The laptop initially slows down for five seconds, then becomes responsive, and later experiences another lag.
The laptop initially slows down for five seconds, then becomes responsive, and later experiences another lag.
I face an issue with my Lenovo ThinkPad L440. When running any application—even basic ones—I get a consistently smooth 60fps performance. After a short period, however, the frame rate drops to around 15-20fps and then returns to normal for about five seconds before repeating this pattern. This happens regularly. The problem isn’t limited to games; it also occurs when using Windows or browsing the internet.
System details: I’m using Windows 10 version 1903 (OS Build 18362.239). My laptop features an Intel Core I3 4000M processor at 2.4GHz, Intel HD Graphics 4600 with 4GB DDR3 RAM at 1600MHz, and a 466GB HDD as the main drive.
What I’ve tried: I checked GPU usage via Task Manager and saw a spike in GPU activity whenever FPS dropped—like when a game used 55% of the GPU during smooth play, then surged to 99% and caused lag. I also noticed that after a few minutes of normal use, the lag started consistently. While playing Far Cry 3, GPU usage reached near 100%, yet lag persisted. I adjusted power plans and set the graphics plan to Maximum Performance, but nothing resolved it. Also, I’ve kept the laptop plugged in while gaming, but I’m unsure what’s triggering the issue.
Need guidance—help is needed!
It might relate to RAM usage. You seem to be playing games on integrated graphics, which could cause thermal throttling. Checking temperatures or investigating their impact on performance would be helpful. Please let me know your temperatures and any changes you've noticed.
Well, um, the laptop isn't powerful enough for what you're attempting to run, right? This screenshot is quite helpful—it displays CPU and memory usage, which are nearly full, while the GPU is consistently at its maximum. That’s likely the cause of your problems, even if it's not 100% utilization all the time. There will be noticeable delays in games due to background data handling, which is normal but can affect performance. To improve things, you should reduce settings and especially the resolution (if adjustable). If not, lowering the framerate to around 30 frames per second might help some titles run smoother. I usually opt for lower resolution to get better performance and smoother gameplay, though it may depend on what you're playing.
I wasn’t aware you could upgrade the CPU... so I assumed boosting RAM wouldn’t make much difference... but both could work. Still, I’ll start by adjusting the settings and lowering the resolution to check for any improvement. Reducing the resolution should also cut down RAM usage, shouldn’t it?
I made some adjustments and managed to secure sufficient available RAM. After testing the low-spec browser game, it started lagging every five seconds. It ran smoothly at 60fps. Here are the temperatures: when I tried the high-spec game on maximum settings, it performed extremely well but began lagging after five seconds. Checking the temps revealed that CPU temperatures hit 100°C each time it lagged. At that point, the CPU clock dropped from 2.5GHz to just 700MHz, confirming thermal throttling. I’ll need to explore cooling options. Thanks for your help!