My gaming laptop is not running games (Fortnite) as quickly as it should

[thomasthaineek]

Hi, my problem is that my laptop is not running games as fast as it should and used to do. I tried clearing extra space, find viruses but that hasn't really made a change. My laptop is a GE72VR 6RF Apache Pro.

My main specs are

Operating System : Windows 10 Home

CPU: Intel Core 17 6700k

Graphics Card: GTX 1060

RAM: 16 GB

Examples of FPS not being as high as it should is Fortnite, where on medium settings, I am getting 60-80 when I used to be able to go over 100 easily.
Another is Final Fantasy XV, where I can't go above 28 fps with not even the highest settings, I understand if it's from age since this is a 2 year old laptop, but I just need answers, please and thank you.

 

[electro_neanderthal]

This may interest you, as it will let you know how many frames you're missing according to the average: https://www.notebookcheck.net/GeForce-GTX-1060-Laptop-vs-GeForce-GTX-1060-Desktop_7362_7336.247598.0.html

As for why? It wouldn't be from age. That's mostly a myth (with exception to power supplies, as those do go with age). My best guess? The CPU or CPU socket got too hot (damage from heat) and is now throttling your GPU. I say that because you're losing more frames (compared to the average) with a less graphically intensive game.

 

[inzane4all]

Fortnite? Well there's your problem. You should be playing PUBG! lol

Seriously though, laptops are very tricky when it comes to hardware issues. The only other thing you can do is re-install the OS? Is it just happening with Fortnite? If it happens with most games, try reinstalling your system. I know it's a pain, but it's worth a shot.

2 year old laptop???? That is NOT old at all lol. I have an 8 year old system and I can run any game or app at it's highest settings. I'm running a 1060GTX 6 GB, although I do use a desktop though.

Other than that, do you have any Marlware, Spyware, Viruses? Do you have the latest GPU drivers? Windows Updates?

 

[thomasthaineek]

Fortnite? Well there's your problem. You should be playing PUBG! lol

Seriously though, laptops are very tricky when it comes to hardware issues. The only other thing you can do is re-install the OS? Is it just happening with Fortnite? If it happens with most games, try reinstalling your system. I know it's a pain, but it's worth a shot.

2 year old laptop???? That is NOT old at all lol. I have an 8 year old system and I can run any game or app at it's highest settings. I'm running a 1060GTX 6 GB, although I do use a desktop though.

Other than that, do you have any Marlware, Spyware, Viruses? Do you have the latest GPU drivers? Windows Updates?

I would be playing PUBG IF it was free lol. I have checked for malware and cleaned out disk space and such and everything is up to date but I am not sure what is wrong.

 

[thomasthaineek]

This may interest you, as it will let you know how many frames you're missing according to the average: https://www.notebookcheck.net/GeForce-GTX-1060-Laptop-vs-GeForce-GTX-1060-Desktop_7362_7336.247598.0.html

As for why? It wouldn't be from age. That's mostly a myth (with exception to power supplies, as those do go with age). My best guess? The CPU or CPU socket got too hot (damage from heat) and is now throttling your GPU. I say that because you're losing more frames (compared to the average) with a less graphically intensive game.

Heat actually has been a problem to my laptop as it has been overheating alot and I can feel it from the keyboard, and i don't have any solutions to fix this, my question is how can I fix this overheating issue and will it help my fps go back?

 

[inzane4all]

Damn, I mean with laptops, you can check the heat sink on the CPU? Thermal paste? Check if internal fans are spinning? With laptops it's a little trickier because components are smaller than desktops and the parts are placed closely together.

The cheapest thing you can do is get a cooling pad with a big fan and see if that helps your overheating. If it stops, then you know it's overheating for sure.

 

[electro_neanderthal]

Well, if it's just thermal throttling (and not damaged, because the CPU could be fine), then your FPS should return. Replacing the thermal paste with new, quality thermal paste may help you out. Make sure any dust is cleaned out as well (only takes a little to block airflow).

Try cleaning the dust with some canned air first; if that doesn't work, then replace the thermal paste.

If you end up taking the laptop apart to replace the thermal paste, make sure the cooling pipes aren't bent from what they're supposed to be. A pipe with a bad bend can warrant replacing the cooling unit.

Make sure to not use too much thermal paste (a rice to pea-sized drop should be enough), or that the paste is non-conductive, if you're worried about placing a little too much.

 

[thomasthaineek]

Well, if it's just thermal throttling (and not damaged, because the CPU could be fine), then your FPS should return. Replacing the thermal paste with new, quality thermal paste may help you out. Make sure any dust is cleaned out as well (only takes a little to block airflow).

Try cleaning the dust with some canned air first; if that doesn't work, then replace the thermal paste.

