PC Graphics

[Mrkvica1337]

Hey everyone,

I recently upgraded to a Gigabyte RX 9070 XT Gaming OC, but I’m experiencing lower-than-expected performance in some games, with low power draw and GPU utilization. Hoping to get some insights!

System Specs:

• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi II
• CPU: Ryzen 9 5900X
• RAM: 32GB DDR4 3600MHz
• PSU: 850W 80+ Gold
• Storage: NVMe SSD
• Monitors:
• 2560x1080, 144Hz (DisplayPort)
• Samsung 4K 120Hz TV (HDMI 2.1)

Issue:

• In some games, GPU power draw is only around 60-150W instead of using full potential (340W).

• FPS fluctuates heavily – sometimes stable, but often drops (e.g., Helldivers 2 starts at 120 FPS / 340W, then drops to 40-60 FPS / 100W after some time).

• Same issue on my Samsung 4K 120Hz TV – power draw drops after a while, affecting performance.

• Enabling supersampling (FSR) sometimes makes the GPU draw more power, but native performance is still inconsistent.

• Some titles work fine, but others show low GPU utilization (60-80%) and power draw (100-150W).

What I’ve Tried:

• ReBar enabled in BIOS
• Windows 11 reinstalled fresh
• Latest AMD drivers installed
• Tested different power settings (Windows + Adrenalin)
• Tried different PCIe slots & cables
• Successfully ran multiple 3DMark Nomad stress tests with a score of 7451, where the GPU consistently stayed at 340W or slightly higher.

Since the GPU works at full power in 3DMark, why does it not maintain high power draw and performance in some games? Could this be a driver issue, power delivery problem, or some setting I’m missing?

Has anyone else experienced fluctuating power draw & performance on a 9070 XT? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[sima86]

No problems with power draw here - pc specs are in the signature

Try to observe the gpu, gpu-hotspot and vram temperature.

When the problem occurs after a certain time, its most likely a thermal problem.

[Mrkvica1337]

I use MSI Afterburner and have set a custom fan curve to keep the GPU as cool as possible. My temps are well within safe limits:

GPU: Never exceeds 50°C

GPU Hotspot: Stays around 65°C

VRAM: Stays under 70°C

CPU: Maxes out at 70°C (For comparison, with my old 3060 Ti, the CPU reached 85°C and never throttled.)

So I don’t think it’s a temperature issue.

However, today I noticed something interesting: After installing only the display driver without Adrenalin, I played Helldivers 2 for 2 hours at 2560x1080, and the GPU power draw stayed consistent between 250W-320W.

Now I’m wondering—could Adrenalin be causing the power fluctuations? Or does Gigabyte have some ECO settings hidden in their BIOS that are affecting power behavior?

Also, my Ryzen 9 5900X should have more than enough power for the RX 9070 XT, so I don’t think I’m running into a CPU bottleneck.

I don’t get it. Any ideas?

[Muxi]

Hi,

did you solve this issue somehow?

I am having the same problem on my XFX 9070 XT Swift. I don‘t have a OC version, so my power draw is maxed out at 304W (also consistent in 3DMark). When I play Esport Title Games my card won‘t clock higher than 1550Mhz and only spikes to 2500MHz when I bump up all the settings to High and a demanding scenario is playing. 

[Snygg-Risse]

I had same problem with Battlefield 5 with future frame rendering off.

Turn off "HAGS" fixed the problem for me.

"Hardware acceleration"

[Muxi]

Sadly this didn‘t change anything for me except giving me occasional stutters. I guess it is time to upgrade my monitor to get more performance out of this card 😄

[Snygg-Risse]