New
#1
Unusually low FPS in games and can't understand the cause.
Hello,
I'm writing as I've recently had a big reduction in performance in games, down to even 6 fps. This is happening even with games I previously could play fine. DOTA 2 still runs fine, but isn't the most demanding title. I've tried a few things but not sure on the cause and so writing here for help with troubleshooting and things to try.
Example games and observed fps:
- DOTA 2 - works fine with 60fps (maximum for my screen).
- Dark Souls III - down to very low fps around 10fps but fluctuates. Get kicked to offline mode as fps is too low.
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps - around 12fps in the main menu and ~6 in-game, at the start.
OS information:
Windows 10 Home
Version 21H2 (OS Build 19044.1348)
So far I've tried the following:
- Restarted my laptop as this has been happening for a while now, perhaps two weeks.
- Getting latest Windows updates (but not cumulative update preview KB5007253).
- Reinstalling NVIDIA driver, with the clean install option. I'm on driver 425.31 which should be the last one for my GPU - GeForce GTX 880M (old and not supported anymore).
- Checked if games were using the NVIDIA GPU or not and manually set to use it in NVIDIA's control panel.
- Had a look at frames and GPU performance using Windows' game bar overlay and HWinfo. Seems like GPU remained at ~50°C and <50% utilisation showing low fps like 6 or 12 in games and even their menus. HWinfo showed the performance limit being utilisation.
- Checked laptop's power plan in Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options\Edit Plan Settings and then 'Change advanced power settings'. Plan is Power4Gear high performance, where processor should be at 100%, but no change (and can't seem to be able to change the plan to something else?).
- Rolled back some Windows updates, tested games and now back again to latest updates.
- Scanned pc with Windows Defender and Malwarebytes.
- Reinstalling games, and verifying their files in Steam.
Haven't tried:
- Resetting Windows version or reinstalling OS
- Opening my laptop to get access to the motherboard, fans and cables (not very quick or easy to do on my model). Laptop internals were however cleaned earlier this year. Issue didn't occur after putting it back together but is more recent.
I'm not the most tech-savy person, I've tried having a look online and trying a few things but think this is beyond me. I'd appreciate some help or other ideas of things to check and try.
Thanks in advance