Help! Bottom 4-5% of 3dmark scores for 9800x3d + 5080.
Posted by deafgamer_@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 97 comments
I was playing with my brother on a game and complained about low fps, and to my surprise he had 2 times my FPS! That alerted me that something was wrong.
Today I keep fiddling and running 3dmark and no matter what I seem to be way below the average?
This is a 9800x3d + 5080 Founders Edition, completely stock, I didn't do any undervolting or overclocking. Now, I know if I overclock I should get around 10-20% better scores but that won't even bring me to average. I found this thread and even vs his stock 5080 FE I am way below average still.
Here are my 3dmark run results:
- Time Spy Extreme: https://www.3dmark.com/spy/63284636
- Time Spy: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/156182235
If you compare Time Spy Extreme to other 9800x3d + 5080 runs, I'm bottom 4%. Time Spy bottom 5%.
I have the latest drivers and everything.
ecktt@reddit
Would help if we knew what CPU+GPU your brother has. 2x seems extreme
If it is, there are probably multiple contributing factors.
GPU is running hot and throttling. Undervolting helps.
A video card with a huge heatsink tends to sag and warp the PCB. One possible symptom is that you lose PCIE lanes and so the card runs in less than x16 mode. The card will produce video all the way down to x1 modem, but performance will tank. Also, the heatsink will no longer make proper contact with the GPU core.
CPU is running hot. 9800X3D runs way hotter than its 7800X3D predecessor and can suck down plenty of power. I'd undervolt and water cool it with a 360mm AIO.
A sense pin is not making proper contact on the video cards' 12V2x6 power connector. Reseat it.
The Windows install is bloated with junk.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
We have the exact same build except he has a Ventus 5080 OC and I have the 5080 Founders Edition.
When we play the game "StarRupture" I get 100 fps in the main menu with all graphic settings on lowest and he gets 170 fps with all graphic settings on highest. It's mind boggling honestly. I'm gonna have him run a 3dmark later to see how vast the difference is.
CaptainMGN@reddit
That sounds a lot like what I was experiencing on my rig: I ran win11 24H2 and updated to the 25 version, which ultimately cut my GPU performance in half (measured by the power consumption that doubled after the update). Rolled back to 24H2 and it was fine again. Let's see if the windows reinstall fixes it
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Thanks dude - after exhausting everything including reseating everything, updating BIOS, updating drivers, etc. Reinstalling Windows did fix the issue, my 3dmark scores are very close to average and I'm really happy about this.
Not entirely sure what I've done in the past year since building this PC to slow down gaming so much but I guess it was a death by a thousand cuts situation since I'm always fiddling with things.
CaptainMGN@reddit
Glad to hear that it's working again!
I feel like something within windows is just prone to break at this point unfortunately... Which is crazy given how okay everything went until that point
Funnily enough in my specific case, my entire update engine is broken in win11. Every windows update is failing at this point and my AMD graphics driver updater is also failing since it's not able to remove the previous version, so I guess I'm gonna have to join you in reinstalling as well soon xD
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Hmm, when I reinstall windows should I run the benchmark before and after doing windows updates?
ecktt@reddit
I would swap video cards to see if the problem follows the video cards.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
I do have a 4090 I'm not using, but it's from a prebuilt that has caused me so much trouble for multiple years straight (never buy anything from NZXT!), so I've shied away from using it.
My plan is:
eugene00825@reddit
You could swap 5080s if you can't use your 4090
ecktt@reddit
That's a good plan.
BSODs on Ryzen are often RAM-related. Update to the latest motherboard Firmware (aka BIOS)
That 4090 is actually faster than the 5080, so a permanent swap would be a good idea.
Didn't even know MX 7 was a thing. I thought all the cool kids were using Thermal Grizzly Duronaut.
Sidenote; holy crap...2 near top tier PC, now I read you have a 4090 just chilling.
Leo9991@reddit
What was the trouble with the Nzxt build?
