One specific game (Starcraft 2) has low FPS, can't find bottleneck ?
One specific game (Starcraft 2) has low FPS, can't find bottleneck ?
Hello everyone, new to the forum but have been trying to find a solution for my issue on this platform for several days now. I haven’t found a response yet, hoping someone can assist me. I’ve been playing Starcraft 2 quite often but took a month-long break before returning. Now, my FPS is extremely low (around 1 FPS) once the game starts with a lot of units on the field. Other games that are more demanding on GPU and CPU (like Elden Ring, Cyberpunk, etc.) work perfectly, which makes me think my SC2 settings might be the problem. I’ve checked all the in-game settings, but they don’t seem to fix the issue. I usually set everything to high except a few medium, and it always worked before.
What I’ve noticed:
- My CPU and GPU temperatures are only 45-55°C, whereas they were usually 70-80°C during SC2 play – that’s unusual.
- My computer is configured for maximum performance in the NVIDIA control panel and on Windows 10 (my laptop is connected).
- My internet connection shows “Excellent” in the game, and I haven’t changed my plan or location; speed remains consistent.
- The NVIDIA control panel settings for SC2 appear normal.
- I ran several antivirus scans and found nothing suspicious.
- All drivers are up to date, and Windows 10 is installed.
- I downloaded Restoro and ran it through my system, but no changes were made.
- Using Task Manager, there’s nothing under the performance tab indicating stress or high usage during 1 FPS gameplay.
- I installed CPUID HWMonitor, which shows CPU #2 running at around 80-95% (rarely reaching 100%), while others stay below 30%, especially during SC2. Since SC2 is a 2-core game, I’m wondering if this could be the cause. But why am I experiencing this now suddenly, unlike before?
- My laptop details:
- Model: Acer Predator Helios 300
- CPU: Intel i7-8750H @ 2.20GHz / 2.21GHz
- RAM: 16 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
- Game runs on the SSD included with the laptop.
If you have any further information or suggestions, it would be really helpful. I’m really frustrated and would appreciate any advice. Thank you for your time.
I confirm the operating system version I'm using is Windows 10. Regarding my laptop, it's running the most recent BIOS update. I might need to uninstall and reinstall the GPU drivers using DDU, then follow Nvidia's support site instructions for manual installation. During the reinstallation, please run it in an elevated command prompt—right-click the installer and select Run as Administrator. Also, try reinstalling the affected game to see if it improves the situation.
I'm also curious about the amount of free space available on your SSD overall and where you obtained the game installer.
Type graphics into your search bar and proceed to settings. Ensure "sc2" is included in the list; if not, add it and verify it's set to high performance, utilizing the NVIDIA card otherwise using the IGPU.
Thank you for your responses. I plan to test these tonight and check if they resolve my problem. Regarding the BIOS, I have Insyde Corp. V1.19, version 7/13/2018, installed on my Predator PH315-51 system. The available BIOS updates don't reference performance improvements, so I didn't expect that to be the cause, though I will still attempt it. My Windows version is 10, build 21H1 (OS Build 19043.1645). The main SSD where the game and installer reside has 25.4 GB free out of 237 GB total. The installer is automatically copied to x86 program files. Concerning the graphics settings, I haven't adjusted them and none of my games appear in the list, so I believe the system will default to my Windows and NVIDIA high-performance settings. I will give it a try.
I have attempted all the previous recommendations, but the problem continues. Regarding the GPU reinstall, I didn’t reinstall Geforce Experience, as it seems to often lead to complications for many users. I also updated my BIOS to the latest version.
Additional details I discovered:
I chose to start several different games to check for performance problems, and one game stood out—Cyberpunk. It had an unusual issue where three out of ten boot attempts gave extremely low FPS, with no high usage. This started right away, even affecting the loading screen, which was slow and unstable. The remaining seven attempts worked normally on my system. I’ll include screenshots from MSI Afterburner if they might be useful (though I haven’t found any specific rules there).
Cyberpunk normal performance:
https://postimg.cc/grJJ58Gs
Cyberpunk strange performance:
https://postimg.cc/JyM7QBTb
SC2 low FPS again:
https://postimg.cc/q6hp7cRd
So I finally figured out the fix to this. Not sure how to close this thread as "solved" but here is what worked for me:
Step 1:
Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options
Removed High Performance Plan, Switched to Balanced Plan and reset to defualt settings
Step 2:
- Device manager, click scan for hardware changes
Step 3:
- Restart computer
Not entirely sure why this worked but it did. Hopefully will work for others if they experience the same issues.