Troubleshoot FPS drop when gaming

[RoboMan]

Briefly explain your current issue(s)

For example, when I play League of Legends, I start with 35 FPS where I usually have 200, and those 35 fluctuate and drop down to 12. And when moving the camera around, the video of the game lags a lot, like it struggles to show the content. It's not a fluid camera movement.

When this happens, and I alt+tab to the main system, the system itself is laggy and takes forever to do basic stuff (took like 6 seconds to open Task Manager). Upon reboot, system usually is alright and League may or may not perform well for a single game, then hell unleashes again.

Steps taken to resolve, but have been unsuccessful

What I've tried:

• Update and reinstall graphics driver
• Update all other drivers
• Check the laptop was connected
• Check if enery saving mode was ON
• Check power saving options
• Update the game
• Update the OS to the latest W11 build
• Check for high temperatures
• Change the thermal paste

I'm trying to avoid having to reinstall the OS.

Your current Antivirus

Kaspersky Standard

Morning y'all, I hope you're doing alright and can help me.

I own this gaming laptop: Showcase - RoboMan's Gaming Laptop 2022

CPU Intel Core i5 10500H
GPU RTX 3050 4GB
RAM 16GB (DDR4 2667 MHz)
Storage 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Security software installed: Kaspersky Standard and SysHardener.

And since a couple of weeks back I'm experiencing significant FPS drop and overall horrible system functionality from time to time.

 

[brambedkar59]

That sounds like game is running on iGPU and/or running out of RAM.

Edit: Also, have you checked VRAM usage?

 

[RoboMan]

That sounds like game is running on iGPU and/or running out of RAM.

Edit: Also, have you checked VRAM usage?

Thanks for the suggestion. Tonight, I'll install AfterBurner and check RAM and VRAM usage in-game.

As for which graphic unit it's using, I checked Device Manager to make sure the dedicated GPU was recognised and working and it is. Now I can't tell if when the game starts it's using the integrated graphics. How can I check which one it's using?

 

[stonjean633]

Maybe it's throttling either cpu or gpu for temps. Try cleaning the fans or use blower to get dust off

 

[stonjean633]

Thanks for the suggestion. Tonight, I'll install AfterBurner and check RAM and VRAM usage in-game.

As for which graphic unit it's using, I checked Device Manager to make sure the dedicated GPU was recognised and working and it is. Now I can't tell if when the game starts it's using the integrated graphics. How can I check which one it's using?

Simply use task manager after the game starts. Youll see dGPU and iGPU there and will give you an idea if the load went up

 

[KnownStormChaser]

In NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D settings:

Power management mode = Prefer maximum performance.
Preferred graphics processor = High-performance NVIDIA (for LoL.exe).

In Windows Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Browse add LoL.exe and set “High performance” (NVIDIA). Also set RiotClientServices.exe and related executables to High performance.

Set Windows Power Plan = High performance (Control Panel → Power Options). In advanced settings, set PCI Express → Link State Power Management = Off, Processor power management Minimum processor state = 100% while testing.

If you still have issues, roll back and clean-install GPU driver with DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode, then install NVIDIA Game Ready driver: use Custom → Perform Clean Install. Reboot.

 

[lokamoka820]

I was checking my news feed and came across this article, hope it helps.

Stabilize Frametime in Windows for the Best Gaming Experience - Make Tech Easier

Play with less stutter and more confidence. Learn how to track and stabilize frame time in games for a smooth gaming experience.

www.maketecheasier.com

 

[Zero Knowledge]

CPU Intel Core i5 10500H
GPU RTX 3050 4GB
RAM 16GB (DDR4 2667 MHz)
Storage 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Security software installed: Kaspersky Standard and SysHardener.

And since a couple of weeks back I'm experiencing significant FPS drop and overall horrible system functionality from time to time.

If you were playing the latest AAA+ games I would say your 10500H/3050 is the problem but your playing LOL so it shouldn't be a problem with your hardware.