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
The TLDR is you can read these 2 threads I made awhile back:
The longer, but more summary story is:
I tried to repress this memory because due to NZXT I was out of a PC for like 3 months out of 6 and had to buy a gaming laptop to stay sane. I forget the exact order of how things unravelled but it was something like this: I got unlucky and decided to not build my own PC for once and just buy a prebuilt from NZXT, this decision was will timed with the infamous Intel CPU that was known to fail very quickly: i9-14900KF. No one knew this for quite some time until reports started rolling in of instability. After a long period of instability and horrendous gaming experience it finally fried so I finally sent it in for RMA. Unfortunately NZXT's RMA process is not friendly for tech-savvy PC builders as I had to keep sending in the entire system instead of swapping out parts. The first time I RMA'd it, they replaced the CPU, great, sent it back. Then the Mobo + PSU gave out, I assume because of the intel cpu frying other components. I RMA it... again... and all they did was replace the GPU which was working just fine. I receive the system and the Mobo + PSU is still fucked and doesn't work. The GPU they replaced it with was some ugly ass green looking monster GPU 4090 that clashed with the clean white/black look of the Player 3 Prime. I was like wtf. Had to send it back in and they finally replaced the fucking thing. So this was 3 RMA rounds and it takes like a month or a month and a half between sending it in and receiving it.
At the end of my rope I was just so done with NZXT when the GPU gave out (???). So I raised hell and fury with them and they ended up sending me a new 4090 while also giving me no tracking information. I didn't have to send the system in.
I dunno, maybe NZXT is a good company, but originally I had a good experience with them before they fired their inhouse PC building operation and got a contract with some other company based out of Las Vegas I believe. The reports of NZXT quality nosedived right after this change and all of my RMA rounds were after that.
I made it a point to never buy any NZXT components again. Not their PSU, not their AIO, not their cases. Fuck em.
Leo9991@reddit
Does that game have DLSS? Is he using upscaling/frame gen while you're not by any chance?
Diedead666@reddit
Ya he needs to check the pcie express lanes
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
What does this mean? On the x670e there is only 1 place you can put the GPU realistically and that's on the top 2 lanes. Or do you mean GPU might be sagging enough that its not making contact in a few areas?
Diedead666@reddit
I think that's what he is saying GPU z is a small program that list what it's running at.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Installed and ran GPU-Z. In the "Bus Interface" field I see "PCIe x16 5.0 @ x16 1.1". Occasionally the "1.1" jumps up to "5.0" then back down to 1.1.
So it keeps flip flopping between these two:
Not sure if that means anything. I'll do another 3dmark soon to see if it stays at 5.0
AzureBat@reddit
Alright firstly in GPU-Z, Beside "Bus Interface" "PCIe x16 5.0 @ x16 1.1", there's a "?". Click on it and press "Start Render Test". Confirm that the field now says @ x16 5.0 for the entire duration that the render test is running (Which goes until you stop it). If it still goes back to 1.1 then there's a problem right there. Otherwise head to the next step.
It's great that you ran 3D Mark but the online results have all been sanitized. I need you to take screenshots of the results page on your end (It has 4 graphs at the end). Screenshot everything from top to bottom, expanding all sections possible. This is what will actually help to determine whether anything basic is acting up.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
I walked away from the PC for a bit and came back, saw your comment, tried the render test from the ? button and now it's been at 4.0 and hasn't moved from this. I ran a 3dmark right after to get the screenshots you wanted and the score is much worse. I assume this is because now PCIe is somehow stuck at 4.0? Does this mean the GPU is sagging and needs reseating?
Here's the 4 graph screenshot though: https://i.imgur.com/KdUauV3.png
Gonna restart and see if that gets me 5.0 again.
AzureBat@reddit
Yep that's the graph. Could I see the rest of the specs above it, together with the score and distribution?
Hmm very weird if it used to be 5.0 but now is at 4.0. Note that you don't need to keep the render test on all the time. You can close GPU-Z when you're running the benchmark.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Restarting did get me back 5.0 PCIe so not sure what happened there.
https://imgur.com/a/jVhWygq
AzureBat@reddit
Very weird. The only thing that stands out from the graphs is that the CPU doesn't immediately go to 100% in the CPU test.
