The performance of certain video games on my computer is severely poor.
The performance of certain video games on my computer is severely poor.
Several games, including Doom Eternal and No Man’s Sky, are experiencing significant performance issues, exhibiting very low frame rates. Other titles operate at normal speeds.
Doom Eternal: Typically delivers between 20 and 30 frames per second, occasionally dipping below 15.
No Man’s Sky: Generally achieves only 5 to 10 frames per second.
My system configuration is as follows:
GPU: GTX 1060 with 3GB of VRAM
CPU: i5-8400
RAM: 8 GB
Motherboard: H370 HD3
Notably, yesterday I successfully played these games at acceptable speeds with this hardware – consistently 60 FPS for Doom Eternal and stable, albeit slightly stuttering, performance at Ultra settings in No Man’s Sky. I initially suspected a recent driver update was responsible, but after restarting my computer today, the performance problems returned to their original state.
I am seeking assistance with this persistent problem, as I’ve spent considerable time investigating it without finding a solution.
Case solved.
I downloaded gpu-z and monitored the gpu stats playing games that run fine and that don't run fine. And it seems the Bus Interface was taking a lot of load in games that worked badly. That's when I realized that it was at (PCIe x 16 3.0 @ x1 3.0). Using only 1 out of 16. So I cleaned up the dust and re-seated my GTX 1060. Now it takes 16 out of 16 links. All issues resolved after that. Yay!
Initially, I recommend launching CPU-Z, Benchmarking Tool, and Stress CPU for a period of 20 minutes. Simultaneously, monitor system performance using HWMonitor (which you should also install). Record the processor’s clock speeds and temperatures observed during this 20-minute duration. Our objective is to identify thermal throttling, a phenomenon where the CPU automatically reduces its operating frequency—potentially reaching 800 MHz—and consequently diminishes performance by 70-80%. To ensure accurate results, disable all nonessential cloud storage services and irrelevant applications before testing. If you are utilizing only 8 GB of RAM, remember that this effectively halves available memory bandwidth.
Thermal readings are as follows: 0°C (32°F) – Package, 87°C (188°F) – Core #0, 86°C (186°F) – Core #1, 86°C (186°F) – Core #2, 87°C (188°F) – Core #3, 87°C (188°F) – Core #4, and 86°C (186°F) – Core #5. Clock speeds are 3789.78 MHz for all cores.
(Data obtained after a 20-minute stress test.)
I suspect my processor is functioning correctly. When I play the specified games, 3D/rendering reaches full capacity, resulting in a drop in frames per second – this is unexpected. I also scanned my computer for malicious software to rule out any potential problems.
Yesterday, prior to the improvement in frame rates, I attempted to run two games simultaneously on separate monitors. During this process, the primary game (X4 Foundations) encountered an error that forced it to close; I’m unable to recall the precise nature of the issue, but it appeared to be related to graphics. I then ran No Man’s Sky and Doom Eternal a few hours later.
Thank you for your assistance.
The problem was fixed.
I used GPU-Z to check my graphics card's performance while gaming, noting which games ran successfully and which did not. It appeared that the Bus Interface was experiencing a significant amount of activity in the games with poor performance. This led me to identify that my GTX 1060 was only utilizing one out of sixteen PCIe lanes, which was causing the issues. After removing dust and reinstalling my card, it now fully utilizes all sixteen lanes. Consequently, all previous problems have disappeared. Wonderful!