Last resort I would restore SysHardner to defaults just in case it's messed with some settings, and I imagine your running Kaspersky in gaming mode?

In other words I'm not sure why your seeing a drop in FPS. Sorry don't play LOL myself.

 

[cartaphilus]

Morning y'all, I hope you're doing alright and can help me.

I own this gaming laptop: Showcase - RoboMan's Gaming Laptop 2022

CPU Intel Core i5 10500H
GPU RTX 3050 4GB
RAM 16GB (DDR4 2667 MHz)
Storage 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Security software installed: Kaspersky Standard and SysHardener.

And since a couple of weeks back I'm experiencing significant FPS drop and overall horrible system functionality from time to time.

4gb or ram is sadly insufficient in today's games. In the past vram was used here and there and not really that significant. However since the advent of raytracing etc games are becoming more and more reliant on GPU ram. Sure you got system ram however system ram DDR4 etc is optimized for CPU I/O whilst video ram DDR7 or 8 is optimized for linear algebra and matrix manipulation. If you were to replace system DDR4 with GPU DDR7 chips then you would experience a massive PC latency issues. The same goes when GPU ram is insufficient and starts swapping with system ram.

Reduce resolution, turn off ray tracing, reduce voxel amounts and allow the shaders to precompile fully. If need be force the shaders to recompile again.

Then run a system stability test, testing both Vram and System ram. If your Vram is faulty then error correction will grind the game to a half.

Finally check the number of ROPs that your GPU has and compare it with what it should have. Nvidia had some yield issues in the past resulting in GPUs being released with reduced # of ROPs. Tools like GPUz or Cpuz should show you the number.

 

[RoboMan]

This is still an issue up to this day. I've even performed some undervolt in hope of sacrificing performance for temperature. It's been of no use. It's definitely a temperature problems, since I've checked that after one League of Legends game the CPU runs at 98°C and the GPU at 87°C.

I specifically bought thermal paste Artic MX-4 and asked for a technician to change it some months ago, but the temperature never dropped. I'm starting to believe he never actually did the job. I just bought an Artic MX-6 which is suppossed to be a bit better, and am planning on changing it myself this week.

There's no other explanation rather than thermal throttling. It's not a software issue, since the problem persisted after a clean Windows install.

The interior of the laptop is clean as it can be, the fans work alright. Sadly, MSI blocks a lot of functions and it's not possible to force the fans to spin at higher speeds. Also, I've elevated the back part of the laptop so that the hot air can dissipate more efficiently. But it didn't change the temperatures.

Will come back to you guys after I've changed the paste.

 

[Zero Knowledge]

Artic MX-4

It's been awhile since I applied thermal paste but there are better options than Artic MX-4 that run much more cooler!

For Fan Speed try this

Download FanControl - MajorGeeks

FanControl is a highly-customizable portable Open Source GPU and CPU fan management utility. Control almost every aspect of your machine's fans through an easy-to-configure and use interface that offers a variety of features that will help keep your machine's GPU and CPU fans running at optimal...

www.majorgeeks.com

Also for GPU tweaking which may help in your case

https://www.msi.com/Landing/afterburner/graphics-cards

Sorry if you tried any of this, just trying to help!

 

[RoboMan]

It's been awhile since I applied thermal paste but there are better options than Artic MX-4 that run much more cooler!

For Fan Speed try this

Download FanControl - MajorGeeks

FanControl is a highly-customizable portable Open Source GPU and CPU fan management utility. Control almost every aspect of your machine's fans through an easy-to-configure and use interface that offers a variety of features that will help keep your machine's GPU and CPU fans running at optimal...

www.majorgeeks.com

Also for GPU tweaking which may help in your case

https://www.msi.com/Landing/afterburner/graphics-cards

Sorry if you tried any of this, just trying to help!

Thanks for the help!

As for Fan Control, I've already tried this one and several other apps. MSI just doesn't give access to fans. This will be the last time I buy such brand.

