This may not be your problem (and most likely isn't), but in your next build, I wouldn't go mixing architectures (AMD and EVGA). You get better performance when you match an AMD CPU with an AMD GPU and an Intel CPU with an EVGA GPU.

But yea, what's your motherboard?

As I'm sure you know by now, most games won't use all 8 cores/threads effectively. Probably, in the case of TF2, not even 4.

Maybe try using the high/maxquality config. Sounds weird, but it apparently works for some people. You could also try DX8, although personally I hate it (yes, game, I know I'm bleeding. I don't need you to paint my entire view red).

If I get a new video card in the future, I wouldn't mind letting you buy mine. It's a Radeon HD 6870, so it's mid-high range for its generation. nvm below post

This is completely untrue
There's no reason why he would ever want to go from a gtx680 down to a 6870, even if amd's cpus did favor their gpus.

do you mean nvidia instead of evga? evga is a company that makes video cards, nvidia makes the actual gpu architecture.

Even if this is true, I've seen people that have had mixed architectures that still seem to get significantly better performance. As for the motherboard, I edited it into the main post.

Also, I've tested a few more games on their max graphical settings (Planetside 2, Skyrim), and both of them run around ~120ish FPS on the same resolution that I'm running TF2 with an FPS config on at. (1920x1080)

lol this, they are a manufacturer

I've experienced issues pretty similar to that on my build. In games like metro, bioshock infinite, crysis 2, I can get a stable 40-50fps even maxed out(Amd phenom x4, gtx660 ti overclocked) but with Tf2 I often get dips down to 30fps from 150, even with dx8 graphics. Triple post derp

Would you mind showing me a benchmark test of two equal cards without the SLI/Crossfire? I don't believe that rays is running 2 cards.

EVGA = Nvidia, it's kind of assumed that those two names are one in the same, but I guess not to everyone.

Please. Don't hate that I explained the golden rule of building a computer. Maybe as of late it's been fixed and evened out, but it was a thing, I experienced it many of times.

http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/haters-gonna-hate3.jpg

Evga is a card manufacturer, lmfao. Are you really that dense?
HURR HP PAVILLION = WINDOWS \it's kind of assumed that those two names are one in the same, but I guess not to everyone. Dude don't you know every windows computer is manufactured by hp? That is how stupid you sound right now (disregarding the fact that you can custom build a pc and not a gpu)

That is quite a good machine :3
You should really give that FX8350 a OC with that kind of a cooler otherwise that was kind of a pointless buy.
W8 should give better performance numbers for games(at least newer ones) then W7.
Have you tried TF2 with the same system running on W7?

Also what's your PSU?
Update your drivers, or even downgrade, sometimes updated drivers like to mess up your stuff.

lel^ all about mixing architectures. Makes no difference what so ever :)

Don't try and push your denseness onto me. If you can not understand that EVGA solely uses Nvidia architecture, then that is your fault. What, you think when people say that EVGA came out with a new card that the first thing that pops into their heads is whether it was made with Nvidia or AMD architecture? No, it is assumed because they solely use Nvidia's architecture. And yes, I interchange AMD and ATI as well (since they have literally been owned by AMD since '06).

Now calm down hot-head and fix your fps drops.

EVGA is a company that takes Nvidia reference cards and modifies them with custom GPU coolers and manufactures other components such as motherboards, power supplies, and the like. Nvidia is the composer of the chip itself. (After reading, I see that Kissme just took a shortcut and used EVGA to only refer to Nvidia, because they only use the Nvidia architecture. It's a little weird to say it in context, but I get what he meant.) Anyways, graphics cards are fully compatible with differing manufacturing processors, and they do not receive any sort of boon or advantage to pair an AMD CPU with an AMD GPU. It seems like it, but no, AMD just has a broader market for chipsets. It's completely common to use differing branded components like the CPU and GPU with each other. I just built a computer for ma3la with an AM3+ socket and a GTX 760 OC. It'll work beautifully.

anyways, what is the actual question here

try another source engine game (like dota 2 or counter-strike) and see what kind of performance you get in those games. it could be something in your config that doesn't play nice with your setup.

also do what raiku suggested and update all ur drivers if they need updating. back on my old computer steam would use a ton of cpu if my audio driver was outdated (valve maintains a list of stuff that interferes with steam here).

holy shit @ above posts (and that image)...

