Troubleshooting Low GPU Utilization on the RTX 3080 FTW3

Introduction

After much anticipation, I’ve finally received my EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 through their queue system. However, as I dive into various games to assess its performance, I’m confronted with an unexpected issue: consistently low GPU usage across the board. In this blog post, I’ll share my system specifications, the games I’ve tested, the performance metrics I’ve observed, and the steps I’m taking to troubleshoot this perplexing situation.

System Specifications

• CPU: Ryzen 3600
• GPU: RTX 3080 FTW3
• RAM: 16GB 3600MHz
• Power Supply: Corsair RM750x
• Storage: NVMe SSD and SATA SSDs

I game on a 1440p monitor with a refresh rate of 144Hz, which makes these performance issues even more disheartening.

Observations Across Games

So far, I have tested several titles, finding only a few—specifically Control and Monster Hunter World—where the GPU usage consistently remains at 99%. In most other games, the GPU utilization is disappointingly low. Here’s a quick breakdown of my findings:

• Horizon: Zero Dawn: 60-70%
• Jedi: Fallen Order: 50%
• Witcher 3: 50-60% in Novigrad, 70% in wilderness
• Baldur’s Gate 3: 78%
• GTA V: 55-90%
• Sea of Thieves: 75%
• Red Dead Redemption 2: 70-90%
• Assassin’s Creed: Origins: 75-95%

This performance is concerning, as I’m not achieving the frame rates I anticipated from benchmarks. For instance, Jedi: Fallen Order only gives me around 70-85 FPS in small areas and occasionally jumps to 110 FPS, far below the 140 FPS+ shown in benchmarks. Even Witcher 3, despite slight modding, exhibits similar FPS to my previous RTX 2070 Super.

Benchmarks & Troubleshooting Steps

Interestingly, synthetic benchmarks like Furmark perform as expected: Time Spy scored 17,456, Fire Strike Ultra at