Frame rate and Power Draw oddities at 4K resolution on Sparkle B580

[Ophys]

Hello, I'm having an issue with games on the B580. I use my computer connected to a 4K TV, and when I try to play anything at that resolution with or without upscaling/vsync on or off/low or high settings, the graphics card won't display past 22 fps at the most.

I use a Sparkle Intel Arc B580 with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D CPU with 16x2 GB 3200 DDR4 RAM, M.2 WD SSD for storage, MSI B550M motherboard, 650W MSI PSU. I'm on the latest driver (101.6256).

I know this isn't an issue with the card's capabilities because I had this issue when I first built the computer a few weeks ago, and it went away for about a week or two after installing a driver update. I mostly test with Death Stranding because it uses DX12 and doesn't have a proper exclusive fullscreen mode. It exhibits the issues I have described above, and ran very smoothly with XeSS at 4K when the drivers actually worked properly. I also have the issue currently in other games like Beyond Citadel, Dead Space 2023, The First Descendant, and Marvel Rivals when set to 4K resolution or borderless windowed mode. Even a very lightweight game like Shenzhen I/O would limit to 20fps at 4K.

I had an issue with a specific game, was told to use DDU and reinstall my drivers to solve that issue, and then the issue with poor frame rates at 4K came back. Since then, I've used DDU, clean installed the three drivers that have released since the B580 launch (each time with DDU and installing the specific drivers, and I also tried DDU -> 6252 driver sequentially to the current driver), and nothing works. I've tried installing the drivers in safe mode and in the regular Windows 11 environment as well. I've checked than my RAM is the proper speed in UEFI, that Re-BAR is enabled, CSM off, etc. Nothing has worked and after basically a full day of troubleshooting, I have nothing to show for it.

I can get smooth frames if a game has proper exclusive fullscreen mode and I set the resolution in game to 1080p, like Marvel Rivals and Resident Evil 4 Remake. Marvel Rivals for example, would get up to around 100fps with high settings at 1080p in the training hall.

I don't know if it's related, but when I looked at the performance tab in the Intel Graphics Software, GPU utilization would be at around 100% but the power draw would be limited at around 60-65W with the CPU usage around 30%-50% in Death Stranding. In Marvel Rivals at 1080p, the power draw would increase to 80W-100W, but at 4K resolution it would seemingly be limited to 60-65W like Death Stranding.

I'm honestly stunned and incredibly frustrated with the nonsensical poor performance with this card.

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

Could you please provide CapframeX? I would like to replicate it in our lab for simulation purposes. Additionally, could you also specify the drivers you used during your testing? Kindly follow this link and scroll down to performance issue: Need help? Reporting a bug or issue with Arc GPU? - PLEASE READ THIS FIRST! - Intel Community

Providing this information will help me diagnose the system more accurately and check for available solutions. I look forward to your response.  

Best regards,  

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[Ophys]

Hey, thanks for the reply. 

I recorded some data with CapFrameX last night, but it looks like it didn't go through here. 

I'll resend it after work today (JST).

Just a question in the meantime, could it be related to ifgxnd not starting on Windows boot? I checked the properties of the GPU in Device Manager and the Events tab showed that each time I start my computer, igfxnd doesn't launch but the other drivers seem to. 

[Ophys]

Hey, here is the CapFrame data I recorded yesterday. There are multiple recordings of most of the games I tested, typically with me switching between 1080p Fullscreen mode and 2160p fullscreen. I also included the data for Marvel Rivals in borderless windowed mode (and Death Stranding's "Full Screen" mode is just borderless windowed as well, with the resolution setting just adjusting the render resolution). 

For Death Stranding, one of the recordings is with Vsync on and the other is Vsync off.

Hopefully all my comments are included in the files, as they should include the graphics and resolution settings I used.

[Ophys]

Hey, thanks for the response.

I'm using the latest driver as far as I'm aware [32.0.101.6256].

