This model often experiences lag during gameplay.
This model often experiences lag during gameplay.
Hello everyone! This is an issue I've had for some time now... Basically, in games, I get random stuttering every couple of seconds where my FPS drops from nice 70-80 FPS ( Deep Rock Galactic on Low settings ) down to 14-15 FPS for half a second and then it returns to normal, and then again a stutter happens. I bought this laptop back in late 2019 and I don't really remember if it stuttered all the way since back then, but I know it stuttered for at least 3 years. I cleaned the inside of my laptop of dust couple of times, reapplied the thermal paste, I'm using a laptop cooler stand. The BIOS is the latest version. The RAM is mismatched tho. I had originally 8 GB and I added 8 more after the fact, but I don't think it's matched. I had issues with stuttering even before this, so ... Not all games stutter, in Hades or Hades 2, I can't notice it at all, maybe FPS drops sometimes but not by that much. Borderlands 2 and 3 stutter all the time. Counter Strike 2 was a nightmare to play. The laptop is Asus Vivobook S15 S532FL ( serial number K7N0CX04Y060291 ) and the specs are: These are some of the pics of Task manager, Afterburner graph, HWInfo during my Deep Rock Galactic gameplay: Based on the provided data, what could it be causing this issue? If you want some additional information, please let me know. Thanks to everyone for your help!
My prediction suggests the CPU is getting too hot. It could be worth replacing it or using a cooling pad. It might help to view the per-core performance during your game—click right-click on the graph and select 'change to' > logical processors.
I captured this image after about 20 minutes of gameplay once I exited the game. The 93 Celsius temperature appeared occasionally before the game began, not during actual play. I've been using a cooling pad for a year now, but it didn't make much difference. Additionally, last summer I replaced the paste on both the CPU and GPU, cleaned the fans, and the heatsink inside the laptop.
Intel's U CPUs feature a 15 Watt TDP rating. They were engineered by Intel to operate at maximum capacity briefly before automatically reducing speed to stay within the TDP limit. Based on different configurations, gaming results can vary significantly—sometimes stable, other times disappointing. Your HWiNFO display illustrates Asus' implementation. The Static PL1 power cap is set at 51.0 W, which should not hinder peak performance. However, Dynamic PL1 limits drop to a low 9.0 W under certain conditions, causing the CPU to throttle and slow down considerably. This often leads to noticeable drops in frame rates. To address this, download ThrottleStop 9.6 from the provided link. Launch the TPL window, verify the MMIO Lock setting near the top-right, and adjust the Speed Shift option. Uncheck the Disable Controls box to modify the MSR PL1 power limit—aim for around 25. Currently, PL2 is set at 51, which is acceptable. Your laptop's heatsink may not be sufficient for 51 Watts; consider lowering it if needed. Setting PL2 between 25 and 30 could be more practical. After adjustments, return to ThrottleStop, enable the Log File option, and play a game for at least 15 minutes. Once testing is complete, close the game and exit ThrottleStop to finalize the log file. Save this file in the ThrottleStop/Logs directory. Please include screenshots of the FIVR and TPL windows so I can review your configuration. Noticing that the MMIO Lock disables Dynamic PL1 and PL2 limits, these caps are intentionally used to prevent the CPU from exceeding its rated power. The Dynamic limits aren't required for optimal performance.
Great location! I hadn't considered the power constraints before.
Thanks for the advice. I followed your instructions and attached the log file and photos you requested. The screenshots were captured after a 20-minute Deep Rock Galactic session. The log file is listed below: 2024-07-17.txt. I noticed in the file that it merged with an earlier version—look for all activity after around 12:25. There was some stuttering, but it wasn’t as severe as it seemed; I’d need to play a bit longer to confirm. Also, I don’t have the cooling pad at the moment, which might affect the results slightly.
ThrottleStop indicates Windows core isolation memory integrity or another VBS-related feature is active. You might want to disable this safeguard. Adjusting it could boost gaming performance. https://beebom.com/how-disable-virtualiz...indows-11/ Restart and remove the existing ThrottleStop.INI file. Consider setting Power Limit 4 to zero in the TPL window, which may ease EDP throttling issues. When launching a game, your device switches between power limits, EDP throttling, and thermal throttling. It wasn’t built for sustained high CPU gaming loads. Experiment with different ThrottleStop settings to lessen these effects. Likely, you won’t be able to make your budget laptop gaming-friendly.