(cry for help) Battlefield 3 low usage - 7970m P150EM

Alright, if I could sell this friggin card I would right this instant and buy a 680m. Since I don't know where I could do that, I won't. Leaves me with working out this issue.

Trying to play BF3 on a Clevo P150EM with 3610qm and 7970m. Windows 8 x64.

Here's what I have tried:

• 13.8 beta2 with latest intel driver
• 13.4 WHQL with latest intel driver and the intel driver from Clevo's download page
• The Enduro driver, i think it's 13.12, with the intel from Clevo

I get 20% (no i'm not kidding) GPU usage on Low to Ultra settings. It's unplayable, i get 20fps average.

My process to unninstall and install drivers is the following:

1. Uninstall AMD driver
2. Reboot
3. (sometimes)Uninstall Intel driver
4. Reboot into safe mode
5. Use Driver Fusion to wipe Intel and AMD display crap
6. Reboot
7. Install Intel driver
8. Reboot
9. Install AMD driver

No one else is experiencing this and I have been able to play most games with a decent amount of usage.

Is there any fix for this uber crap?

Thanks a lot guys.

 

Oh, and i used LeekM's fix on every driver, if that helps, which I think doesn't.

 

Don't use Driver Sweeper. It can cause more harm than good. Try out this guide for removing AMD drivers (tedious, but it works): how to properly uninstall ATI/AMD Software Drivers for Graphics Cards.

 

Awesome, thanks! Bit of a workout but when AMD can't do better, we users have to.

Do you suggest reinstalling now and seeing if it fixes the issue? I don't see how it could, but i'm not very aware of what the problem is so... Anyway, if the answer is yes, which drivers?

 

a reinstall of bf3 should get the job donee

 

Why do you think so? It has mostly to do with the drivers I should think...

----------------

Update:

Uninstalled AMD driver using Prostar's link method ; Installed 7970m stock ; Custom installed 13.8 beta 2 over it.
Results are the same, no change in GPU usage. Is there anything to understand from the fact that the performance doesn't change at all through every driver?

Here's what i'm getting now...


Low settings. So sad...

 

because it's happened to me

you should be getting a solid 60 with any of the drivers from 13.1

 

this question has to be asked. have you got lappy set to high performance?

 

Yes, yes i have. I know this because I can never see Intel's temperature using Afterburner. That, and the fact that if Intel was at 20% it wouldn't even get to 20 fps.

@kookiesandmilf, gonna try it. Be back in a few hours.

 

Reinstalling didn't fix anything.

Out of options, going to contact retailer.

 

AMD drivers are fun, as always. I hope your supplier takes good care of you! Let us know what they find out.

 

I've never tried Nvidia but i'm sure it can't be all this pain in the . Plus, it has PhysX
I hope so too!
Thank you Prostar.
----
I don't feel like it needs a new thread, so i'll just ask here:

If it is possible to replace the HD7970m with another card, which would you guys suggest? How much is the 680m compared to it, and is there anything new and not too expensive in the market nowadays? That is P150EM compatible, of course.

 

I got a 675MX, not as powerful as 680M, but for me it's been outperforming the 7970M. I never could get 7970M play well with BF3 even though BF3 is an AMD title. With Nvidia it just works.

Good luck, but if you decide to just sell and get something that just works, high five!

 

Unfortunately the 680m is about the same performance and way more expensive. I would sugest u just wait for a new properly working 7970m wich is a great card, but check the price diference anyway.

 

Enduro has its problems, but BF3 has been fixed for quite some time. I've been getting 99% utilization since 13.1. You could try a full system reinstall, and if that doesn't help, try getting a replacement card. Are you getting low utilization on other games that normally don't have that problem, like Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider or Sleeping Dogs?

 

Problem is I don't think the 7970M's miracle driver is coming anymore, instead of cleaning the dust they're just putting it under the carpet.
I wouldn't even mind having chosen the 650M, at least I could play some games in LOW settings without stuttering or being unplayable at all!

Thank you for your advice! I'll look into that possibility.

I did play through FC3 and Tomb Raider successfuly. But the randomness of this card is what annoys me the most.
I will probably format and rechecking before making a last decision though. Thanks


P.S. Not to mention that the equivalent on Nvidia works at a much cooler temperature.

 

yes i will never touch anything from rubbish amd. simply rubbish

 

Most of us aren't waiting for any miracle driver anymore I think. Current games seem to be working alright now. However, you fail to describe accurately how other games are working for you. When you played through TR and FC3(has shadow boxes issue in dx11), did the games run comfortably or do you have the same problem?

