Very light overwatch gameplay on a GTX 1080 graphics card
Very light overwatch gameplay on a GTX 1080 graphics card
I've noticed consistently low frame rates below 60 fps in Overwatch across all settings. This issue seems to have started recently, and despite having fresh drivers, clean installs, and stable temperatures (CPU/GPU usage normal, temps under 65°C), the performance remains poor. My hardware specs are a mid-range CPU (i7-6850K), GTX 1080 EVGA Superclocked, 32GB RAM. If anyone can shed some light, it would be greatly appreciated.
When devices are overclocked—especially GPUs or CPUs that aren’t optimized—the performance drop can be much worse than what you’d see with default factory settings.
I didn't increase the speed because I didn't realize I'd require it.
It seems your graphics configuration might be the issue. You mentioned a clean install, but did you complete it via the official NVIDIA installer or using DDU? I suggest using DDU version 17.0.7.9 to ensure a proper uninstall before reinstalling the drivers. Also, open the NVIDIA control panel, choose "adjust image settings with preview," and set the slider to the leftmost position for optimal performance. Check power plan options—preferably high performance. If FPS remains low, it could be due to overly aggressive settings in Overwatch. For better results, try setting resolution to 100% scaled and disable all other settings except textures at high detail and models at high quality.
I installed GeForce Experience and haven’t tested the NVIDIA controller yet. I’ve looked into power settings and there don’t appear to be any on my desktop. It’s unsettling since I spent $700 on this card, and Overwatch is running at 20-50 FPS. It works smoothly at 144 Hz for a while, then drops significantly. My issue isn’t that the graphics card can’t hit 144 Hz—it’s not powerful enough. The problem seems to come from somewhere else.
Uninstall the GeForce drivers using DU, after that reinstall them. When installing, choose Advanced or Custom install and leave all options except Nvidia graphics drivers unchecked. Avoid installing GeForce Experience or HD audio drivers—it can hurt performance on high refresh monitors. After installation, open the Nvidia control panel, pick "adjust image settings with preview," and drag the slider to the left for better performance. If issues persist, tweak your game settings accordingly.