Please let me know what you need help with.
Please let me know what you need help with.
Wolfenstein: The New Order, Star Wars Battlefront, and Source Engine titles from Valve. My PC specs include Windows 10, an i7 4790K CPU, a MSi GTX 780 TI with 3 GB VRAM, an MSi Z97 board, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, 850W PSU, a 500 GB SSD and a 2 TB HDD. I’m using an ASUS VG248QE monitor connected via DVI cable (144 Hz, 1 ms response).
In Wolfenstein, the game behaves poorly even at high settings—FPS hovers between 45 and 58, while Bethesda’s intro logo stutters below 20 FPS. Without adjusting settings, it becomes nearly unplayable. In Star Wars Battlefront, I encounter “artifacts” in character customization—green, red, and yellow shapes appear around faces when helmets aren’t worn, reappearing quickly. The chat window also freezes after a single message. I experience stuttering in Valve titles if installed on HDD, but not on SSD. Sonic Adventure 2 freezes the entire screen, turning it black for 10–20 seconds, though music and sounds continue. I’ve shared code dumps with SEGA, who couldn’t reproduce the issue but identified a GPU error.
I built this system expecting better performance than a console, but my own machine struggles compared to friends with weaker hardware. I’m exhausted from these ongoing problems and feel defeated. Please, help me—anyone here can assist?
I use a 4790k and GTX980 to achieve smooth 1080p at over 60fps. It seems the GPU could be malfunctioning—consider switching drivers.
Is the issue still occurring when you adjust the refresh rate to 60Hz? If it continues, it may indicate a faulty GPU.
If possible, I'd take a friend's GPU to check its performance then. Alternatively, you could run the 780ti on another machine. One of my friends has a 780 and can run those games at much higher settings with better FPS, suggesting a RAM problem. Also, it's unlikely, but you might try adding 16GB of RAM.
Use CrystalDiskInfo to inspect your HDD's S.M.A.R.T. status. Run a synthetic test such as Unigine Valley, compare your results with other 780 Ti models, and monitor CPU and GPU temperatures during the test. If everything looks normal, uninstall your drivers via DDU and install the newest versions.
Thanks for your prompt reply! I’ll give it a shot with some of your tips and let you know how it goes. I’ve noticed my games run smoothly at 1080p 120fps on ultra, but these particular titles have been slow and frustrating. Sega support confirmed the issue is with the GPU after some troubleshooting steps. I also reset the whole rig and cleared the GFX drivers from GeForce Experience, yet the problems remain. I’ve adjusted the refresh rate to 60Hz, but the issues still appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Wolfenstein. It seems these games might be affected by other factors as well.
It might be related to a defective GPU, HDD, or power supply unit. Have you checked your performance against similar setups? The FPS numbers during startup are usually misleading—they can spike or cap due to static pages. Sometimes only 1–2 frames per second appear because the interface is idle. If your HDD causes noticeable lag versus an SSD, run some disk tests. Black screen followed by recovery often points to driver issues. Update or downgrade drivers might fix the problem. Is the GPU running at overclocked speed? Edit: I was writing this while you were posting. The best approach is to isolate components one by one. Start with the SSD, then test the HDD. If that doesn’t help, move on to the PSU and verify power draw during gameplay. Benchmarking the GPU against others can clarify if the issue lies there. It’s common for faulty cards to cause these problems lately. Let me know if this assists.
Set up MSI Afterburner, restart your system, navigate to settings, select the monitoring section, verify GPU metrics—temperature, usage, clock speeds, fan data, CPU stats, RAM consumption. Ensure all indicators appear in the on-screen display. Open the On Screen Display tab, map keys, run the games you mentioned, and toggle the display to the top left. Test the performance by playing through the titles and observe any irregularities. After completion, capture your Afterburner graphs and share them here for analysis. Good luck!