Low lag on a decent computer while playing games
Low lag on a decent computer while playing games
I've been experiencing unusual FPS drops recently while playing games like CSGO, GMOD, and Insurgency. My system runs a GTX 970, FX 8350, with 8GB RAM and a 1TB hard drive. I haven't overclocked anything and have owned the GPU and CPU for just a couple of years. This issue started a few months ago but has clearly impacted my gameplay now. Someone could help me resolve this frustrating problem.
Keep MSI Afterburner running quietly in the background and observe if spikes appear during FPS drops. Determine if the changes are random or if external factors are involved.
In addition to what cdsboy2000 mentioned, open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc and navigate to the Performance tab to view CPU, RAM, and disk usage. Also, note that a completely full hard drive can significantly impact performance, so ensure it isn't the issue.
Sageofspice would suggest verifying your DPC latency. If you previously experienced no issues and now encounter them, consider these possibilities: A. All games updated at once affecting your machine; B. You altered something inappropriate and now face consequences; C. Updated drivers failed to cooperate; D. Partial component failure. First, inspect the HDD and drivers—they often cause minor glitches without a full shutdown or blue screens. If those don’t help, check how smoothly visuals appear in an optimal setting. Download Furmark and perform a stress test. Issues with the NB, HT Link, or RAM speeds will show as erratic visuals—like a spinning doughnut instead of smooth rotation. This signals instability that can affect performance and frame rates. While I’m not deeply familiar with game engines, it appears certain titles are more sensitive to minor changes. On my system, Dragon’s Dogma runs smoothly, but launching Space Engineers or GTA IV would crash early. Watching for these spinning patterns is a good way to catch potential problems before they escalate.