If you end up taking the laptop apart to replace the thermal paste, make sure the cooling pipes aren't bent from what they're supposed to be. A pipe with a bad bend can warrant replacing the cooling unit.

Make sure to not use too much thermal paste (a rice to pea-sized drop should be enough), or that the paste is non-conductive, if you're worried about placing a little too much.

Hi this a follow up from the cleaning, I have cleaned my laptop and it was still very clean, afterwards I did a factory reset on the laptop, and later found out my laptop has a weird button that stops the 2nd fan from powering that I quickly fixed. This stopped the overheating by alot, but the FPS drop is still there, there is an old clip of me playing the game about 3 months showing me at 120-160 fps barely hitting 90 WHILE recording the game. Now I have to play on lower resolutions and graphical settings just to get 80-90 fps,most of the time it hitting the low 40's to 60's. Any ideas on how to solve this please?

 

[electro_neanderthal]

Are you plugged in while playing or on battery power? Apparently (according to a post in a different forum, which I forget... might be the MSI forums, might not be), if the battery drops below 80% the laptop automatically limits performance. I'd try removing the battery and playing plugged in to see if that fixes it... older and wearing-out batteries can do all sorts of funny [expletive].

If that doesn't do it, the next step has to do with Windows maybe switching to the integrated Intel graphics for no reason. To quote someone: "Try opening the nvidia control panel and under manage 3d settings, setting the preferred graphics processor to "high-performance NVIDIA processor."

I got that from this forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/MSILaptops/comments/64gezf/msi_laptop_fps_drop_in_games/

I know it's a different laptop, but software automatically selecting the integrated graphics does happen from time to time. You also may have to explore your Nvidia options a bit, since they do change the layout of the Nvidia control pannel from time to time.

And, if you're still having trouble, look for the latest stable drivers from the MSI website, as sometimes new drivers don't work out too well. You'll want to do a clean install of it.

If all that doesn't help... all I can think of is taking your laptop apart and replacing the thermal paste; you may have cooked it by accident, and it does become less useful with time regardless. (look for a guide, as the manufacturers can be sneaky about how they assemble it - take pictures at every step and keep screws either in their holes or separated in groups; make notes on special screws or steps if you like). Oh, and while you're in there, look for any obviously bad capacitors or burnt/corroded areas.

After putting it back together, making sure to connect all the connectors again; if you're still having trouble... it may be time to accept that either the motherboard, processor, or GPU is damaged. And while some laptop motherboards allow you to swap processors, the GPU is most certainly soldered to your laptop motherboard... and that is a job for either the bold or the professional, as most people can't afford the proper equipment to do so (the oven "reflow" trick is NOT a good solution unless you plan to scrap the PC in a few weeks/months).

Hopefully you find some of that helpful. I do not envy you; diagnosing electronics issues is a real time sink sometimes.

 

[thomasthaineek]

Are you plugged in while playing or on battery power? Apparently (according to a post in a different forum, which I forget... might be the MSI forums, might not be), if the battery drops below 80% the laptop automatically limits performance. I'd try removing the battery and playing plugged in to see if that fixes it... older and wearing-out batteries can do all sorts of funny [expletive].

If that doesn't do it, the next step has to do with Windows maybe switching to the integrated Intel graphics for no reason. To quote someone: "Try opening the nvidia control panel and under manage 3d settings, setting the preferred graphics processor to "high-performance NVIDIA processor."

I got that from this forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/MSILaptops/comments/64gezf/msi_laptop_fps_drop_in_games/

I know it's a different laptop, but software automatically selecting the integrated graphics does happen from time to time. You also may have to explore your Nvidia options a bit, since they do change the layout of the Nvidia control pannel from time to time.

And, if you're still having trouble, look for the latest stable drivers from the MSI website, as sometimes new drivers don't work out too well. You'll want to do a clean install of it.

If all that doesn't help... all I can think of is taking your laptop apart and replacing the thermal paste; you may have cooked it by accident, and it does become less useful with time regardless. (look for a guide, as the manufacturers can be sneaky about how they assemble it - take pictures at every step and keep screws either in their holes or separated in groups; make notes on special screws or steps if you like). Oh, and while you're in there, look for any obviously bad capacitors or burnt/corroded areas.

After putting it back together, making sure to connect all the connectors again; if you're still having trouble... it may be time to accept that either the motherboard, processor, or GPU is damaged. And while some laptop motherboards allow you to swap processors, the GPU is most certainly soldered to your laptop motherboard... and that is a job for either the bold or the professional, as most people can't afford the proper equipment to do so (the oven "reflow" trick is NOT a good solution unless you plan to scrap the PC in a few weeks/months).

Hopefully you find some of that helpful. I do not envy you; diagnosing electronics issues is a real time sink sometimes.

I always play plugged in and I did change the preferred processor to high powered nvidia doodad and it did help at least I think so, but it is still not up to par as it used to be.