Question When reaching 100% GPU usage the PC starts lagging except the currently focused application

[Fratsch]

For a little while I have the problem that while in an application (mostly games) that brings my GPU to around 100% usage (normally 97+) the rest of the applications and even Windows itself starts to lag.

This mostly applies to the browser, especially videos (but not the sound). But also applications like Discord become unresponsive (again apart from the sound and voice chat itself) and I have noticed even things like the Windows clock in the taskbar start to lag and freeze up.
The application that cause this keeps on running fine. In games for instance I reach 90 to 144 fps without a problem, but as soon as it reaches 100% GPU usage everything else starts to lag.
Even before this problem came up my GPU would reach 100% in certain games but never did that cause any similar side-effects. It almost feels like my PC is throttling the rest while prioritizing the game.

I might be going crazy but is this normal? Most answers I have been getting up until now were along the line of "Of course you PC will lag because the GPU can't keep up". But shouldn't the actual game just perform worse instead of the "desktop performance" suffering?

My setup:

• Intel Core i7 13700K
• Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 Ti
• MSI PRO WIFI Intel Z790 So.1700 DDR4 ATX
• 48GB (2x 16GB + 2x 8GB) G.Skill RipJaws V DDR4-3200 DIMM CL16-18-18-38
• Corsair CX750 750W power supply

Things I have tried without success:

• changing Windows versions (10 and 11)
• reinstalling Windows
• updating Windows
• disabling Windows Game Mode
• disabling GPU Acceleration
• completely removing and reinstalling GPU drivers
• updating BIOS and Chipset drivers
• changing XMP profile on BIOS

Things I have checked as well:

• fan speeds and component temperatures (both nothing out of the ordinary)

Possibly related problems:
Sometimes games just straight up crash to desktop without any error message or something similar. The game would always freeze for a few seconds and then just immediately close. Very very rarely this is accompanied by a blue screen.
I had the problem that games just randomly crash before but only very, very rarely, as in "maybe once a month". But now I have several crashes during a round of CS2 for example.

Here are the dump files from those BSODs:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/geum8va1mzhqmuo/Minidumps.zip/file

 

[beyondlogic]

For a little while I have the problem that while in an application (mostly games) that brings my GPU to around 100% usage (normally 97+) the rest of the applications and even Windows itself starts to lag.

This mostly applies to the browser, especially videos (but not the sound). But also applications like Discord become unresponsive (again apart from the sound and voice chat itself) and I have noticed even things like the Windows clock in the taskbar start to lag and freeze up.
The application that cause this keeps on running fine. In games for instance I reach 90 to 144 fps without a problem, but as soon as it reaches 100% GPU usage everything else starts to lag.
Even before this problem came up my GPU would reach 100% in certain games but never did that cause any similar side-effects. It almost feels like my PC is throttling the rest while prioritizing the game.

I might be going crazy but is this normal? Most answers I have been getting up until now were along the line of "Of course you PC will lag because the GPU can't keep up". But shouldn't the actual game just perform worse instead of the "desktop performance" suffering?

My setup:

• Intel Core i7 13700K
• Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 Ti
• MSI PRO WIFI Intel Z790 So.1700 DDR4 ATX
• 48GB (2x 16GB + 2x 8GB) G.Skill RipJaws V DDR4-3200 DIMM CL16-18-18-38
• Corsair CX750 750W power supply

Things I have tried without success:

• changing Windows versions (10 and 11)
• reinstalling Windows
• updating Windows
• disabling Windows Game Mode
• disabling GPU Acceleration
• completely removing and reinstalling GPU drivers
• updating BIOS and Chipset drivers
• changing XMP profile on BIOS

Things I have checked as well:

• fan speeds and component temperatures (both nothing out of the ordinary)

Possibly related problems:
Sometimes games just straight up crash to desktop without any error message or something similar. The game would always freeze for a few seconds and then just immediately close. Very very rarely this is accompanied by a blue screen.
I had the problem that games just randomly crash before but only very, very rarely, as in "maybe once a month". But now I have several crashes during a round of CS2 for example.

