Gameplay limited to 60 frames per second when displayed in full screen.
Gameplay limited to 60 frames per second when displayed in full screen.
Hello there, I’m facing an issue with my FPS freezing at 60 frames when switching to full screen. I’ve noticed this with others online, but no solution has been found. Here’s what I know: I use a laptop linked to an external Dell monitor. The refresh rate is set to 120Hz. I’ve configured the display to show only two channels, which is my external monitor. Since they’re connected via HDMI, the setup seems correct. I’m running an NVIDIA graphics card and an Intel CPU. The problem happens every time I launch a game in full screen—my monitor briefly turns black for about a second before jumping back to 60Hz. When I switch to windowed full screen, the opposite occurs: the screen goes black for a second then restores to 120Hz. This affects all games I play, including multiplayer titles.
I’ve tried several fixes: turned off full-screen optimization for all executables, set in-game resolution to 1920x1080 at 120Hz, updated drivers and firmware, disabled VSync in Windows and NVIDIA settings, and switched to a different OS version. Still nothing works. I’ve checked forums, Reddit, Microsoft support, and Intel communities—everyone mentions the same issue with external monitors. It seems to be a known problem among users who connect external displays.
I’m hoping for a real solution that doesn’t require resetting my whole system. Any advice would mean a lot to me.
I’m working with HDMI 2.1. It functioned properly before the Windows 11 update. Also noted, performance remains unconstrained outside of full-screen mode.