If those games are running sub-par as well, it could be a driver/card issue. If those games are running alright, then maybe it's just something wrong with the settings perhaps somewhere.

 

Even now the card is faulty, you cannot deny that.

Yes Tomb Raider played alright, as well as Far Cry 3, which only dropped usage when climbing radio towers from some reason (CPU-GPU information, that was after all the Enduro issue, right?)

Still, with the exact the same drivers I played those games, I cannot play Battlefield 3. I cannot play Minecraft, Saints Row 3/4, Borderlands 2, Ghost Recon Online, and even the games that I can play, I am not playing them as well as I should with a $600 (at the time) graphic card. Splinter Cell Blacklist is unplayable. I can't play Assassin's Creed 3, a series I was very excited for.

So, even if I am doing something wrong with the drivers (which after dozens of times doing it I can hardly believe), that itself presents an issue. If I send the card to my retailer so they can fix it, it's only temporary. I could have the same problem later. Thus, the card is faulty, and I have my reasons to return it or something.

Also, I can't be sure of which games to buy and I have to download "a demo" before I buy any game. What if something like Assassin's Creed 3 happens again...
This means I can't pre-order too. I would love to pre-order Battlefield 4 and enjoy the benefit of a free expansion. But nope.

 

Hi Dotcom93.

I installed BF3 on Origin a few hours ago. Havent played the game in a long time, but was curious to see how it performed since i have switched drivers a few times since playing it last time and after reading your post.

I am currently running the 13.6 beta 2 driver with the 13.5 CAP 1 and intel 9.17.10.2932 driver.

Sorry to say it works just fine here. Everything on high/ultra with 4xMSAA. In 1080p FPS is from 50-70 depending on the location ingame. Also 99% utilization most of the time.

Specs:
P150 EM with Prema v2 BIOS
3610QM
7970M
win7 x64

Hope you get things sorted out

 

Could you check you CPU clocks? I actually have to use throttlestop, otherwise I'm stuck with very low clocks and get a similar performance to yours. And quite honestly, Minecraft plays quite well for me (with GLSL shaders) and so does Just Cause 2 (an Nvidia title, completely maxedout). Battlefield 3 sometimes dips into 30s or 40s FPS in heavy multiplayer maps maxxed out. Saints Row 3 and 4 also looking quite good and fast .
I'm using 13.8 beta 2 with enduro fix.

Hate to say it, but since 12.11 performance drivers, things have been looking pretty acceptable from my end (except for GTA4 and Assassin's Creed, at least for me :/. ...). I wouldn't pay the premium to get a 680m, but hey, that's just me ^^.

For me, most recent titles are working with little to no issues. Some are faulty themselves (seriously, loads of GTA4 and AC3 issues threads all over the internets) and with some others, AMD is to blame I believe (Far Cry 3 black boxes issue is something I would not admit).

 

Thank you for your replies.

How can I check CPU clocks while gaming? Currently using Afterburner, but I guess that's only for the graphic card.

The Enduro fix is the one by LeekM ?

I am surprised by this myself, having successfully played FC3 and Tomb Raider. I might install those again and see if I still can.

 

AIDA is an excelent program wich shows details of all ur hardware and drivers. You can use it to check CPU usage and temps, and it have some stress tests including CPU.
I would recomend again to talk to your retailer and if the GPU is really faulty just wait for them to replace it. The 680m have the same performance but much more expensive.

 

For borderlands 2
turn off dynamic shadows. google should tell you how.

AC3 is a poor pc port. It's a lost cause.


for me, its the inconsistency of frames , creating stutter.

 

My 680m runs AC3 just fine with v-sync disabled. ~45 - 60 FPS all the time. Hate to say it but that title is definitely severely affected by Enduro.

 

yeah, its terribly effected by enduro, because its a poor port...

 

Made a thread about this long ago, I was one of the very first people who reported this problem here on this site.
Link: AMD 7970m BF3 Multiplayer gameplay test - YouTube
Clevo P150EM / Sager NP9150 AMD 7970m BF3 Multiplayer 2 - YouTube

Conclusion: After a week of owning the Clevo laptop with 7970m, I returned it for a refund and built a desktop rig lol. This 7970m problem is only with clevo laptops, alienware with 7970m do not have this problem. I love Clevo but I'm disappointed at them for letting this happen, its both their fault and AMD. Bought a Nvidia card and been a happy camper ever since.