IMO, Modern AMD's have no single threaded performance (in many applications it rivals intels from 2/3 generations ago). AMD's design philosophy since the release of the first phenoms is in the direction of highly threaded applications. Look where they have gone with their entire prosumer desktop CPU line. 8 core CPU's for flipping cheap.

Tf2 is a single threaded application. Even with mat_queue_mode, there's only a few things being ran in parallel. So I don't think it's a surprise that your FPS is pretty low. You're trying to run a single threaded application on a CPU that's specialized only for multithreaded applications.

I don't know how the modules are represented but every 2 modules are split parts of what a 'core' would be. Integer calculations in one and floating point stuff in the other. (I totally don't understand, read up more @here) That's why there's a bunch of issues with scheduling and power management.

Here's two fixes for Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2646060
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2645594

Windows 8 is suppose to have built in support for the amd architecture. Though I'd still look for updates/hotfixes.

I would recommend increasing your turbo limit or just straight up overclocking.

have you turned off any power saving features? what are you running beside the game? How are your fps on an empty server or when looking at a wall? I don't know about AMD performance but that rig should easily get above 300 fps when not looking at action

Did you read that in your horoscope? It's about as scientific as that.

Now that it is obvious to everyone that you are très witty, you can shut up instead of fueling a fire that was doused ages ago and we can continue talking about Rays' FPS drops.

On topic, give max/highframes a shot, it might be something in the dx9frames config that is disagreeing with your computer.

I'm having this problem with an i7 - 3770k and a gtx670, well not that severe but with dx9 frames config I'm getting an average 180 fps's, which is quite strange, I should get like 500-600 at least. and I can only get those on mge

Well I easily get drops below 200 on a 2500k@4.7ghz, even down below a hundred on pubs. I wouldn't say that fps is surprising.

Minimum FPS for me with a 4770K at 4.4GHz core/4.275GHz cache is about 95 worst case scenario. With a 4.3GHz 3770K, it was about 80-85, sometimes a little less. Considering I am struggling even with Intel's most powerful architecture, good luck with AMD processors. A Bulldozer module consists of "2 cores" which are really just the integer cores and they share a single floating point unit. I'd love to support AMD, but their architecture is literally shit for single-threaded games, and one of the only games it even runs comparable to an i7 in is Battlefield 3. Other games like Skyrim and Civ 5 run like trash simply because the strong single-core performance isn't there. Sure, they may be better than equivalently priced Intel CPUs for gaming while streaming, but there isn't much of a contest at the i7 level if you want the highest minimum frame rates.

Long story short, 120 FPS gaming has a lot of CPU overhead, especially on many DX9 multiplayer games which have to use proprietary multithreading methods because DX9 was around when single-core processors were the only thing around and it wasn't designed to be multithreaded. DX11 games can supposedly thread a lot better e.g. Far Cry 3 which completely maxes out my 7970's usage 100% of the time and with 60% CPU usage) but of course we are just now getting new gaming consoles after many years.

Try rolling back drivers and using dx 8? That's so strange that all these people are getting low fps. Do you have your fps capped? try uncapping it.

Well yeah, but the average fps with the maxquality config I was using was something around 140-150 and I changed to the dx9 frames config and only got an average improvement of 30 fps's? How strange?

upgrade your computer

Here's something you can try...I don't think it will help much though...
-threads 8 into launch options

replace/add to your autoexec
mat_queue_mode 2
threadpool_affinity 8
r_threaded_particles 1
r_threaded_renderables 1

close applications like music players and internet browsers. Disable/stop services that's not in use.

Does anybody know how to close programs that are running in the background? I have been exploring the processes and ending stuff ie chrome winamp etc, but does that processes tab actually show everything that is running? Or are there other hidden things

edit: thanks.

hidden background tasks are not really an issue with modern computers. if it's not obvious, it's not worth looking at.

that said, all you can do is try and minimize CPU usage. Watch for big background tasks like browsers and other games (I've done this) and turn down/off things like shadows

+1 to disabling shadows. r_shadows 0 gives a very noticeable FPS boost, like up to 10%.

I'm trying my ASUS VG236HE at 100Hz (it allows 50/60/100/110/120) and so far so good. I find the FPS drops more annoying than increasing my frame latency from 8.3ms to 10ms, and since TF2 loves to drop to ~100 FPS, it keeps things smooth.

But shadows are one of those things that give you useful information

Is it really that low or are you not even using an FPS config? I'm getting minimum like 180FPS in 6s match with my 2500k @ 4.2GHz. It drops down to like 120-130 in large pubs sometimes worse if it's really bad.