what kind of game is LOL?
> 
> And are you sure you don't have a virus?



He's referring to League of Legends

To OP:
maybe your PSU is at fault here ?


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## furious_gamer (Feb 1, 2013)

^^ No way. That would have cause much severe damage to card, and the situation clearly indicates, FPS drop. No freezing or BSOD or whatever.


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## gameranand (Feb 1, 2013)

Try using Radeon Pro.


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## rakesh_ic (Feb 1, 2013)

tkin said:


> Download and run this tool: DPC Latency Checker
> 
> Also what kind of game is LOL?
> 
> And are you sure you don't have a virus?



I don't think there are any virus because there is no pattern in this issue (completely random) or did I observe any kinda weird behavior or files. As I said, there is no trace of anything like this after I restart the machine and it behaves normally for the rest of the day. 



furious_gamer said:


> may be too many background process, say AV,and other utilities started updating their version/database. It happened to me, when i was using Kaspersky and what i used to do, i kill the AV process, so i will not have any sudden FPS dips.



I am not using any other AV other than inbuilt Defender in Win8. Also this isn't any in game lag due to latency but clear loss of FPS. 



Nerevarine said:


> He's referring to League of Legends
> 
> To OP:
> maybe your PSU is at fault here ?



I don't think so coz like someone already mentioned, there are no sys freeze or BSOD's 



gameranand said:


> Try using Radeon Pro.



Whats Radeon Pro?


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## anirbandd (Feb 1, 2013)

this issue happening only during LoL or all other games?? what about FC3/AC3??


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## ShankJ (Feb 1, 2013)

Most common reason would be too many background processes taking place.. Try using some game booster which would automatically reduce the background processes...


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## rakesh_ic (Feb 1, 2013)

when i am gaming, I hardly have any other applications running on the backgroud. I reckon IE (with native addons) wont be that big a resource locker.

What are game boosters and suggest me some good free ones that i can try if they are really helpful and does not have any side effects


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## furious_gamer (Feb 1, 2013)

^^ Well it's better to re-install Windows, which might help in your situation sometimes.

Razer Game Booster Free Download, Speed Up PC for Top Gaming Performance


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## avinandan012 (Feb 1, 2013)

^ thanks for the link .

Will try it for the recording feature


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## ShankJ (Feb 1, 2013)

furious_gamer said:


> ^^ Well it's better to re-install Windows, which might help in your situation sometimes.
> 
> Razer Game Booster Free Download, Speed Up PC for Top Gaming Performance





rakesh_ic said:


> when i am gaming, I hardly have any other applications running on the backgroud. I reckon IE (with native addons) wont be that big a resource locker.
> 
> What are game boosters and suggest me some good free ones that i can try if they are really helpful and does not have any side effects



Well this is a good one.. you can try that.. But i guess this will solve your issue..


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## tkin (Feb 1, 2013)

Do this, run this tool: HWiNFO, HWiNFO32 & HWiNFO64 - Hardware Information and Analysis Tools

Play game, after 20 mins play check all temperatures(max), the issue you are posting looks very much like thermal throttling.


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## Chaitanya (Feb 1, 2013)

rakesh_ic said:


> low level game like LOL.



WTH is this?? Who is LOL
A LOLCat??


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## ShankJ (Feb 1, 2013)

tkin said:


> Do this, run this tool: HWiNFO, HWiNFO32 & HWiNFO64 - Hardware Information and Analysis Tools
> 
> Play game, after 20 mins play check all temperatures(max), the issue you are posting looks very much like thermal throttling.



What can be done to prevent thermal throttling??


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## tkin (Feb 1, 2013)

Shashank Joshi said:


> What can be done to prevent thermal throttling??


If the CPU is throttling you could reapply thermal paste(TIM) and reseat the cooler, same can be done for the GPU as well, but since that will void the warranty an overheating GPU should always be rma'd.


