Issue with throttling and reduced frame rate consistently across all games.
Issue with throttling and reduced frame rate consistently across all games.
Dear readers,
I’m experiencing significant frustration when trying to play any game, especially FPS titles, which suddenly drop after about seven minutes of play.
For example, GTA 5 with medium settings runs smoothly for the first ten minutes, but then performance plummets sharply, regardless of location in the game. Battlefield 4 on medium settings maintains over 60 FPS and remains very stable until around seven minutes have passed.
I’ve tested lowering all settings to minimum, yet the issue persists—only before the system starts throttling does it perform well. Even with older games that run easily on a Pentium (like Drift City), I still face drops after roughly ten minutes.
I checked my hardware temperatures closely, suspecting possible underclocking due to heat. Under heavy load, the CPU reached about 91°C and the GPU around 81°C. I used compressed air to clear dust from the fan and heatsink (on a laptop), but the dust reappeared quickly. Temperatures then rose to 78-83°C for the CPU and 70°C for the GPU.
I suspect this is normal for laptops under stress, yet performance still suffers. I’ve adjusted my 3D settings via Nvidia Control Panel to the recommended maximum performance mode. My hardware is original, but I installed MSI Afterburner to slightly overclock the GPU, hoping it would ease CPU strain.
Interestingly, after applying the settings, the game crashed within five minutes of launch. A tip online suggested enabling Kboost through an MSI Afterburner skin to lock GPU values, but this didn’t help.
I’m puzzled by these fluctuations and wondering what I can do. While a 81°C CPU temperature might not be catastrophic, it’s clearly affecting performance noticeably. My question remains: why does this happen with such older games after just ten minutes? And why do my GPU clock readings differ so much from the stock values in Afterburner?
Thank you for your understanding.
I wouldn't suggest overclocking the GPU in the situation you mentioned. You'll likely gain more from lowering its voltage slightly.
Many laptops have the GPU set to a lower voltage, often referred to as "Max-Q." This helps them run more smoothly and can improve performance.
Be careful not to experiment without guidance; check for instructions. However, it's possible that under-volting won't help much, especially with an older laptop GPU that has only 1 GB of VRAM.
Thank you for your prompt response. Adjusting the voltage isn't possible within MSI Afterburner (greyed out). It seems the settings are locked by default. I believe the GPU is 12 years old, but I don’t feel the need to push it to its limits since it ran games like GTA 5 smoothly with high FPS initially, before performance dropped. The system specs look fine, but something might be causing the CPU or GPU (or both) to slow down. It’s unclear what’s happening.
I still find it odd that MSI Afterburner shows default clock values of 475 and 900, while the card actually runs at 600 and 900 by default.
EDIT:
Just to confirm, I searched for my card with "475mhz" and found another user confused about the existence of 600mhz versions. So it seems my earlier comment was unnecessary. The default clock values are correct. Now I realize the GPU might be weaker than expected, yet it still manages to handle the games at high FPS.
I notice numerous complaints regarding gaming laptops underperforming.
Typically, they run while connected to a power source.
A frequent issue is thermal throttling.
Laptop coolers are often compact and lightweight by necessity.
They also tend to be relatively weak in power handling.
If you open an application like HWMonitor or HWinfo, you’ll see the current, minimum, and maximum CPU temperatures.
For Intel processors, a maximum of 100°C indicates throttling.
The CPU will reduce its clock speed and power consumption to safeguard itself until conditions improve.
With a lower multiplier, your CPU usage might actually reach 100%.
What can be done?
Check first that your cooler’s airflow is unobstructed and the fan is operating.
Use Windows balanced power profile instead of performance mode.
Set a minimum CPU performance level around 20%.
It may seem unusual, but consider adjusting the advanced settings of Windows Balanced Power Profile to a maximum of 90% rather than the default 100%.
You might not immediately notice the slight drop in performance.
Thank you for your detailed response.
I have come to believe the problem is related to thermal throttling.
Following your advice, I set all power options as recommended.
When I launched Battlefield 4 on a busy online map, the game remained stable at between 42 and 50 frames per second, even with many effects and players. After roughly 20 minutes, my CPU and GPU temperatures climbed to 95 degrees. From that point on, my FPS dropped to around 27. Once cooling occurred, FPS increased slightly to about 35, but then fell back to 27 again at 95 degrees.
It seems the temperature keeps rising and causes the system to throttle to lower it temporarily. I might need to replace the heatsink—there appears to be a slight bend in one of the tiny lines/frames, which could be contributing to the overheating?
I’m also considering trying a different thermal paste.
Thank you for your help!
Temperatures can’t be ignored when using laptops for gaming. It’s important to monitor the temperature at key moments. Laptops, particularly with their thinner designs, still struggle with effective cooling. Temperature management was a key factor in Nvidia’s Max-Q development, helping maintain stable temps and frame rates. Unfortunately, your setup doesn’t allow you to adjust GPU voltage. If you still want to keep it, disassemble the unit carefully, clean it well, and install a quality laptop cooler underneath. Many helpful tutorials are available on YouTube for disassembling popular models, including less common ones.