The Question Game is experiencing suboptimal performance.
The Question Game is experiencing suboptimal performance.
Greetings,
The subject line indicates that I believe a factor is hindering the game's ability to fully utilize my computer’s capabilities when the window is active.
Specifically, I am presently engaged with the TH Beta version of Ascent: Infinite Realm. Initially, the game runs smoothly with consistently high frames per second – typically between 60 and 90 FPS. However, these frame rates steadily decline until they stabilize at approximately 17-22 FPS and remain at that level.
My system temperatures are normal, and I can confirm that there is no thermal throttling occurring in my hardware. Interestingly, when I switch to another application, the GPU performs at nearly 100% utilization, and in-game FPS significantly increases. However, immediately upon returning to the game window, those high frame rates drop back down to the previously observed range.
Consequently, I suspect that some element is obstructing the game/process from accessing my computer’s complete performance potential. Adjusting task manager priority has not resolved the problem, and I have configured both NVIDIA Control Panel settings for optimal performance and set up a dedicated game profile to maximize frame rates.
Here are my system specifications:
i5-6600k overclocked at 4.3 GHz
16 GB of DDR4 RAM running in dual-channel, overclocked to approximately 2999 MHz
Samsung 850 EVO M.2 Boot Drive
1 TB Hard Disk Drive
1 TB SATA Solid State Drive (where the game is installed)
Corsair CX650M Power Supply
Asus Z170-P Motherboard
GTX 1070 Graphics Card
Could anyone offer insights or potential causes for this issue?
You are experiencing thermal limitations.
Your processor is performing well and operating at its maximum speed.
However, excessive heat develops.
The central processing unit reduces its performance due to overheating.
It increases speed again when workload decreases, then decreases again as heat builds up.
Could you please describe your CPU cooler?
What is the temperature of your processor when it’s not being used?
I anticipate a temperature increase of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius above the room temperature.
What is your computer case and fan configuration?
If you remove the case panels and direct an ordinary fan towards the internal components, would this resolve the issue?
That’s perplexing. The issue appears to be thermal limiting, yet temperatures are within acceptable limits and the processing speed isn’t decreasing. All other games perform without problems, but only this particular game causes difficulties.
I'm using an Arctic Freezer i32 Air cooler and my case is a NZXT S340 with two beQuiet Pure Wings 2 140mm fans positioned for intake in the front and exhaust on both the rear and top. The case’s design includes an aluminum front panel that partially obstructs airflow, creating a gap of approximately 4-5 centimeters, which isn't ideal.
Currently, idle CPU temperatures are 28°C, motherboard temperatures are 19°C, and the GPU is currently idling at 47°C. During my most recent gaming session, the highest temperature reached was 73°C.
This peak temperature occurred after I left the game window, and GPU usage increased. During gameplay, the GPU maintains a temperature range of 60-65°C with a clock speed of 18xx MHz, while at idle it runs at 1518 MHz. Notably, when the GPU is idle at 47°C, the fans remain inactive. However, by forcing the fans to spin at 25% speed and allowing temperatures to stabilize for a few minutes, I achieve an idle temperature of 41°C.
When the game launches in the background, without being actively focused on it, GPU temperatures rise to 74°C with a frequency of 1911 MHz, dropping back down to 1885 MHz. This specific behavior is observed during the server selection screen, which runs at 180 FPS due to the game being in maintenance. Fan speed increased from 48% to 54% over a few minutes.
Considering this data and thorough investigation, it suggests that the GPU is experiencing thermal throttling. However, I’m curious about how a 40-50 MHz difference in GPU clock speeds results in a 40-50+ FPS discrepancy. I could try cleaning the GPU, replacing the thermal paste, or adjusting in-game graphics settings to see if these measures can prevent throttling. Furthermore, other games don’t exhibit overheating behavior, except for ArcheAge which previously caused issues after extended sessions.
Following my prior message, I’ve been occupied with maintaining my computer system. Dust levels have generally been minimal, aside from the air intake fan filter. I thoroughly took apart my graphics card, meticulously cleaned it, and applied MX4 thermal paste. Initially, idle temperatures began at 38°C, but subsequently settled on 46°C after a short period – indicating no noticeable enhancement.
Gameplay temperatures still climb to 73°C, and the clock speed decreases from approximately 19xx MHz to around 1898 MHz, resulting in poor frame rates due to a loss of roughly 20 MHz.
UPDATE: I ran the game for half an hour, and the clock speed dropped to 15xx MHz with temperatures reaching 50°C – equivalent to idle conditions, despite the game being active and in focus. As I noted earlier, when I switch away from the game, temperatures, GPU usage, and frequency increase, alongside a rise in FPS. Consequently, it appears there’s another problem: the game seems to cause the GPU to operate at a lower frequency while idle, leading to performance degradation because it’s running at its default speed.
If you’re experiencing difficulties with a single title, it probably indicates an issue within the game itself and a software update will be required. A preliminary version certainly suggests this. Gradual accumulation of errors in the code can eventually lead to resource limitations.
It is undoubtedly true that the game presently suffers from a memory issue and requires performance improvements.
Nevertheless, I am evaluating it against a configuration featuring:
Intel Core i7-7700K @ 4.20GHz
NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1080
32 GB DDR4
I’m striving to replicate this setup as closely as feasible. The CPU speed has been finalized and is operating reliably, though there’s a disparity in the graphics card, which could be lessened by adding an extra 150 MHz to the CPU core clock and 350 MHz to the memory clock, all while maintaining stability and staying within safe temperature limits.
I am presently lacking 16GB of RAM, which will be delivered on Monday; however, I suspect that the problems aren’t stemming from insufficient memory because the game doesn't utilize more than 4 GB of RAM, even with this existing leak. The system described above runs the game without any problems. Furthermore, I verified the NVIDIA drivers with the owner and we both utilize the most recent versions released on 05/09/19.