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## ShankJ (Feb 1, 2013)

tkin said:


> If the CPU is throttling you could reapply thermal paste(TIM) and reseat the cooler, same can be done for the GPU as well, but since that will void the warranty an overheating GPU should always be rma'd.



rma'd???


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## tkin (Feb 1, 2013)

Shashank Joshi said:


> rma'd???


That means warranty, we use that term, it stands for Return Merchandise Authorization, its not how we get warranty here(except WD), its for USA/ europe etc.


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## ShankJ (Feb 1, 2013)

tkin said:


> That means warranty, we use that term, it stands for Return Merchandise Authorization, its not how we get warranty here(except WD), its for USA/ europe etc.



So can we actually return the laptop/p.c in India??


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## tkin (Feb 1, 2013)

Shashank Joshi said:


> So can we actually return the laptop/p.c in India??


Well you can get it serviced, i.e claim warranty. If you buy from abroad you may have to get the license transferred(like Dell), asus has intentional warranty as I had heard once.


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## ShankJ (Feb 1, 2013)

i have already got mine serviced once and the second time the fan and sync were replaced but still i'm encountering thermal shutdowns.. What should i do??


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## tkin (Feb 1, 2013)

Shashank Joshi said:


> i have already got mine serviced once and the second time the fan and sync were replaced but still i'm encountering thermal shutdowns.. What should i do??


Which laptop?


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## Nerevarine (Feb 1, 2013)

Chaitanya said:


> WTH is this?? Who is LOL
> A LOLCat??



League of Legends

OP: what's ur nick in game ? Play in singapore server ?


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## ShankJ (Feb 1, 2013)

tkin said:


> Which laptop?



hp pavilion dv4-5009tx.. HP Pavilion DV4-5009TX Laptop 2nd Ci5/6GB/640GB/Win 7 HB/2GB Graphics with Beats Audio - HP: Flipkart.com


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## tkin (Feb 1, 2013)

Shashank Joshi said:


> hp pavilion dv4-5009tx.. HP Pavilion DV4-5009TX Laptop 2nd Ci5/6GB/640GB/Win 7 HB/2GB Graphics with Beats Audio - HP: Flipkart.com


RMA it again, this time play a game inside their service center and point the issue, threaten them with consumer court, this always gets the job done, last year a guy got over 50k compensation+price of laptop for a laptop related case like this.


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## rakesh_ic (Feb 1, 2013)

Nerevarine said:


> League of Legends
> 
> OP: what's ur nick in game ? Play in singapore server ?



I play in NA server - blackhawkric (Hope I dint see you in NA and rage at u )



Shashank Joshi said:


> So can we actually return the laptop/p.c in India??



Would have loved it if you had these queries posted in some related thread. Anyways its ok now.

Saying this only because I want my issue to have the attention of ppl and am hoping to resolve it on the earliest.



Shashank Joshi said:


> What can be done to prevent thermal throttling??



This question has saved some time for me and thanks for asking  cheers



tkin said:


> Do this, run this tool: HWiNFO, HWiNFO32 & HWiNFO64 - Hardware Information and Analysis Tools
> 
> Play game, after 20 mins play check all temperatures(max), the issue you are posting looks very much like thermal throttling.



I will try this today and will post the updates. 



furious_gamer said:


> ^^ Well it's better to re-install Windows, which might help in your situation sometimes.
> 
> Razer Game Booster Free Download, Speed Up PC for Top Gaming Performance



I am not going through the hurdle of re installing OS again. This was not setup long ago and its hardly a month of fresh install.

I will try the booster today and keep you all updated.

Thanks for all your responses, i might trouble you all until i get through this


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## ShankJ (Feb 1, 2013)

tkin said:


> RMA it again, this time play a game inside their service center and point the issue, threaten them with consumer court, this always gets the job done, last year a guy got over 50k compensation+price of laptop for a laptop related case like this.



since the laptops is in onsite warranty, the guy comes to my place and does the checking.. i can make my laptop undergo a thermal shutdown anytime by playing GTA 4 on extreme high graphics, so showing him wont be a problem..



rakesh_ic said:


> I play in NA server - blackhawkric (Hope I dint see you in NA and rage at u )
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I guess the Razor game booster would end your problem..