Check whether X3D gaming mode is turned off and SMT disabled. Those things being on have been known to make the scores go down.
For the GPU, you could try just setting the PCIE to 4 in the BIOS rather than Auto. Sometimes that helps because the graphs seem to be fine.
Diedead666@reddit
apparantlty thats a power saving thing, you can disable that, but dont really think thats ur issue, its saying x16 thats good but to disable it
Right-click the Start button → Power Options. Click Change plan settings next to your active power plan (usually Balanced or High Performance). Click Change advanced power settings. Expand PCI Express → Link State Power Management. Set it to Off (for both "On battery" and "Plugged in" if available). Click Apply → OK.
CheisSz@reddit
Have you ever updated your BIOS? Most x670e mobo's were for 7000 series, to run 9000 series to their potential it needs an update. Just checking!
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Good point, I checked and the bios version was from late 2024 and I built this in Q2 2025.
I updated it, but unfortunately did not see better results. EXPO was also reset and I re-enabled it too, changed no other settings.
Destructo-Bear@reddit
What CPU temps are you getting?
Try doing a full Windows reinstall to see if it's a software or hardware issue
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
When running 3dmark looks like it tops out around 90c or mid 80's: https://i.imgur.com/vpcDoFP.png
None of the thermal throttling flags on HwInfo64 are flipping to yes at any point during these runs.
Destructo-Bear@reddit
That does seem high. Try a repaste. It's easy and cheap.
Reinstall Windows to make sure it's not a software issue.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Thanks dude - after exhausting everything including reseating everything, updating BIOS, updating drivers, etc. Reinstalling Windows did fix the issue, my 3dmark scores are very close to average and I'm really happy about this.
Not entirely sure what I've done in the past year since building this PC to slow down gaming so much but I guess it was a death by a thousand cuts situation since I'm always fiddling with things.
BTW, repasting did bring my temps down from 90c to 80c max, so it was still good advice.
Destructo-Bear@reddit
I'm so damn happy to hear that dude. You deserve maximum performance.
I'm working through an incredibly frustrating problem with the RGB controller on my gigabyte motherboard right now. I spent like six hours on it today and nothing worked. I ended up just buying an RGB controller that completely bypasses the RGB headers on my motherboard.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Not sure if this applies to your situation since it sounds like you're dealing with a hardware thing but if software can help you, prior to the reinstall I had to use Gigabyte Control Center + RGB Fusion "module" (like in GCC you install RGB Fusion to control all sorts of things) to help manage all sorts of LED things on my system. Specifically turning them off, since I wanted a full dark system.
Thought I'd share in case it helps! In my case the settings were memorized even after reinstall, so I didn't need to reinstall GCC again.
Destructo-Bear@reddit
Gcc is what broke my system.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Oh no! That's terrible. Sorry to hear that. How did it break?
Did you try other platforms like OpenRGB etc? I think I needed MSI Center's "Mystic Light" to turn off specifically RAM lights too. I've never found any software that could control every single thing.
Destructo-Bear@reddit
Yeah I tried everything. Apparently gigabyte control center released an update that completely bricks the specific RGB controller on a select few b850 and x870 boards. It sucks because I spent hours today installing ten brand new RGB fans and then hours more trying to figure out why they weren't working and trying to fix the controller. The community has created tools to fix it on GitHub but unfortunately they didn't work for me
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
That's fucked up. Hoping the new controller works for ya.
thenord321@reddit
Not high on stock coolers.
beirch@reddit
It's not high for a 9800X3D. Entirely within specs and no reason for it to throttle.
Agreeable-Revenue-75@reddit
It’s for sure enough to affect his score. My 9850X3D tops out at 72°C during 3dmark benchmarks, also you can watch the clocks start to drop over 50°C. The newer Ryzen CPUs don’t just throttle at tjmax like an older Intel CPU, they lower the clocks gradually as the temps rise. Mine will score roughly 500pts higher in Cinebench R23 for every 5°C I can lower the average temp.
