Game runs with just 2gb of VRAM (Uncertain about why FPS drops)
Game runs with just 2gb of VRAM (Uncertain about why FPS drops)
I'm discussing the performance of Cyberpunk 2077, and I have many questions about how the game runs. I'm using an MSI laptop with an Intel i7-9750H processor, a GTX 1650 GPU (4GB VRAM), and 8GB of RAM.
While playing, I experienced 30-45 frames per second at the lowest settings in 1080p. My GPU was consistently at 100% usage, and the CPU would blink between 50-90%, but I didn’t notice any bottlenecks—no thermal issues either.
I tried increasing the resolution to see if it would help. Initially, I dropped it gradually without noticing a boost in FPS, then lowered it further to 720p, which still gave me low FPS. After that, I reduced it to 1280 x 768, but the screen content remained unclear. My GPU usage was at 50%, and both CPU and GPU performance seemed normal, even at 1080p. Still, my FPS stayed around 30-45 without improvement.
The game appears to be struggling with rendering, making it look like a blurry mess, and I’m unsure why the frame rate isn’t increasing. My main concern is whether this issue is related to my graphics card or processor, or if something else is affecting performance.
I’m wondering: if it’s not about the power of my GPU or CPU, what does FPS actually represent in Cyberpunk 2077? I’ve seen stable 60 FPS in Witcher 3, which seems quite good for a game of that complexity.
Is VRAM the issue? I suspected it because the system requirements suggest at least 3GB of VRAM minimum. However, my game only uses 2GB. Why is it not utilizing more? Should I be concerned? Or is this just a bug in the development that needs fixing? Can I try to increase the VRAM usage? (If VRAM is the problem, why isn’t it helping?)
Drivers are up to date.
DxDiag report: https://gofile.io/d/5s6dwG
Thanks for your help.
It seems the Nvidia card might not be active. Open the game and then Task Manager. Move the bar at the bottom of Task Manager all the way to the right to view the GPU column. You should notice your game running on a different GPU, such as Chrome or Firefox.
Vram consumption remains at 2gb even at 1080p resolution. I should have noted that earlier in my post. At the lowest settings, FPS drops to 30-45 and 2gb of memory is active. Even according to HWMonitor, GPU usage is around 50-52%. The issue seems to be that it's using the same amount regardless of resolution.
I'm puzzled as to why it doesn't utilize more resources or why FPS doesn't improve despite the game appearing sluggish. I recently realized it might be using additional RAM, possibly shared between the GPU and other components, while I was only monitoring the GPU's VRAM. Could this be the cause?
Could there be a way to check total RAM usage, not just VRAM?
Lastly, if it isn't related to VRAM, what could be the reason? A game that can't render more frames and consistently shows FPS drops even on adequate hardware. Lowering graphics and resolution helps, but the GPU usage only drops to 50%. The CPU isn't struggling. What's really happening? I just want to see more frames rendered.
I think this problem is specific to Cyberpunk; I can maintain stable 60fps in Witcher 3 low-med settings, but Cyberpunk seems more demanding. Still, it doesn't fully explain my situation.
I believe it's related to the game itself; the issue appears limited since I can run 60fps on other titles. Today, when I played my FPS, it worked smoothly at 1080p low resolution, which seems unusual. So if you're facing the same problem, it probably means you'll just have to wait for updates.
It seems the Nvidia card might not be active. Open the game and then Task Manager. Move the bar at the bottom of Task Manager all the way to the right to view the GPU column. You should notice your game running on a different GPU, such as Chrome or Firefox.