And sorry for posting in your thread, got carried away..


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## rakesh_ic (Feb 4, 2013)

Using Razor game booster from couple of days now. Dint face the issue so far.. 

Looks like I have headed the right way.. thanks to you guys for helping me out.


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## ShankJ (Feb 4, 2013)

rakesh_ic said:


> Using Razor game booster from couple of days now. Dint face the issue so far..
> 
> Looks like I have headed the right way.. thanks to you guys for helping me out.



The pleasures all ours..
And the reason for your problem was background processes after all..


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## furious_gamer (Feb 4, 2013)

rakesh_ic said:


> Using Razor game booster from couple of days now. Dint face the issue so far..
> 
> Looks like I have headed the right way.. thanks to you guys for helping me out.



If this continues for a long time, we can conclude that FPS dip is because of some background process. Nice to hear that it worked for you.

Sent from Galaxy SL i9003


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## rakesh_ic (Feb 4, 2013)

Shashank Joshi said:


> The pleasures all ours..
> And the reason for your problem was background processes after all..



Looks like.. 

Also, I think my GC might be underclocking or something (like moving onto power saver) as LOL doesnt demand much or might be idling my GC.. not sure.. just a guess.. dont even know if something of this sort exists


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## furious_gamer (Feb 4, 2013)

^^ It exists for processors, but no idea about GPU. Better try open your Catalyst CP/card-manufacturer tool and see if you find some option like that.


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## ShankJ (Feb 4, 2013)

rakesh_ic said:


> Looks like..
> 
> Also, I think my GC might be underclocking or something (like moving onto power saver) as LOL doesnt demand much or might be idling my GC.. not sure.. just a guess.. dont even know if something of this sort exists



The random FPS drops happen usually because of the background processes.. Had your GC being bottle-necked then the FPS would have had a constant low and not fluctuate..


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## rakesh_ic (Feb 11, 2013)

I faced the same issue again and a restart resolved the issue.

Yes, I used razer game booster to launch LOL.


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## rakesh_ic (Feb 25, 2013)

I am using the razer boost as suggested but the issue seems to be persistent. Had the fps drop twice since yesterday and I had to reboot my pc to get it fine. This time it was on XCOM. Which means, its not the game issue but something to do with my pc itself.

Knidly pour in your suggestions


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## tkin (Feb 25, 2013)

rakesh_ic said:


> I am using the razer boost as suggested but the issue seems to be persistent. Had the fps drop twice since yesterday and I had to reboot my pc to get it fine. This time it was on XCOM. Which means, its not the game issue but something to do with my pc itself.
> 
> Knidly pour in your suggestions


Thermal throttling?


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## rakesh_ic (Feb 25, 2013)

tkin said:


> Thermal throttling?



Temperature under control 

No sign of temp going above 50 deg cent on cpu and gpu stays at 60 max...


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## sam_738844 (Feb 25, 2013)

The Above same thing was happening to my colleagues Dell 15 r  with 7730M, the reason i found it was switching to integrated graphics! I dont know why it was doing that, because the AMD intelligent technology as it says should automatically detect and switch to the card whenever a GPU heavy application is running and demanding more graphic power. Lastly we had to force off every instances of auto-switch and explicitly changed the option on game.exe and other applications to run on "dedicated graphics only" from the panel and solved it. But that was laptop and i'm not sure the above PC has same thing in it from AMD. Also i noticed that rebooting was working for him, because the auto-switch seemed to occur after a certain amt of time ( say 5 min) after the game is running. Not instantly...then i tested with alt-tabbing outta the game and getting back, it behaved same.


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