I've attached the CapFrameX analysis files below, tested primarily at fullscreen mode at 1080p and 2160p in multiple games. I also tested Marvel Rivals in borderless fullscreen (technically Death Stranding as well because "Full Screen" in it is borderless and changing resolution in it will just change the render resolution).

(Interestingly, json files aren't allowed to be attached so I compressed them into a zip file. Let me know if it works, as I've never used 7zip or Winrar to compress files.)

I'm not sure how related it is, but I noticed while looking at the card's properties in Device Manager (in the Events tab) shows that "igfxnd" doesn't start whenever the system boots. 

" Device PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_E20B&SUBSYS_4215172F&REV_00\6&1d24322c&0&00080019 had a problem starting.

Driver Name: oem8.inf
Class GUID: {4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Service: igfxnd
Lower Filters:
Upper Filters:
Problem: 0x0
Problem Status: 0xC00000E5 "

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

Could you please take a screenshot of this specific observation?

[Ophys]

Here are the images.

The error code gets cut off a little, but the full text is:

" Device PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_E20B&SUBSYS_4215172F&REV_00\6&1d24322c&0&00080019 had a problem starting.

Driver Name: oem8.inf
Class GUID: {4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Service: igfxnd
Lower Filters:
Upper Filters:
Problem: 0x0
Problem Status: 0xC00000E5 "

and the rest is repeated for the other driver names (Driver Name: oem8.inf / oem29.inf / oem25.inf ), same information above Driver Name and below.

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

I don't have an answer at this moment, but I'll investigate it and get back to you as soon as possible. I'm going to look into the issue further. 

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[Ophys]

Thanks Randy, I'll wait for your response.

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

To further investigate the issue, could you please provide the following information:

1. Which game digital distribution service are you using when playing DEATH STRANDING, The First Descendant, Marvel Rivals, and Beyond Citadel?
2. What are the game settings for each of these games?
3. Could you provide a maximum of 5 minutes of gameplay for each game? The gameplay duration of the files shared so far is short, with some being less than 1 minute.
4. What is the make and model of the monitor you are using?

Your assistance in providing this information will help us resolve the issue more efficiently.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards, 

Randy T. 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Ophys]

1. They're all being played on Steam.

2. It doesn't matter what setting they're on, as long as they're set at 4K they all have a locked framerate to either 22 or 25 fps. It's not a matter of being unable to run at the resolution with upscaling because it's too taxing on the card. Death Stranding was maxed out at 4K, Vsync on when the drivers worked properly for a week and it hit a fairly consistent 60fps. After using DDU and reinstalling the latest drivers, the issue came back and the framerate was locked. Death Stranding went from 50-60 fps to 22 fps. It's easy to tell when it's a hardware issue like in Dead Space, as it will lock to 22 fps in the menu but go beneath that during gameplay. If you looked at the Shenzhen footage and actually saw that it's literally a 2D game that emulates a desktop computer with 0 3D effects and you saw that it was at 2160p, it would be pretty obvious: It's 100% a driver issue.

Anyways, Death Stranding DC had all graphics settings on their maximum (Very High) with XeSS on Balanced mode at 4K.

The First Descendant I barely tested because the framerate and frametimes were so terrible it made me nauseous, so I don't have it installed anymore.

Marvel Rivals was at the low graphics preset with XeSS on performance mode for all of my tests, 1080p and 4K.

Beyond Citadel was at the High graphics setting, Gore on, Crosshair on, Max Frame Rate at 60Hz, Debris Disappears in 1 min, 90 FOV, Decals Enabled, Less Bouncing Debris disabled, and the resolution setting is at 1.0 with resolution being forced at 2160p in the user settings INI file.

4. I'm using a 4K television as my monitor. It's called an EcoTV Pro I in the Android TV settings but the brand stamped on the TV is FPO. As for monitor settings, I use it with ALLM, PC Mode, and HDR all on with the HDMI EDID set to EDID 2.1. I use an HDMI 2.1 cable.

