Help! FPS decreases every 60 seconds in Path of Exile
Help! FPS decreases every 60 seconds in Path of Exile
Please watch the video linked below of me running path of exile just for an example of what I'm experiencing. The beginning shows my graphics settings, which was recommended to me to use via Nvidia GeForce Experience. In the video you'll see the FPS and MS graphs near the top right of the screen.
Here are my PC specs:
MB - MSI Z370 Pro
CPU - Intel Core i7-8700K
GPU - Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080
PSU - Corsair RM1000X Gold
RAM - 48gb DDR4 2400
Storage - Samsung NVMe 980 2TB
Video Link:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYa834TIW8Q
I have gone through many different troubleshooting methods on my own from various other posters online which include the following:
Changed Renderer to Vulcan
Changed Renderer to DX12
Turning VSync ON and OFF
Lowered all of my graphic settings to minimums
Changed networking mode to Lockstep
Changed networking mode to Predictive
Disable Engine Multithreading
Disable Threaded optimization in Nvidia Control Panel
Updated all drivers with CCleaner & GPU driver with Nvidia GeForce Experience
Ran SFC System File Check
Checked Disk Health
Reset TCP/IP
Updated BIOS
Ran CCleaner Professionals Health Check, Performance Optimizer, Driver Updater and Registry Check
None of the above options have fixed my FPS drops. If you watch the video you'll notice as my FPS drops, Shader is spiking, my CPU MS rises and the MS above the FPS rises (I'm not sure what this MS represents) as FPS drops. It's also very interesting that it is happening exactly 1 minute apart from each other.
I saw a reddit post talking about this sort of thing possibly being an audio issue. They recommended running a software called 'LatencyMon' to test if your computer has issues handling real-time audio. I fail this test with my PC set up. It says it could be a power management problem, or my drivers need to be upgraded or my BIOS needs to be updated... however I am not sure because all my drivers are up to date and I double checked my BIOS is up to date as well and my PSU is brand new. I bought and installed a Sound Card as well as this was suggested as a fix in this particular reddit thread. The sound card did not fix the issue for me and I still fail the LatencyMon software test.
Any thoughts? I am at a loss as I don't see how my system should be dropping frames with this game...
I'd be happy to share my DxDiag as well but it's over 100,000 characters and doesn't let me post it under spoiler, is there another way to share that info?
Try a clean boot and observe if it alters the outcome — follow the guidelines carefully and ensure no Microsoft services are disabled or Windows won’t launch properly.
This method doesn’t remove files, it simply halts non-Microsoft applications during startup, which is straightforward to undo by restarting.
If this resolves the issue, it likely points to a problematic startup program.
After identifying the culprit, consider updating drivers directly from the manufacturer’s website rather than depending on third-party updaters.
Try performing a clean boot to check for changes – follow the guidance carefully and ensure no Microsoft services are disabled or the Windows won’t load properly.
This method doesn’t remove files, it simply halts non-Microsoft programs during startup, which is straightforward to reverse.
If the clean boot resolves the issue, it likely points to a startup program. Over several restarts, restart the stopped applications to pinpoint the culprit.
Updating drivers might help, but it’s better to visit the manufacturer’s website and download directly rather than depending on third-party updaters that may not be accurate.
Latencymon can be entertaining. Could you share screenshots of the report and all tabs when you finish the process?
Often the issue lies with drivers. Try narrowing down which one might be causing it.
You can download Driverview here: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html
It only checks installed drivers; it won’t install new ones (this is intentional since third-party updaters sometimes fail).
When you run it, switch to the View tab and hide all Microsoft drivers – this shortens the list.
Now it’s up to you: review the drivers, search for outdated versions, or take a screenshot including driver name and creation date.
Upload the image to an image-sharing site and share the link here.
shader is running on the GPU, but the CPU spiked before the shader started, possibly due to shader compilation. This caused a high CPU load before the GPU took over. The CPU was running at 54ms per frame, while at 60fps it should have been around 16.6ms. A longer delay means lower FPS, and in this scenario, processing took about 3 seconds (54 divided by 16.6 equals roughly 3.2 seconds).
This was the first step I took after returning from work. Once I turned off everything except Microsoft services, I stopped having spikes every minute. I then enabled each non-Microsoft service individually to identify the cause, and it seems an NVIDIA service is responsible. It’s surprising that an NVIDIA service would be the issue, especially since I’m using an NVIDIA GPU. I’m unsure whether this service is necessary or if I should remove it from my system. Since I’m running an NVIDIA GPU, I’m worried about potential problems if I leave it on. I’m still restarting my PC and checking other services to confirm the problem, and I’ll update my post once I’ve tried all your suggestions. Thank you for helping—I felt relieved to know the spikes weren’t due to a hardware fault. I might consider installing a fresh Windows version if I can’t resolve this soon, as it would affect some legacy programs I need to install and activate.
It seems this problem has persisted for more than eight years for some users. Do you know the reason behind it? I think there are people who can use GeForce Experience without facing this issue. I'm just relieved I was able to resolve it temporarily... Thanks a lot, Colif! Your guidance helped me identify the problem, and I wouldn't have been so stuck without your troubleshooting tips.