Hey everyone, I recently upgraded from an rtx 3060 to a used Gainward rtx 5070 Python III, and I've been experiencing severe stuttering and low GPU utilization in games ever since
My specs:
- Ryzen 5 7500X3D
- MSI PRO B650M-P
- 32GB DDR5-5600
- Gainward RTX 5070 Python III
- Seasonic 650W Gold
- Windows 10
The issue:
In Squad, I experience frequent, noticeable stutters, with 1% lows dropping as low as 23 FPS despite averaging around 160–170 FPS. GPU utilization fluctuates significantly, sometimes dropping to around 40–80% and wont go beyond 93% utilization, and gpu power consumption stays relatively low at around 106–130W and doesn't go above approximately 130W
I swapped my rtx 5070 back out for my old rtx 3060 to compare. In Squad, the rtx 3060 maintained around 96–97% gpu utilization, delivered approximately 80–90 FPS with 1% lows around 55–60 FPS, and I didn't notice the same severe stuttering during that test.
Here are the RTX 5070 benchmarks and checks I've performed:
- FurMark: Passed a 5-minute test, reaching around 80°C.
- OCCT: Completed an 11-minute test without errors, reaching around 82°C.
- Blender 5.2.0 benchmark: Approximately 5,600 points.
- Unigine Superposition 4K Optimized: 16,389 points, and tested the superposition game and it was smooth with no stutters.
- GPU clock speed: Reaches 2,850 MHz during benchmarking and gaming and appears stable.
Btw the temps are the same for the 3060 so i think this rules out a temp issue.
The gpu seems to perform normally in synthetic benchmarks, which is why I'm confused about the behavior in actual games.
What I've tried so far:
- Swapped back to the RTX 3060 and compared its performance.
- Reinstalled the Nvidia driver through the Nvidia app for both cards when i tested them.
- Ran multiple gpu benchmarks and stress tests.
- did a ddu.
the only games I regularly play are Squad and team fortress 2.
another weird thing is in tf2 I get roughly the same FPS (around 380) on both gpus, although I occasionally experience brief freezes with either card, but in Squad, my average FPS increased by around 80 with the new gpu (going from 80 - 90 fps on the 3060 to 150 - 170 fps on the 5070) but its the stuttering and the unusually low gpu utilization with the rtx 5070 are most noticeable.
Also i have noticed that the warranty sticker on one of the screws was torn, so i cant confirm if the card has been opened.
The behavior is really weird, and I can't figure out exactly what's going on or whether I should return the card.