How To Fix Fps Drops And Stuttering In Pc Games

That being said, the blame can’t be thrown entirely on the OS, as many similar situations are caused by other factors, which we will discuss below.

Why does my FPS keep dropping in games?

FPS is an acronym for Frames Per Second and, in other words, it is the frequency at which consecutive images appear on a display in 1 second. The term is used in gaming and the higher the framerate, the better the flow of the images on the screen. Low FPS is described by image interruptions and flickering. The causes of frame drops are usually associated with old or corrupted drivers, but we outline below all the most important ones:

Problems with drivers: The GPU drivers are probably the top troublemakers for gaming problems and FPS drops in particular. Overheating is causing the problem: You may have the right configuration for the game, but when the components start overheating, they start to decrease their performance. You can fix this by using laptop cooling software. Connection issues: If you’re playing the game online, it’s obvious that you will need an excellent connection with the game servers, thus your Internet connection speed is crucial in this regard.

Before trying any troubleshooting steps, our research suggests that you should first restart your PC. Make sure to try this before exploring the steps described in this guide.

How do I fix FPS drops in games?

Before starting any advanced procedures, you should:

Check if the Internet connection is running optimally. In most scenarios, it’s not about your bandwidth speeds, but rather the latency of the data package. Basically, the higher the latency, the worse the game performance. You can check your latency, on the Speedtest website. You’ll need less than 50 ms to enjoy the online sessions seamlessly. Ensure that the system requirements are met. To run the game and expect peak performance, you should concentrate on the column called Recommended requirements:

1. Change the game’s graphic settings

Not all graphics settings found in modern games will work for every configuration out there. So, if you have slight issues with your FPS drops, make sure to change the graphics options. Disabling Shadow Quality and Anti-aliasing is always good for starters. Also, the VSync option will considerably affect your GPU’s capabilities. Other settings like Texture Quality, Shader Quality, Particles Quality, etc. are other options that need to be set on lower levels to reduce the FPS drop levels. Try different variations until you find the one that optimizes performance and quality while keeping acceptable FPS levels. It all depends on your configuration and the ways the game is or isn’t optimized for that configuration. And sometimes even the top-notch PCs running a game will give you a hard time due to the badly optimized game engine.

2. Update the GPU drivers

2.1. Use Device Manager

If the Windows 10 Update feature forcibly installs another version, you can roll back the drivers and disable the automatic driver updating by following the steps above. This should fix FPS drops and stuttering in your favorite PC games. Do ensure that after you make the changes, you restart your PC and check if things work properly. We also have a very helpful guide that will show you what to do if Windows can’t automatically find and download new drivers. In case you want to faster and safer method to ensure that this situation doesn’t occur again in the future, you can also use specialized driver updater software to keep all your drivers up-to-date.

2.2 Check the manufacturer’s website

GPU drivers are a sensitive subject, especially on Windows 10 where the Windows Update feature manages drivers. Disclaimer: this program needs to be upgraded from the free version in order to perform some specific actions. Most of the time, the generic driver won’t suffice, and we are all well aware that even the top-notch GPU will fail miserably without the proper software support. In most scenarios, you’ll need the latest drivers provided by the OEM, but that’s not a rule. Some users resolved the GPU throttling and high FPS drops by installing an older driver’s version. So, sadly, you have to spend some time experimenting with the available drivers until you find the right driver for your GPU. These are the official support sites for major OEMs:

NVIDIA AMD/ATI Intel

How do I fix Nvidia FPS drops quickly?

If you’re using legacy GPU, make sure to install legacy drivers. It’s not of the utmost importance for those to support Windows 10. Sometimes they’ll work regardless.

3. Disable background programs

3.1. General applications

Certain background programs are known for resource-hogging, making them quite unwelcome while gaming. Disabling their respective background processes should improve the in-game performance and reduce FPS drops. Here’s the list of programs you should avoid while gaming:

VoIP programs like Skype Peer-2-peer applications like uTorrent Download managers Browsers (Google Chrome especially) Recording and live-streaming software

If you’re running a powerful enough PC, the majority of background applications won’t affect the framerate. The ones we enlisted are throttling your bandwidth which can be a problem, for multiplayer, connection-dependent games.

3.2. De-activate the Xbox Game bar

Our research suggested that the FPS improved after disabling the Xbox Game Bar in Windows. You can do that easily by following the steps above. However, you should know that some games use Game Bar for game invites so you might want to enable it back if you want to use the feature.

