5 Tips to Fix FPS Drop That Plagued When Playing PC Games
A significant drop of frame-rate could destroy your gaming experience, especially when playing high-paced games like Overwatch or DOOM Eternal. Unfortunately, there is seemingly no single answer to why this could happen and how to fix it.
FPS drop is a common problem and there are plenty of ways to solve it. In this guide, I will share with you some tips I discovered that often, if not, always fix FPS drop on any PC games.
So, let’s get started!
#1 Reduce graphics settings that might choke your system
Know your limit. You might found yourself playing comfortably at 60fps all the time but then at a certain point the FPS fall below the playable level. It could be there are some parts in the game that really demanding and your system can’t keep up with that.
This mostly happens in a dense area where there are tons of geometrics needs to be rendered at the same time. Try to figure it out on what and when the FPS drop, so you will have a better sense on which graphics settings have to be adjusted.
You can let GeForce Experience automatically set the best graphics settings for any installed games according to your specs. It’s fantastic software and would work on both AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards.
#2 Squeeze some extra performance by overclocking the CPU and GPU
If you don’t overclock your CPU and/or GPU, then you missed some free performance boost. For those who are not familiar, overclocking is basically a way to increase the clock speed by adding more power, better airflow, and sometimes adjusting the voltage. In return, your system will run faster and games could run smoother.
Please be aware that overclocking requires components that ‘overclockable’. This way of improving performance is also risky if not done properly. But from my experience, it’s really worth doing and there are plenty of videos and articles about how to overclock your CPU and/or GPU safely.
#3 Prevent thermal throttling by improving the cooling system
FPS drop may happen when the system is thermal-throttling, which is a way for GPUs and CPUs to reduce its performance to prevent overheating. This could happen during a heavy workload, especially if the system is not well cooled and there is a dust deposit on the fans.
For desktop users, try to add more fans and make sure they are positioned properly to ensure smooth airflow. I have made an article about tips to cool down your laptop, some of those can be applied on a desktop PC too.
#4 Use booster software to increase FPS when playing games
Razer Cortex is a game-booster software that will kill background, unnecessary apps running before the select game started. It will ensure the game has more ceiling to run on higher settings. It also will make the FPS drop less scary as you would rarely see it during the game.
The software is free and actively maintained by its developer. I would say this is one necessary software to get a smoother frame-rate and seamless gaming experience in general.
#5 Check if the FPS drop in the game was a known technical issue
It’s not always your fault or your system. Often, developers don’t get their game well-optimized after the initial release. For example, enabling “Grass” on Grand Theft Auto V will definitely kill the frame rate, even for high-end systems as being explained by NVIDIA here.
So, try to explore the internet and forums regarding your unpleasant experience from the game. There could be other gamers out there having the same problem and it is caused by a technical issue within the game. If that was the case, then it’s up to the developer to release a patch to fix it.