Destructo-Bear@reddit
Ok my bad
ARC-Relay@reddit
your power supply might be weak
souicry@reddit
Reinstall windows
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Thanks dude - after exhausting everything including reseating everything, updating BIOS, updating drivers, etc. Reinstalling Windows did fix the issue, my 3dmark scores are very close to average and I'm really happy about this.
Not entirely sure what I've done in the past year since building this PC to slow down gaming so much but I guess it was a death by a thousand cuts situation since I'm always fiddling with things.
No-Suit-7444@reddit
Update chipset drivers. Updste BIOS. If that doesn't do it then windows reinstall. It's gotta be one of those with windows most likely, bios second.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Thanks dude - after exhausting everything including reseating everything, updating BIOS, updating drivers, etc. Reinstalling Windows did fix the issue, my 3dmark scores are very close to average and I'm really happy about this.
gillyguthrie@reddit
Lol reinstall windows
Away_Ad_9806@reddit
did you get one with the faulty rops count?
"A small number of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 GPUs were shipped with a manufacturing defect, resulting in only 104 ROPs (Render Output Units) instead of the standard 112."
can check with gpu z
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Nah I have 112, I checked it first day I received the 5080 last year.
ningzi@reddit
I was having this problem a few weeks ago, very low scored on steel nomad compared with similar builds of 5080/9800x3d. Seems I was an idiot and left the MSI Centre setting on “Balanced” instead of “Extreme Performance”. Have a look at any software you might be using controlling this, after I changed it to extreme performance my score shot up to about average.
CSGOan@reddit
I mean if 100 people with the same setup do a test 4 people will be have the worst 4 scores.
How much worse than the average are you? How big is the spread for users with your exact setup?
Are you experiencing stutters or frame drops in game?
ime1em@reddit
Why are you using time spy instead of something more modern is Steel Nomad?
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
https://www.3dmark.com/sn/13571825
ime1em@reddit
what resolution did you test this on? i can try running on my 7950x3d+rtx 5080 and compare
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
3840x2160p
But the benchmark tests don't really care about what resolution you run at, you can run whatever
ime1em@reddit
https://imgur.com/a/TN3HRs9
i guess our card basically lost the silicon lottery, or below average.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
fuck dude
ime1em@reddit
We also don't know if the other scores are stock or not btw
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Oh, I didn't know. I just searched for GPU + 2160p tests. I'll try Steel Nomad, but I'm sure I'll have very low scores regardless.
SwarmyD@reddit
Stupid question, but did you plug the hdmi into the gpu?
aragorn18@reddit
Did you enable EXPO in the BIOS?
Spearush@reddit
I tried enabling it on someone else's pc with 7800x3d and the pc was refusing to post. So i reset bios and didn't touch it since. Crazy how amd is so sensitive to changes to the point i had to reset bios.
CIAMom420@reddit
Sounds like a shitty motherboard or shitty memory problem, neither of which are made by amd.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Just did! Apparently it wasn't enabled, even though when I entered BIOS it said Enabled, but when I went to leave, the summary changes dialog came up and said the EXPO setting was going from Disabled to Enabled. So I saved it and made new runs. The RAM is running at 6000 mhz now.
Despite the increase in RAM speed it didn't seem to affect results very much:
ecktt@reddit
That is because the whole point of the large L3 cache of X3D chips is to mitigate slow memory.
Sad to see people throw money behind fast RAM for 1-2% more performance.
coolboy856@reddit
Well no, that's nowhere close to what more L3 cache is for but it does indeed mitigate performance differences between slower and faster memory.
More often than not, 5600/6000/36/30 is within 10% of the cheapest memory kits, which are some budget, unbranded ones running at 4800/5200 CL40+. Makes little sense to buy one of those
Diedead666@reddit
It does help frame times. Even tuning secondary timings on my ram helped smooth things out in cpu dependent games. (Marvel rivals for example)
Bigredghost@reddit
Piggybacking off this to say maybe Resizable BAR not enabled? Also if you're not running the latest BIOS version might be worth it to update and see if that helps?
machinegunmonkey1313@reddit
Comparing your results to mine, it looks like I'm getting about 100mhz higher core frequency on my 5080 (I'm running stock) and I have Memory Integrity disabled. I'm also running 6400mhz RAM, but you have slightly higher CPU speed.
