It seems like you're wondering if your processor is being overclocked.
It seems like you're wondering if your processor is being overclocked.
I want to be honest from the start—I'm still getting familiar with PC hardware and software.
To sum it up, I played The Witcher 3 on my PC for a while and everything worked smoothly at medium-high settings. Then it stopped functioning properly for a week before resuming. Now the game feels sluggish, unresponsive, and takes a long time to react to keyboard and mouse inputs.
I adjusted the graphics settings and even tried reverting the video card driver back to the one that worked well before. Neither change helped. So I figured it wasn’t related to my graphics card.
I posted a question on Steam asking for advice, and someone offered guidance about checking if my CPU was overheating. While running HWmonitor during gameplay, they pointed out something unusual—my system was showing signs of a major overclock. They suggested resetting the BIOS settings to default, adjusting memory configurations, and setting my SSD as a boot option.
I tried those steps but didn’t notice any improvement. The game still ran slowly and had noticeable lag.
I’ve looked at other online solutions, but they didn’t resolve the issue. I’m really unsure what to do next. If anyone could review this thread and help me figure out the problem, that would be a huge relief.
My system details:
OS: Windows 10 64 bit
Processor: Intel core i7-8700 3.20GHz (12 CPUs)
Video card: GeForce GTX 960
Memory: 8GB RAM
Steam discussion:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/292030/di...620115423/
It's difficult to pinpoint the specific overclock he refers to. I've reviewed the CPU-related notes in the files you provided, and they seem accurate. The maximum multipliers listed doesn't surpass a 46 multiplier, which is appropriate for your CPU.
He identifies himself as an AMD user, but that doesn't necessarily indicate a lack of understanding about Intel CPUs. Many people have extensive knowledge of both, so perhaps the values he flags as problematic might not be entirely incorrect. The CPU temperatures in your "after gaming" file are also quite good, with the hottest core reaching 59°C.
I went through the thread you linked, but it seems he hasn't defined clearly what constitutes a significant overclock. At first, he mentions the standard clock frequency range for your i7 8700 CPU, then claims his CPU can't reach that speed. However, unless he's using an identical CPU, this statement isn't meaningful. Current Intel and AMD CPUs have different boost patterns, making direct comparisons challenging.
I'll re-examine the logs; maybe I overlooked something obvious. After initial review, though, it's hard to tell what the other person is referring to.
In my view, you should explore other sources to understand the cause of the stuttering you're experiencing.
XMP for your RAM is currently disabled. You didn't specify the type of RAM, but that's the only setting that stands out as unusual.
Ok, what do you think I should do? Do you have any idea what seems to be the problem, the thing that suddenly caused the game to stutter? Because I've tried a lot of things, including changing the BIOS settings to default - you can see here (
https://filebin.net/6cgfienw2isx7jn8
) that the settings were not at default state beforehand, and that by changing to default the CPU Fan Profile went from Turbo to Standard, if that's supposed to help in my situation.
Thanks a lot for replying.
I checked the BIOS settings you referenced earlier, and they seem acceptable. I saw that CSM Launch Mode was turned off. As long as Windows starts in UEFI mode, that shouldn’t cause issues (and if it didn’t start in UEFI, you wouldn’t be able to boot at all, so everything should be fine).
XMP is also disabled, but you didn’t mention the RAM type or model. Unless you adjusted any BIOS settings just before you started experiencing stuttering in The Witcher, it probably isn’t directly related.
In general, default settings can often be improved with a few manual tweaks, though you should still have a working system at this level.
I’m sorry I couldn’t provide a solution, but I do know about The Withcer—most people say you can make it look great with mods.
So rather than leading you down the wrong path, I think it’s safe to say someone on these forums might have better insight.
At first, I was just trying to get your post noticed because I’m not familiar enough with the exact issue you’re facing.
But the files you shared don’t match what the person on Steam reported.
EDIT:
You could try sharing full system details—motherboard (make and model), RAM (make and model), power supply (make and model), graphics card (make and model), storage devices, etc.—any extra info will help with troubleshooting.
If you don’t know the exact power supply unit, take a photo of the label on it that lists the name and specifications. The motherboard should recognize it via CPU-Z or HWInfo, and you can also find RAM details there.
My RAM maker is Kingston, and the 'DeviceLocator' is ChannelB-DIMM1. I wasn't sure what you were asking, but I found this information online about how to identify RAM models and how to proceed. Thanks anyway for assisting a helpful stranger.
Also, should I share this on PC gaming since we know the issue isn't related to overclocking?
It might be hardware-related, so don't worry about the part you shared. If it's incorrect, a mod can update it for you.
Gathering the most accurate information is crucial since hardware could explain your issues. The more details you provide, the better the assistance you'll receive.
If you're unsure about the exact PSU, look at your case and take a photo of the sticker—it usually lists the name and technical specs. The PSU's age, brand, and model can help determine if an older or faulty unit is the cause.
The motherboard should display compatible details in HWInfo (the one you already use). You'll also find RAM information there, not in the Sensors section.
How much space do your SSD drives occupy?
Have you made any significant changes to your system recently?
Have there been any new developments regarding The Witcher? Are your modifications (if applicable) still working with the latest main game release? Could a recent patch have caused issues with some of the mods? My friend, who plays the game frequently, often mentions concerns about updates and compatibility problems with mods. That’s why I’m seeking clarification.
I'm not using any mods. For your next response, I'll wait until later this evening or tomorrow since I don't have the time at the moment (I think you're in the US, which is about 7 to 10 hours ahead of me).
Thanks a lot for your help!
I'm in Denmark, in Central Europe, so I'm not sure what the time difference means. But I really hope someone else can share their thoughts on what could be causing this.
Currently, I'm mainly focusing on asking questions that usually provide useful details when fixing things, so others who see your thread have good information to base their advice on.
Right now, I'm running out of ideas except for disabling your graphics drivers via Display Driver Uninstaller in Windows safe mode, then restarting and installing the latest driver. Fingers crossed someone more experienced will quickly spot the problem.
I'm from Israel so that's a 1 hour difference.
I've already tried uninstalling the graphic driver, through the uninstall program in the control panel. I then installed multiple drivers, including the latest one, the ones before that, the one that was installed when the game ran fine.
But aside from stuttering, I've come across some really weird things (that didn't happen before) like AIs getting stuck in walls and the ground, and enemies behaving weirdly, like bird monsters flying around their tales in circles instead of attacking me.
It's like the game is just dumber, so I guess it's a problem with the processing and not the graphics, although you could better tell what component is tied to the problem.
A solution I still haven't tried is just reinstalling the game, although I don't think that that will work, but I'll try it this night.
I'll try and upload the things you requested later.
Thanks.