 

Even desktop 7970 struggles in AC3 while GTX680 push much higher fps. Game just don't like AMD systems... mine run like a crap too.

 

I may be a little late to this party, but I myself was having the same problems with BF3 that the OP described. The weirdest part was that one day it was working fine at 99% utilization and the next performance just tanked without any BF3 updates or me touching anything with the system. I tried everything from trying different versions of the AMD driver and the Intel driver... cleaned them out, reinstalled... reinstalled BF3... nothing seemed to be working. Eventually I just gave up and uninstalled BF3 for good.

Lately I reformatted by SSD with my OS on it and for the heck of it tried reinstalling BF3 and what do you know, it works again! After reinstalling the WiFi drivers from the CD that came from my Sager, I reinstalled the rest of the drivers from this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/699962-updated-clevo-driver-thread.html.

 

Ummm no. Did you not just read that Nvidia users can play it fine. Just like BF3 and GTA IV and other games. It's because AMD should go out of business. They fail...
- Yes a bad port, but it's still playable on Nvidia. AMD fails harder than Ubisoft.

 

Thank you, that gives me a little faith that it might work. It could just be damage done by Driver Fusion/Sweeper i guess.

If i can't return the card and get something else, then this might work.

 

Are you serious...? AMD is doing very well with desktop cards, and the 7970 ghz clearly beats the 680 in most games. Besides, if AMD goes out of business, the price of graphics cards will shoot through the roof. I don't want to spend over 1k on a mere graphics card. I for one wish all the best for AMD, and Nvidia.

 

Is it just an enduro issue with ac3? I'm having no issues playing it at all.

 

Indeed. He clearly dosn't know what he is talking about...Radeon cards are selling better than a Geforce. New cards are coming soon and nvidia have nothing until Q2 2014. I won't even start about consoles...

AMD go out of business? Not anytime soon...

 

Add to that the complete dominance of AMD in the next gen consoles and you can't really expect them to fail anytime soon : AMD won the next-gen console war, and PC gamers could reap the reward | The Verge

Also, I feel that many issues being attributed to AMD aren't their fault. It is true that they dropped ball with enduro, but some people (my self included, mea culpa guys) are quick to jump into the hate bandwagon. Keep in mind that if AMD goes out of business, well be shelling out a couple of extra green ones towards Nvidia whenever we go out for a new GPU. Monopolies are bad. Oligopolies are not better though.

 

Yeah I'm pretty sure that your problem comes from driver damage, which is the result of multiple reinstallation of Intel/AMD driver. I myself had the same problem a while ago and I had to reinstall clean Windows to bring the performance back again. That said, I must admit that AMD is really a pain in the ***, especially when you have to reinstall it times after times just to look for better perfomance where it should perform well (AC3 for example).

 

LoL, there is too much hate here with regards to AMD. I'm not defending them, I believe what they dished out a year ago in the name of Enduro was bad, no arguments! And they did not fix it for quite a while.

However, you have to admit that as of this moment, most of the problems are solved. Most 7970m enduro owners would attest to this. Anyone who is still complaining about how enduro is 'broken' and 'unplayable', is exaggerating in my books.

As for Dotcom93, your issue is an isolated case, not the norm. I hope it isn't hardware related and can be fixed with some software tweaks. Because there is definitely an issue here. I have played more than half the games you mentioned to be troublesome and they work perfectly fine for me.

It seems to me anytime anything goes wrong in an AMD machine, the AMD hate wagon rolls out instinctively(and partly AMD's fault too I admit). Even Nvidia machines can develop problems. Just last night I was playing War Thunder with a friend who has a Lenovo Ideapad with some Nvidia card. He was complaining how his performance seemed to have dipped lately and the GPU seemed to switch to the Intel GPU when the power cable was unplugged.

Let's keep the hate aside and appreciate the competition. This way we can all get better options when we go out to buy that new graphics card.

 

I think the nvidia problem there is simply a power setting in the control panel.

 

No, he claims all settings are as they should be. I told him to clean the insides with a blower. Might be dust accumulating is slowing things down. We'll see how it goes when he attempts it.

 

But that would not only happen when the AC is removed.

 

From my understanding, his card is running on 50% clocks(or some other close enough ratio) when on AC power. It switches to the Intel built-in graphics when AC is removed. He went to some tech guy who reckons its a software issue. He will re-install windows when he gets some time and see how it goes.