Getting fps drops in games that used to run well.

[JohnMarston]

My PC specs:
Intel i5 6500 3.2 ghz
NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB
8GB Ram DDR4
GA h170 Gaming 3 Motherboard
Seasonic 520w psu
Windows 10
Adata SU800 256 gb ssd
Hitachi 7k3000 7200rpm hdd

I have been having fps drops in games that I used to run well for about a week now. They are minor fps drops but result in stutter while playing and can happen frequently. Some of the games affected have been Borderlands 2, Skyrim, and Overwatch. I have tried many things including running antivirus scans, reinstalling windows, rolling back drivers and reinstalling current drivers, changing performance settings in Nvidia control panel and Windows control panel, reinstalling games and changing game directories, disabling antivirus, dusting out computer, and updating my motherboard. I have also monitored my temps, and they seem to be in the normal range, with my cpu being around 50-60 degrees and my gpu being around 65-75 degrees. As I said before, the fps drops are very minor, like 60-55 drops, but it happens frequently. I would like to know if there is anything else I should try.

 

[Carnaxus]

That sounds like maybe a driver update very slightly broke something. Have you tried using DDU and installing a slightly older driver version?

 

[JohnMarston]

That sounds like maybe a driver update very slightly broke something. Have you tried using DDU and installing a slightly older driver version?

I have done that and that hasnt worked either, ive reinstalled an old driver that worked and installed the newest one using that method.

 

[olin9]

Use HWMonitor to determine the CPU and GPU usage and MHz.

 

[JohnMarston]

Use HWMonitor to determine the CPU and GPU usage and MHz.

Gpu usage was at about 50-60% usage on Overwatch at epic settings and was at 1936 mhz core clock speed and 4007 mhz memory speed, with a temp of 65, while cpu was at 50 degrees with 50-60% usage and 3292 clock speed

 

[Carnaxus]

So you're getting FPS drops but the components aren't being fully used...hmm. Is there an option anywhere in Overwatch that has anything to do with multi-core processing? Honestly I doubt it, but we might as well check everything, right?

You said you rolled back the driver using DDU to one that worked; did you mean that when you rolled it back it worked, or that you rolled back to one that worked before, but still had the issue? If it worked with the older driver, you should stick with that one until a newer driver is released.

 

[olin9]

Is the 8 GB of ram on one stick? If so, the single channel mode would cause your issue. 8 GB is the min for newer games. May as well get yourself a 2x8 16GB package. Temps are good and Usage is low. Something is not allowing you to push your hardware to the max.

 

[JohnMarston]

So you're getting FPS drops but the components aren't being fully used...hmm. Is there an option anywhere in Overwatch that has anything to do with multi-core processing? Honestly I doubt it, but we might as well check everything, right?

You said you rolled back the driver using DDU to one that worked; did you mean that when you rolled it back it worked, or that you rolled back to one that worked before, but still had the issue? If it worked with the older driver, you should stick with that one until a newer driver is released.

I rolled back the driver to one that used to work, but doing that did not fix my problem. I also checked and did not see an option to enable multi-core processing.

 

[JohnMarston]

Is the 8 GB of ram on one stick? If so, the single channel mode would cause your issue. 8 GB is the min for newer games. May as well get yourself a 2x8 16GB package. Temps are good and Usage is low. Something is not allowing you to push your hardware to the max.

I am using one stick, but could that be a problem now even though I used to run this game fine? I also ran a memory test in Windows, and that did not seem to detect any problems.

 

[Carnaxus]

Running only one stick of RAM means your comp is operating in single-channel mode. 8GB RAM in 2x4GB runs faster than 8GB RAM in 1x8GB because each channel can do a separate task.

 

[JohnMarston]

Running only one stick of RAM means your comp is operating in single-channel mode. 8GB RAM in 2x4GB runs faster than 8GB RAM in 1x8GB because each channel can do a separate task.

Do you think buying another stick might help performance?

 

[Carnaxus]

Definitely. I can't say for certain that it'll fully fix the specific issue you made this thread for, but just doubling the number of sticks will definitely improve overall performance. Just be sure you get the exact same stick or you may still have issues. Best would be to get an exactly identical one right down to manufacturer and product line (i.e. if you have Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2133, don't get Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4-3200, get another Vengeance LPX DDR4-2133).

 

[JohnMarston]

Definitely. I can't say for certain that it'll fully fix the specific issue you made this thread for, but just doubling the number of sticks will definitely improve overall performance. Just be sure you get the exact same stick or you may still have issues. Best would be to get an exactly identical one right down to manufacturer and product line (i.e. if you have Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2133, don't get Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4-3200, get another Vengeance LPX DDR4-2133).

I can definitely do that, was planning on upgrading to an extra stick anyways, if that doesn't work, could it possibly be a failing part?

 

[Carnaxus]

It could, but you should rule out the single-channel vs. dual-channel idea first.

 

[olin9]

dual channel will improve performance, like stated above it may or may not fix your issue 100%, but you will notice the performance boost.