In IGS, I have the Color Depth at 10bit, YCbCr 4:2:2 color format with HDR enabled in Windows.

I'll post another reply after I record more CapFrame data.

[Ophys]

Hello, I recorded more data for you.

For Death Stranding, Marvel Rivals, and Beyond Citadel the settings are the same as my last reply.

I also attached screenshots of my settings in Marvel Rivals. The only difference between the two captures is the resolution setting.

For s**ts and giggles, I installed Half-Life 2 to test if a 20 year old game could hit 60fps at 4K with these drivers. (Spoiler: it did not.)

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

Thank you for sharing this information. I will forward it for further investigation so we can continue troubleshooting the issues and determine the root cause. I will keep you updated as soon as I have any results or further information regarding this matter.

Best regards, 

Randy T. 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

I wanted to provide you with an update regarding your concern. Our team is still actively investigating the issue you reported.

We need a bit more time to work on the simulation we have to ensure we thoroughly understand and address the problem.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will keep you informed of any progress and will reach out to you as soon as we have more information.

Best regards, 

Randy T. 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Ophys]

Hello Randy,

Thanks for the update. I can report that the newest drivers also don't fix the issue

I'll wait for further updates.

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

I know you’ve already done a lot of troubleshooting and provided detailed screenshots and recordings, which I really appreciate. However, I need a bit more information and clarification on the details you’ve provided.

1. I wanted to confirm whether your PC is set to “High Performance” mode in Windows? This setting can sometimes make a big difference. It might be worth checking the BIOS, as some motherboards have similar performance settings that could be affecting your system.
2. Also, did you have a different GPU installed before the Arc B580? if I'm not mistaken you mentioned you already performed DDU to ensure that the previous GPU’s drivers have been completely uninstalled to avoid any conflicts.
3. Lastly, if it’s possible and you’re willing, could you test a different power supply to rule out the possibility of a failing PSU? Alternatively, trying to install the Arc B580 in another computer could help us isolate the issue.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation. We’re here to help you get this resolved as smoothly as possible.

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[Ophys]

Hello Randy,

I had Best Performance mode on in the Windows 11 settings under System > Power, but in Control Panel it was set to Balanced. I'll see if that changes anything for now. For BIOS, I had it set to the ACPI/PCIe settings recommended by Intel for ASPM Power Saving (for L1 substates) but other than that, it should all be okay in UEFI.

2-3. I built my computer from scratch with the B580, so I don't have any graphics card to reslot and test my PSU. I was using DDU to remove the previous Intel drivers while troubleshooting the different driver versions. Because my PC is new, I don't think the PSU is to blame, but I don't really want to spend more on a PSU when I'm not sure if it's the issue. I think it's just some kind of unintentional driver-related power throttling because the power consumption goes up on 1080p but won't surpass 70-80W on 4k resolution. Also, my CPU doesn't seem to be affected by power throttling during games. I don't have any other computers except a laptop in the country I reside right now, so I can't test my PSU in another PC.

Thanks,

Alex

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

Could we try setting your system to High Performance mode? It would be helpful if you could observe any changes in the system's behavior after making this adjustment.

I've forwarded the information you shared with me to our team so they can test the configuration you mentioned. Thank you for providing those details; it really helps us understand the situation better.

I'll be keeping an eye out for any updates from you. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work through this together.

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[Ophys]

So far, I've encountered no difference in performance since changing my power settings.

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello Ophys,

Understood, and thank you for your cooperation and for providing answers to my questions. I appreciate you following the recommendations. I will look further into this issue and ask for a bit more time to check it on my end. I will get back to you as soon as I have more findings and information. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[Darw]

I'm having the same problem.
Installed a Sparkle B580 Titan yesterday, and on my 3440x1440 monitor games are locked at 12-20 frames.
GPU Utilization and GPU Render both at 100% with 50w Power. 3DMark benchmarks do not open at all, it remains in a endless loading.

Did you managed to find a fix?