Issues with stuttering, reduced frames per second, and lagging performance in games
Issues with stuttering, reduced frames per second, and lagging performance in games
At first, both Apex Legends and Valorant were running smoothly. Then suddenly the PC started lagging. After checking, it was due to GPU throttling caused by the GPU overheating. I opened the case, replaced the thermal paste, and even swapped out the thermal pads since they were dirty. Once everything was cleaned and reassembled, temperatures stabilized. However, I still experience FPS drops and lagging in games where the screen freezes briefly. Over time, GPU temperatures began rising again, prompting me to disassemble it once more. After cleaning and reapplying thermal paste—including CPU paste—I turned on the system. Idle temperatures were around 45-48°C, but they increased to 51-52°C while watching videos. During a Blender render session, the maximum temperature reached 78-79°C, which seemed acceptable. However, after playing CS for about an hour and a half, I again encountered stutters and lagging, with the screen freezing briefly. I frequently checked temperatures on another monitor, which showed normal GPU readings. The peak GPU temperature was 74°C, yet I still experienced those stutters. When I opened MSI Afterburner, I noticed CPU usage spikes reaching up to 99%, then dropping back quickly—though these spikes weren’t visible in Task Manager.
I’m unsure whether the lags are caused by software or Windows issues, or if they stem from cooling or hardware problems. Also, when I first applied the thermal paste two days ago, I was surprised to find it dried out after that period. For an Idle GPU, normal temperatures should be between 48-50°C.
Why the hell does the motherboard model even count when I already know it's not the problem and I didn't touch anything in the BIOS? I'm not that clueless about what impacts performance. If you can't help, just don't... but please ask for really basic stuff. Like literally.
Here’s a revised version of your text:
I’m sorry for any trouble, but it looks like you’re familiar with the process.
😀
For Apex, my friend used that Steam Launch option command: -dev -preload -high +fps_max 0.
For Valorant, adding reflex boost and multithread rendering might help. You could try a more gradual approach—follow these steps carefully:
Disconnect from the internet
Uninstall the GPU driver DDU (clean it thoroughly and don’t restart)
Remove all processors via Device Manager (ensure there are 16, or ignore the prompt and click “No”)
Restart the PC through BIOS, then update to the latest BIOS version. After updating, return to BIOS and select default or optimized settings.
Power on Windows, install the newest AMD Chipset driver, restart, choose the AMD Ryzen balanced power plan, connect to the internet, and install the latest NVIDIA driver.
*Perform all these actions offline until you reboot after installing the chipset driver. You may need to reboot into BIOS afterward to set XMP settings and ensure RAM is installed in slots 2 and 4 if using dual sticks.*
Download any required files before proceeding, follow each step precisely, and then check for Windows updates (and optional updates) unless you’re doing an optional update. Also, enable Hardware Accelerated Graphics Scheduling in graphics settings (available in the latest Windows 10 update) and restart as instructed.