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I have a new Windows computer that is not running any game properly. I already reformatted it because the Windows it came with was full of manufacturer trash. I installed all drivers from manufacturer sites and stopped the superfech perfech thing and also changed the Windows power settings to max performance, used cache dumping programs, Ccleaner, stopped Windows Defender and Windows Update and defragmented the HDD but I'm still facing stuttering in every game.

The stuttering is like, its at 120 fps super smooth but suddenly goes to 10 then back to 120 then 10 then 120 every 30 secs, which makes everything unplayable. In games that allow forced max FPS I force it to 30, but still stutters. I have a Intel i7 8th generation, 8GB ram, Nvidia MX 150 4GB GPU and 1TB WD Blue HDD. It's fairly decent and should be running most modern games at least on low, but even super optimized games like GTA, and old games like The Sims 1 and Minecraft stutter for some reason. What should I do?

By the way, if I go to task manger, I see that the Nvidia GPU is only being 5% used, I don't even know if that has something to do or what not. It has an Intel chipset that it treats like a video card but it stays at 0% usage forever. HDD is only 100% at startup, after 2 minutes it goes to 2% or 3%.

Timmy Jim
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Rafael Augusto
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    I don't know much about NVIDIA's non GeForce cards, but the MX150 doesn't seem like the powerhouse card you're claiming it is? – nightsurfer Jul 22 '19 at 13:44
  • its not a beast but it is supost to run gta v in medium acording to will i run it – Rafael Augusto Jul 22 '19 at 14:07
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    You should check temperatures to make sure you're not thermal throttling. – Roijan says reinstate Monica Jul 22 '19 at 14:08
  • Never thought of that. Will try to do so. – Rafael Augusto Jul 22 '19 at 14:10
  • Hi, Rafael. Do these hiccups also occur in programs that don't use the video card? Could you do a benchmark here? I assume you updated the drivers of your dedicated GPU, but did you do the same for your onboard graphics card? – Joachim Jul 22 '19 at 16:27
  • So you have an i7.. which one? Also, agreed with others, the GPU isn't great. The GPU in my budget gaming PC built in 2015 compares favorably against that card... – Steve-o169 Jul 22 '19 at 17:46
  • @joachim I will try to do this benchmark. Steve, yes it is not great. I already accepted that i bougth a pc that is not for gaming. Should have gotten the dell g3 or something alienwere, but now i have to deal with it. – Rafael Augusto Jul 23 '19 at 10:05
  • that MX150 sounds awful. I've read it's like the mobile version of the 1030. I seriously doubt you can do any gaming of quality on this. – Smock Jul 23 '19 at 15:00

3 Answers3

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Without proper diagnostics, there is very little anyone can do aside from wild guesses and "Did you already try ...?".

That being said, here are some pointers that may help you find the correct solution:

  • Your assertion that CCleaner is in any way related to performance is false. It doesn't increase performance at all.
  • The MX 150 is a notebook graphics card, and was not designed for good performance, but rather for delivering acceptable performance with low impact on heat and power usage. Because most people don't play GTA V on a laptop with a low-end GPU.
  • Speaking of heat, notebooks are known for having terrible heat conductivity. Try installing an application like MSI Afterburner and measure the temperature. It might be that your GPU is at something like 85°C and to avoid overheating, it throtles down to preserve itself.
MechMK1
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  • Thank you for the answer. I just put Ccleaner there becouse i saw in a blog on pc optimizing and thought it may be nice to mention that. – Rafael Augusto Jul 22 '19 at 14:17
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    @RafaelAugusto Keep in mind a lot of PC blogs are of questionable technical knowledge and just churn out what other blogs with just as little knowledge are writing. In general, PCs don't need to be optimized. If there was a simple setting that would make everything better for everyone, then that would be the default setting in 95% of the cases. – MechMK1 Jul 22 '19 at 14:19
  • Ok. will keep that in mind. – Rafael Augusto Jul 22 '19 at 14:21
  • https://www.geforce.com/hardware/notebook-gpus/geforce-mx150 It doesnt look that bad. – Rafael Augusto Jul 22 '19 at 14:38
  • @RafaelAugusto Manufacturers will always claim that their product is the best for everything. Look at this benchmark of the GTX 1050 vs. the MX 150. The GTX 1050 is the current gen, low-end desktop GPU, so a solid baseline for any dev to target as a "medium setting". As you can see, the MX 150 delivers almost half the performance. – MechMK1 Jul 22 '19 at 14:54
  • @MechMK1 Yeah, I've seen it's more like a 1030 for mobile. – Smock Jul 23 '19 at 15:05
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Are you actually using your GPU?

Open your Task Manager and look at your actual GPU load. This tells you whether your Integrated GPU or NVidia GPU is being used. Your Integrated GPU is part of the CPU and doesn't have a separate monitor, but your dedicated GPU does.

I've had programs where the drivers did not use the correct default GPU and end up trying to run on the Integrated GPU, lowering performance. There are settings within the NVidia control panel that controls this.

Details are from https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/pc-components/how-set-default-graphics-card-3612668/

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Nelson
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  • Hey thank you for answering the question. I actually was running the games with the integrated card not the nvidia one. I get nice frame rates now. This was an old question and I fell kind of dumb it took me a long time to figure this out by myself, but thanks anyway. – Rafael Augusto Jan 15 '21 at 05:55
  • @RafaelAugusto It's a learning experience for everyone, don't feel embarassed. – MechMK1 Jan 19 '21 at 14:40
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The problem can come from various sources: GPU driver, CPU stutter, dying HDD, general overheating problem, etc.

GPU

You should first ensure that you have the latest drivers for your GPU. In either case, a clean reinstall might solve the problem, be sure to select the "clean install" checkbox to remove the previous driver's configuration. If that doesn't solve your problem, you can also try doing that with an older driver.

CPU

Sometimes Intel's TurboBoost can cause stuttering, so you can try to set the maximum CPU speed in your power management settings to 99% instead of 100%, which will prevent TurboBoost from kicking in. Just go to the Control Panel > Power options > [your current battery plan] Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings, then in the list find Processor power management > Maximum processor state and set both values to 99%.

Overheating

Appart from TurboBoost, your computer can also overheat from dust build up, so it's a good thing to clean it up every once in a while. If you can open it, you're golden. Just grab a can of compressed air and blow on your fans/heatsink to ensure the airflow is unobstructed (you'll find videos on how to do it on youtube if you're afraid of breaking something). A simple straw might work too, just be careful not to spit in your computer by accident. If you cannot get it open, try to blow air through the vents and openings to get most of the dust out.

Of course, check if your warranty is still valid before opening it, as doing so may void it.

HDD

FPS loss can also happen when your hard disk is under too much pressure or dying (downloading/installing game updates in the background can be too much in some cases, thanks Steam!) Since the disk usage doesn't seem to be that high in your case, it means that your hard disk might be failing. In that case, back up your data as soon as possible and replace the hard disk.

LawPion
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