GTA 5 becomes impossible to play on top-of-the-line computers.
GTA 5 becomes impossible to play on top-of-the-line computers.
I have a setup with an R5 5600x, an RX6700 XT, a Seasonic 750 PSU and a ROG B550 motherboard. The system is brand new and runs games smoothly at 1440p with stable temperatures. However, GTA frequently stutters, freezing the game for about a third of a second. I've adjusted all settings from minimum to maximum without improvement. The only fix was enabling Vsync at half speed, but I prefer 165 fps over lower frame rates with input lag. Is there a way to resolve this issue? Windows seems clean with AV turned off and drivers updated. What might be the cause?
Check your GPU temperature readings. You might want to use GPU-Z for monitoring. Run GTA briefly and capture a screenshot of the GPU-Z tab. Your observation about sudden FPS drops and "rubber banding" suggests possible thermal throttling. It seems the GPU might be adjusting its speed when it reaches a temperature cap, then resuming normal performance.
My temperatures are in the high 50s (edge temp), which is acceptable. Other games don’t show similar problems. When Vsync is off, Radeon Software overlay displays GPU utilization dropping from 95% to 0% and then back up to 95%. I observed a significant increase in RAM usage when Vsync was enabled, suggesting it might be limiting the GPU performance. My system has 32GB RAM at 3133MHz CL16. I ran Memtest several times without errors, indicating no hardware faults.
GPU temperatures during partial load stay in the low 50s? Are you using a custom loop or special cooling solution? Could it be a stock cooler? Please install GPU-Z, run GTA for a while with it open and capture a screenshot. Something seems off. Most modern GPUs typically reach high 60s to low 80s under full load, starting throttling around 90°C. At 50°C max under load, it raises red flags. I suspect your actual package temps might be way higher than the reported readings, leading to unexpected throttling at 50°C instead of 90°C.
I own the Sapphire Pulse cooler with a high-performance fan design, operating above 2000 RPM in a well-ventilated case. The card runs at around 79°C under load. Your temps aren’t the issue, nor are the GPU or CPU speeds. It seems the problem might lie with RAM. Interestingly, forcing the game to 60 FPS without Vsync still causes performance drops, suggesting Vsync could be the culprit.
Would you like a light joke about GPU-Z? I’ve seen this before because the GPU cooler wasn’t properly aligned. The issue is that your readings show a large gap between the package temperature and the actual hotspot, which can cause erratic thermal throttling. This might look just like the sudden frame drops you’re experiencing. Without checking both the hotspot and the package temperatures together, it’s hard to say if the problem is real. Your GPU will slow down based on the hotspot heat, not the overall package temps. If your GPU reaches 100°C under full load, it could mean the hotspot is getting extreme spikes that force an abrupt clock reduction. This would produce the same sudden drops in performance you’re seeing. If the difference between package and hotspot exceeds 10–20°C, there’s likely a hardware concern with the cooler or mounting. Besides the hotspot, VRAM overheating could also be the cause, as it might throttle when data transfer speeds drop too much. In any case, these readings are important to compare for accurate diagnosis.
I checked my 5800x/3080 Ti rig with GTA 5 and it stuttered. It worked without issues on my i9 9900k/3080, i9 10900k/3090 or the i7 8086k/2080 machines. In my first attempt to fix it, I enabled VSync and it disappeared. Since 4K at 120Hz is fine for me, I didn’t go further. The other game that stuttered on the Ryzen was Horizon Zero Dawn, and VSync also helped.