4. Modify the system’s power settings

5. Turn on the Game Mode

The Game Mode setting is turned on by default in Windows 10, but sometimes you can find it turned off for some reason. The simple steps above will help you easily turn on the Game Mode which will help you achieve a steadier framerate during your play.

6. Scan for HDD errors

If chkdsk is giving you headaches, check out our guide on how to fix chkdsk and go through with the scanning process.

7. Check the temperature of your system

Overheating. There’s no single hardware-related problem that is a bigger threat to your PC than this element. Since today we’re discussing FPS spikes and sudden drops, overheating is probably the biggest suspect for the issue at hand. SPONSORED Let’s imagine a common scenario: you start the game after the PC was idle, the game works great until some time, and then the FPS goes haywire. This is often due to the CPU and/or GPU overheating and thus underperforming. To self-preserve themselves under the intense heat and avoid malfunctions, the main PC components start working slower. Finally, your PC should shut down forcibly if the temperatures pass the allowed limits. So, for starters, make sure to acquire proper temperature monitoring software like CoreTemp. Above 90-95 degrees Celsius, you will start experiencing performance drops and, in the worst-case scenario, critical hardware damage.

What can I do to improve the cooling system and reduce the temperatures while gaming?

Firstly, you’ll need to get your hands dirty and clean the inside of your PC casing. The special focus should be on the exhaust and coolers. Additionally, replacing the thermal paste should be done regularly, especially if you’re an avid gamer. The paste that acts as a conductor tends to lose its functionality after a few months of usage, so make sure to apply a new layer accordingly. Furthermore, it doesn’t hurt to add some extra fans and improve the cooling of the unit. However, double-check the PSU capabilities before doing so. If you still get to experience the problem first-hand, we have an article on what to do if your laptop is overheating and solve the issue before it’s too late.

8. Defragment your HDD

As you might expect, the efficiency of how your hard drive works is another essential part that will certainly affect the overall gaming performance. A hard drive is probably the most prone to malfunctions, and it’ll, in comparison to a CPU or GPU, lose its initial performance values over time. This, of course, applies only to physical drives, not SSDs so if you have the latter, go past this solution. If you’re interested in improving the reading scores of your hard drive, you can invest in a good SSD. If you don’t want to use the defragmentation tool included with Windows 10, you can use alternative software. Take a look at this great list including our best tune-up utilities and choose the one that fits you best.

9. Reinstall the game

Finally, if none of the previous steps helped you by eliminating or at least reducing the in-game FPS, we advise you to reinstall the game. Clean reinstallation is always a viable solution, especially if you use third-party software to clear the registry inputs.

10. Turn off background slideshow

One user suggested that setting up a solid wallpaper gets rid of the FPS drop issue for games on their PC. This has notably helped several users fix the problem.

How to avoid FPS drops in games?

If you managed to fix the problem with the spike FPS drops, you might also take into consideration our tips on how to stay away from this problem in the future. ➡ Invest in a powerful GPU or choose the e-GPU route Having a good GPU installed on your PC is essential when it comes to gaming performance, but in some cases, it would be advisable that you invest in a powerful e-GPU device. ➡ Ensure that you stay on top of your PC’s maintenance This advice includes both the physical cleaning of any coolers and components, but also ensuring that the component’s connection is optimal. To go a step further, de-cluttering your hard drive is another important element, and you can do so with a variety of PC optimization tools. ➡ Run your games from an SSD As an SSD is endlessly more efficient at processing data than an HDD, investing in a good SSD will save you a lot of stress in the long run. As you can see, there are a variety of troubleshooting steps that you can try to resolve a high FPS drop while gaming on your PC. With the exponential growth of graphics and thus requirements when it comes to the latest game releases, even the most powerful PCs are bound to experience this problem at some point in time but following our advice will prevent it from happening suddenly, so you will be able to react accordingly. Whether it is about changing the in-game settings, or about investing in a GPU to take your gaming to the next level, there is always room for improvement when it comes to how we take care of our PCs. You can try using one of the best game booster software for Windows 10 PCs that promise to improve FPS and eliminate lag, but not even this tool can change much if the system capabilities are not up to par with the task, you’re throwing at it. We hope this guide has provided you with some useful information, and that it managed to help you resolve the high FPS drop issues once and for all. If you want to get in contact with us, or simply share your opinion on this article, feel free to use the comments section found below this guide.

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