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/156186501
You could try turning off the Memory Integrity, but I don't think that will provide much gain.
Also, make sure you update to the latest chipset drivers or installed the chipset drivers at all
https://www.amd.com/en/support/downloads/drivers.html/chipsets/am5/x670e.html
aragorn18@reddit
Which slots are the RAM modules in?
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
2 and 4: https://i.imgur.com/O2yB8GC.jpeg
aragorn18@reddit
Sorry, I'm out of ideas.
machinegunmonkey1313@reddit
3D Mark screenshot shows the RAM running @ 4800 mhz
aragorn18@reddit
Yeah, that's why I asked. It seems like the RAM is running at base speeds.
theSkareqro@reddit
Do you have your GPU in the top or bottom pcie slot?
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Top
theSkareqro@reddit
Using as GPU riser?
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
No, installed directly into top 2 PCIe slots.
theSkareqro@reddit
I think a fresh install of windows and a bios reset is in order
LetMeRush@reddit
In the windows search find "Choose a power plan". Make sure it's on "high performance"
Leo9991@reddit
Bad suggestion. It's recommended to use balanced for x3d CPUs.
Tehfoodstealorz@reddit
Going to ask the dumb question. What background apps are you running?
AlanMao18@reddit
maybe turn off g sync? it was lowering my graphics score by quite a bit
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
I don't think it's on. According to my monitor, Freesync is off. Because of this I can't see the "Set up G-Sync" option in Nvidia Control Panel, it seems.
AlanMao18@reddit
im outta ideas as well lol
x_lauzon_x@reddit
Same, this worked for me
Mr-Deur@reddit
Do you also have the same PSU? Perhaps check if power ris not a problem, I doubt it.
Check cables.
Double check all settings (maybe dldsr?), and check your task Manager if your you is being fully utilized during load.
the40ftbadger@reddit
Does he have dlss or framegen on? Verify if his setting in the game match yours. Is the monitor the same resolution as well?
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Yep, same DLSS settings and same monitor.
I'll have to check if there's a global framegen setting he's using in Nvidia Control Panel though.
norm009@reddit
I would check your monitor refresh rate in Windows. The default is 60Hz and you have to change it manually. It's worth a quick look to make sure that you are getting the most of your monitor.
Mr__Myth@reddit
You said 90°C temps on the CPU during 3dmark? I have a 9950X3D and it didn't get that hot. Are you sure you're not getting bottle necked by those temps? What cooler/paste are you running?
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 A-RGB
I believe one of my parts came with complimentary paste, that's what I used.
I suppose a reseat + re-paste is in order.
Mr__Myth@reddit
We use the same one on one of ours in the home. MX-6 is what it was pasted with but MX-7 is the latest iteration. I would try a reseat.
mymycojourney@reddit
I saw a video the other day comparing pc performance in games with different operating systems. The main thing was to compare linux and windows, but she also did an older install of windows vs a fresh install. If I remember righ5 it was a 20 something increase of performance just doing a fresh windows install, because over time you have all the old files and settings for software that has been removed or replaced over time. Might be worth it to do a freshie and see if that helps. Windows PCs get slow over time as we update drivers and software, and can really slow thinga up.
Sorry-Guest-4505@reddit
Resolution? Is your monitor plugged into your gpu and not your motherboard? What are you gpu temps? Try running occt or kombuster and see if you have any failures
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Both my brother and I are running at 3840x2160p resolution. Yep, plugged into gpu not mobo. The gpu temps hit just under 70c during heavy load, 35c or so idle.
Sorry-Guest-4505@reddit
Is he playing at the same resolution?
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
Yep, first thing I checked.
deafgamer_@reddit (OP)
HWInfo64 Sensor chart while idling (all maximum's is from recent 3dmark runs): https://i.imgur.com/Ydzc4Uo.png