Conducted testing in World of Warcraft to identify FPS problems.
Conducted testing in World of Warcraft to identify FPS problems.
Hello everyone, this is just a note about my testing process for what might be causing my low FPS in World of Warcraft. If there’s a clear solution, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Otherwise, I’ll keep exploring.
I play World of Warcraft often, at a very high difficulty, raiding at least three days a week for about three hours each session, plus time to prepare and collect items in between. Since I’m aiming for the toughest content, maintaining a consistent FPS is essential. My setup includes a powerful computer, which I thought would handle the load.
The problem I’m facing is navigating through a capital city where visual demands are minimal, yet my FPS drops to between 90 and 20. Given my high-end hardware and three 1080p monitors, I initially suspected VRAM limitations from using three 3GB cards. However, since I only use the middle screen for WoW and rely on other screens for productivity (Chrome, Mumble, Ventrilo, etc.), the issue seems different.
I checked my GPU usage during raids using GPU-Z and Afterburner, but found that both GPUs were under 2GB at most—so VRAM wasn’t the main concern. I then examined the GPU itself to see if it was the culprit. Reports varied: one GPU hit 76% usage, the other only 36%. This suggests possible optimization issues in WoW, though I’m not certain.
Next, I plan to test other games to confirm if similar performance drops occur. Even if my SLI isn’t functioning perfectly, I won’t be at full capacity (never reaching 80%).
Later tonight, I’ll check RAM usage and CPU load while playing, but I’m not sure those are the main factors.
Playing three days a week for three hours isn’t that tough. Method raids six times weekly, spending 12 to 14 hours daily. Probably wouldn’t be ideal for Wow, so consider turning off SLI. Also, remember WoW is more demanding on the CPU than you realize.
The issue revolves around Warcraft, not personal performance. At the time of buying, I had top-tier hardware and still found Warcraft FPS underwhelming. I'm hoping for better optimization to fully utilize my system in WOD. Regarding SLI, I've noticed solid scaling in recent regions like Panadaria, though load distribution across GPUs can be inconsistent in older areas. I haven't seen GPU usage exceed 50%—it's typically around 35%. CPU usage remains under 20% consistently.
The schedule is demanding but manageable. Being outside the top guild doesn’t stop me from playing hardcore. My raid time is about 3 days a week for 3 hours daily, and I log more than 9 hours weekly outside raids. Being in the top 200 in the US is achievable with this routine. I don’t focus solely on my job or college life—my main goal is to dominate current content and be among the first 200 in the US. I plan to disable SLI and test performance, especially CPU usage, since that’s what caused a big FPS jump from my old Intel processor. Switching to the newer 4670k improved my gameplay significantly. I’ll experiment with SLI settings and monitor CPU load to see if it reaches maximum usage.
I want to experience 144 frames per second. I plan to buy a 144Hz G-Sync display, so I need to see these rates to fully benefit from it.
You might notice those figures everywhere, but maintaining them during raid boss battles isn't possible with any hardware, especially not in Pandaria. If you manage to figure it out, let me know—I'd be really impressed. I play on three monitors, so it won’t be the same for me.
I anticipate a lot here. Yet I'll try my best to be as accurate as possible.