Request - How to optimize my pc when using for workstation or Gaming

[JimmieeB]

Hello!

I have a nice hardware set up and use the machine for rendering with Blender and Design work. For the first time of owning the pc after 12 months I decided to install and try some games, it can play everything epic quality but I after installing a game called Ark I ran into some problems. I tried working out with installed software how to manage fan behavior but with not much luck. I have had crashes in the game which worries me something is not right as the game is quite old and the hardware is high spec..

my request is basically what is the best way to manage all my hardware and tweak settings for games etc.

I have installed Armory crate but its a bit iffy.

also my monitor has Gsync and I did enable it but not sure if it is working correctly. occasionally when playing the game the screen goes black and then comes back on...

I am a bit of a newbie on tweaking and care for the system so any help would be appreciated to make the machine run at its best.

my pc specification:
Case: THERMALTAKE CORE X71 TEMPERED GLASS EDITION GAMING CASE with 5x Corsair LL120 RGB LED Fan + Controller Kit
Processor (CPU): AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16 Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.9GHz/72MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard: ASUS® CROSSHAIR VIII HERO WIFI (DDR4, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX/SLI) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM): 64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card: 24GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 3090 - HDMI, DP
Storage: 1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, & 2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA
Power Supply: CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling: Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Monitor:: Samsung G28 inch 4k 120hz or 144hz

 

[B4zookaw]

When you say "optimize" what do you mean? Obviously you appear to have some stability issues, but assuming we're able to overcome that, what are you hoping to optimise? Performance? Thermals? Acoustics?

Edit: Regardless of what you hope to achieve, uninstall Armoury Crate, it's the devil's work....

 

[Steveyg]

Ark is notorious for being un-optimised too mate, so sometimes it doesn't matter how much power you have a game can still run terribly if it's badly designed

 

[JimmieeB]

When you say "optimize" what do you mean? Obviously you appear to have some stability issues, but assuming we're able to overcome that, what are you hoping to optimise? Performance? Thermals? Acoustics?

Edit: Regardless of what you hope to achieve, uninstall Armoury Crate, it's the devil's work....

I would like to keep thermals low. Acoustics not fussed about and performance is always important. What would you recommend instead of Armourt crate?

 

[B4zookaw]

I'm a big fan (no pun intended) of Fan Control for controlling all my fans, gives far greater control to the user, and a much smaller application than Crate. I also use OpenRGB to control the RGB, to replace both Crate and iCUE. I use MSI Afterburner to undervolt my 3070TI and I've also an undervolt on my 5900X via BIOS. My aim is always to retain or slightly better stock performance, while keep thermals and acoustics as low as possible. I'm not looking to overclock everything to wring every last FPS out of the system.

 

[JimmieeB]

I'm a big fan (no pun intended) of Fan Control for controlling all my fans, gives far greater control to the user, and a much smaller application than Crate. I also use OpenRGB to control the RGB, to replace both Crate and iCUE. I use MSI Afterburner to undervolt my 3070TI and I've also an undervolt on my 5900X via BIOS. My aim is always to retain or slightly better stock performance, while keep thermals and acoustics as low as possible. I'm not looking to overclock everything to wring every last FPS out of the system.

Thank you! I will try all of these out.

regarding the under volt. what does that actually do then? do you lose performance? is it just to extend the life of the card?

 

[B4zookaw]

Thank you! I will try all of these out.

regarding the under volt. what does that actually do then? do you lose performance? is it just to extend the life of the card?

No loss of performance, and in some cases for CPU, you get a slight increase. The idea is to get the same level of performance, but at a lower power level which in turn means lower thermals and fan noise.

The manufacturer will have set default power levels that work for all CPU/GPU, regardless of the natural differences in the silicone, which means no two units will be the same. So undervolting tries to take advantage of this difference and push the unit to work at the same performance at a lower voltage.

These two videos might help, but loads of other guides out there to read too:

 

[leea123]

under voting my GPU was the best thing I did, thanks to advice from this forum, will be one of the first things I do when I ever get a new card. same performance, less heat, less fan noise, and a simple process really

 

[JimmieeB]

No loss of performance, and in some cases for CPU, you get a slight increase. The idea is to get the same level of performance, but at a lower power level which in turn means lower thermals and fan noise.

The manufacturer will have set default power levels that work for all CPU/GPU, regardless of the natural differences in the silicone, which means no two units will be the same. So undervolting tries to take advantage of this difference and push the unit to work at the same performance at a lower voltage.

These two videos might help, but loads of other guides out there to read too:

Wow this is sounds fantastic will let you know how I get on this weekend!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Wow this is sounds fantastic will let you know how I get on this weekend!

Just to mention, if the undervolt is too severe, there will be performance loss and instability with BSODS or freezes.
You have to apply the undervolt, then test, then apply further reduction and test etc until you get a balance.

 

[B4zookaw]

I'd focus on a GPU undervolt first, as it's probably easier to do than a CPU one use PBO. I found this video a good step by step guide:

Also this one:

 

[JimmieeB]

I'd focus on a GPU undervolt first, as it's probably easier to do than a CPU one use PBO. I found this video a good step by step guide:

Also this one:

Yooo!

so for my GPU

Standard
GPU TEMP MAX 74 degrees
Clock speed 1750 MHZ
SCORE 3542

to


dropped to 800
GPU TEMP Max 65 degrees
score 3499

I am struggling to workout how to get the profile to launch with the pc but thanks for this!

will also do some renders tomorrow and see how it performs!

 

[B4zookaw]

That’s great, a ~1% drop in performance which is within the tolerances of variances between tests but a near 10C drop in temps. That will make a big difference in acoustics.

You should be able to save your profile in Afterburner and somewhere in the preferences and settings choose that profile for 3d applications. That way it will switch to that profile when you start gaming automatically.

Not on my Pc right now to find exactly where that setting is but you should be able to find it on one of the tabs

 

[JimmieeB]

No loss of performance, and in some cases for CPU, you get a slight increase. The idea is to get the same level of performance, but at a lower power level which in turn means lower thermals and fan noise.

The manufacturer will have set default power levels that work for all CPU/GPU, regardless of the natural differences in the silicone, which means no two units will be the same. So undervolting tries to take advantage of this difference and push the unit to work at the same performance at a lower voltage.

These two videos might help, but loads of other guides out there to read too:

I am going to have a bash tomorrow at sorting my CPU out. I noticed all the settings in the bios are set to auto. it's a bit more intimidating than the GPU as there seems to be way more stuff to adjust. wish me luck!