And as for AfterBurner, I've tried it too, along with ThrottleStop, to undervolt the CPU. Sadly, undervolting and overclocking in MSI is also very limited due to MSI's factory design. I could only do so little and it didn't help bring the temperatures down

 

[Zero Knowledge]

Hmmmm I'm out of words. Sounds like you have tried everything. The only thing I could think of is a custom BIOS, but I don't think people make them anymore.

The only other thing I can think of is Liquid Metal thermal paste if that is still a thing (been awhile), but you have to be so so careful other you will ruin your PC/Laptop.

 

[stonjean633]

Intel got TjMax of 100-105c. If it's 98c on gaming, then it's really throttling. Just do a clean tbe processor then repaste. Also monitor the Fan RPM if it's running on max or maybe it's not on gaming. The GPU is still ok as far as temp goes as the max temp could be around 93c up before it throttles.

 

[SHvFl]

Something is probably blocked and heat cannot escape. Take it to a shop to put in in pieces and remove all "dust" from all place front and back of motherboard and then re-paste everything. Your device didn't magically become terrible. Something is blocked.
Sure, is an old device but you going from 200 fps to 35 is not normal for LoL.
That is if you were happy before the thermal throttling. If not, time to replace and stop wasting money on it.

 

[brambedkar59]

As for Fan Control, I've already tried this one and several other apps. MSI just doesn't give access to fans. This will be the last time I buy such brand.

I am pretty sure most laptops will behave like this, not an MSI issue. I can confirm with ASUS, HP and DELL laptops.

This is still an issue up to this day. I've even performed some undervolt in hope of sacrificing performance for temperature. It's been of no use. It's definitely a temperature problems, since I've checked that after one League of Legends game the CPU runs at 98°C and the GPU at 87°C.

I specifically bought thermal paste Artic MX-4 and asked for a technician to change it some months ago, but the temperature never dropped. I'm starting to believe he never actually did the job. I just bought an Artic MX-6 which is suppossed to be a bit better, and am planning on changing it myself this week.

There's no other explanation rather than thermal throttling. It's not a software issue, since the problem persisted after a clean Windows install.

The interior of the laptop is clean as it can be, the fans work alright. Sadly, MSI blocks a lot of functions and it's not possible to force the fans to spin at higher speeds. Also, I've elevated the back part of the laptop so that the hot air can dissipate more efficiently. But it didn't change the temperatures.

Will come back to you guys after I've changed the paste.

How much power (W) CPU/GPU are using when running game? Use Hwinfo64 (sensors only) while runing the game and check the graph (by double clicking on any value, it will show a graph).

 

[RoboMan]

I am pretty sure most laptops will behave like this, not an MSI issue. I can confirm with ASUS, HP and DELL laptops.


How much power (W) CPU/GPU are using when running game? Use Hwinfo64 (sensors only) while runing the game and check the graph (by double clicking on any value, it will show a graph).

Around 50-70%

 

[RoboMan]

Interesting update: it's summer here. We've been having temperatures around 35-38°C. A couple of days ago, the temperature of the city dropped to 25°C, and my laptop didn't overheat. I was playing at 97°C CPU and 87°C before, but this day dropped to 82°C CPU and 78°C GPU.

I'm not sure if this means that replacing the thermal paste would drop the extra degrees in hot days, or if it means I just need a cooler room to play in.

 

[stonjean633]

Did you test it after installing new thermal paste? Usually it requires curing time like 2 hours. Then it's a good time to check

 

[cartaphilus]

Get a laptop chiller; basically a set of fans that the laptop sits on and helps to suck the hot air out.

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www.officedepot.com

and if you are running at 98c then it means that the laptop shoots up to TjMax and then downthrottles to 98c by cutting power/performance. The TjMax is hit in a less than a second for it to downthrottle so it won't be shown on the temp control however it will be shown on HWInfo.exe app under MAX temp's.