Full processor load, significant performance drop in PUBG following Windows 10 reinstallation
Full processor load, significant performance drop in PUBG following Windows 10 reinstallation
Hi there, I’m facing some CPU issues after reinstalling Windows. The main trouble shows up in the game PUBG. Before the update, everything ran smoothly at around 160 frames per second. Now, whenever I launch the game—whether on a map or during training—it suddenly spikes to 100% usage across all cores. During training it works perfectly at 160 fps, but after a short while the frame rate drops drastically to 20–30 and the game becomes very slow. Sometimes it even freezes completely. In normal play, when I reach the lobby it takes a long time to load textures, the performance plummets, and the FPS swings wildly between 30 and 150 without being steady.
In the Task Manager, Tsi.exe (the game’s executable) uses about 90–95% of the CPU. My hardware hasn’t changed much: I still have 3200MHz 16-core processors, but the old ones were 8+8GB and the new ones are 16+16GB. All drivers are up to date, and the BIOS is current. I’ve reinstalled the game, tried Steam, performed a clean Windows install, and nothing resolved it. Temperatures are normal—CPU stays around 65°C at full load and GPU about 70°C.
Interestingly, before the Windows update, all cores ran at their maximum boost (4300MHz). Now they’re only at 4100MHz in Performance mode. I’ve also used a new 850W PSU from Seasonic, but it didn’t help. My GPU is an RTX 3070 and has been showing green artifacts after about a week of use, which eventually caused loading issues. It worked fine when I replaced the old one.
I’m unsure if this is connected to the driver changes or Windows settings, anti-cheat software, firewall, or something else. I’ve tried everything and still have no solution. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Usually a new Windows setup should resolve any issues (provided it's not a hardware fault), but since you've already done this, I understand your annoyance. Regarding the Windows installation, did you perform a complete fresh install—starting from a USB drive, removing existing drives and rebuilding from scratch—or did you run a repair or upgrade? Repairs and upgrades often fall short compared to a clean install. When performance drops, use the Windows Task Manager to identify what's keeping your CPU at 100%. Is it PUBG.exe (or another game process) or something else? If it's different, try terminating that specific process and see if it helps. If the relevant .exe file is essential for the game or system, a crash or crash-to-desktop might occur, but it’s worth mentioning.
Windows restarts using a flash boot. The Tsi.exe file runs most of the time, only 5-10% handles tasks like battleeye.exe, Steam, etc.
If this happened after a Windows 11 upgrade, I’d think it was due to an AVX offset (likely around -2) in the BIOS, but I didn’t realize it impacted Windows 10. If you’re not familiar, AVX instructions can boost performance when used by the CPU, but they often cause overheating, so most motherboard BIOS settings include an AVX offset (typically -2). Windows 11 ran some background tasks using AVX, which usually reduced clock speeds by about half. It’s possible your BIOS is adjusting clocks based on detected workloads. You might want to check your BIOS for any offsets and reset them if needed. Also, consider setting power limits to maximum in the BIOS to ensure your CPU can reach its full capacity. Just monitor temperatures closely.
Maybe it wasn't crucial, but I wondered why you reinstalled Windows. The only thought that crossed my mind was you might want to check ISLC. https://www.wagnardsoft.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1256 (follow the guidance)
I haven’t updated the windows since I first assembled my PC (around six years ago) and it began to feel sluggish with lots of issues, though games still worked well. I also upgraded to a newer GPU and added more RAM. However, after reinstalling everything, the problems returned. I experimented with mixing old and new components, but nothing changed, so I restored it to its original state—just more RAM now—and I’m trying to resolve the issue before swapping the GPU.
I attempted that ISLC but it didn't resolve the issue. There seems to be excessive CPU consumption without any cause. When I start the game, the processor usage begins around 20% and gradually rises over a minute until it fully saturates the CPU, as shown in the image.
I've tested Mafia DE, Cyberpunk, Baldur's Gate 3 and similar versions without issues. I don't have any software that reads temperature data. Even when I disable MSI afterburner, nothing has changed. It seems the problem might be related to priority settings or firewall exceptions. I'm not sure how to resolve it.