Here are the dump files from those BSODs:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/geum8va1mzhqmuo/Minidumps.zip/file

first never mix ram kits it can be a bit of a headache.

second that power supply needs changed cx series isnt very reliable probly one of corsairs worst.

also check your vram usage if a game is becoming a bit over demanding it may spill resources into the system ram thus cause hitching and freezing

also discord is also plagues nvidia hardware with a bug just last year
https://uk.pcmag.com/graphics-cards...obably-slowing-down-your-nvidia-graphics-card

 

[Fratsch]

first never mix ram kits it can be a bit of a headache.

second that power supply needs changed cx series isnt very reliable probly one of corsairs worst.

also check your vram usage if a game is becoming a bit over demanding it may spill resources into the system ram thus cause hitching and freezing

also discord is also plagues nvidia hardware with a bug just last year
https://uk.pcmag.com/graphics-cards...obably-slowing-down-your-nvidia-graphics-card

Heya! Thank you for your swift reply!

My ram kits are all from the same manufacturer and have the same speeds. So far they be working fine. I have tested with only the two 16GB ones and the problem still persists.

The power supply is actually rather old... I plan on swapping it out soon. Power supply to the graphics card seems to be fine though. The card gets supplied to up to 220 watts, which is apparently what it should draw approx under load.

VRam usage is around 5GB of 12. Is there a way to make sure that it is not spilling into system ram?

And the problem is also around if Discord is not running, so I don't think it is related to a discord bug.

 

[beyondlogic]

Heya! Thank you for your swift reply!

My ram kits are all from the same manufacturer and have the same speeds. So far they be working fine. I have tested with only the two 16GB ones and the problem still persists.

The power supply is actually rather old... I plan on swapping it out soon. Power supply to the graphics card seems to be fine though. The card gets supplied to up to 220 watts, which is apparently what it should draw approx under load.

VRam usage is around 5GB of 12. Is there a way to make sure that it is not spilling into system ram?

And the problem is also around if Discord is not running, so I don't think it is related to a discord bug.

couple of things to try run mem test for errors.

https://www.memtest86.com/download.htm

also try running hw monitor

https://www.cpuid.com/downloads/hwmonitor/hwmonitor_1.53.exe

try running a game with this open. and see what the temps are like.

if your under the 12gb then it wont be spilling into the system ram we can scratch that off. basicly if a game uses more then the 12gb it will start dumping the rest into your system ram.

discord etc can also run in the background check task manager.

( also its still mixing ram they are not a set so it can still make it unstable).

 

[USAFRet]

My ram kits are all from the same manufacturer and have the same speeds. So far they be working fine. I have tested with only the two 16GB ones and the problem still persists.

And unless they were sold as as set, and came in the same box....that counts as 'mixing RAM"
Seriously.

 

[boju]

Mixing ram isn't recommended but it's not black or white they won't work or be problematic, it's just a chance thing. Since you've tested only the 16GBs, are they both from the same set?, try just one stick and do your usual things to finally rule this out.

If same symptoms happen perhaps look at your drive situation. What drive do you have for Windows and how much space is left on it? Could try limit pagefile size, initial 1gb max 2Gb.

Graphics card running 100% wouldn't cause slowdowns, not in my experience. So it most likely something else, im guessing it's storage related, iops etc, while multitasking. Could possibly be efficiency cores too, for whatever odd reasons, try disable them in bios and see what happens.

 

[Fratsch]

And unless they were sold as as set, and came in the same box....that counts as 'mixing RAM"
Seriously.

I know that this is still mixing RAM. Thank you for clarifying. I just stated that I have not encountered any problems prior.

Mixing ram isn't recommended but it's not black or white they won't work or be problematic, it's just a chance thing. Since you've tested only the 16GBs, are they both from the same set?, try just one stick and do your usual things to finally rule this out.

The two 16GB kits were sold as a set. The problem persists with just those. I have yet to try only one of them. Will do so the next time I get the chance.

If same symptoms happen perhaps look at your drive situation. What drive do you have for Windows and how much space is left on it? Could try limit pagefile size, initial 1gb max 2Gb.

I have one regular SATA SSD that pretty much only runs Windows with around 50GB of free space. My games all run from either a SAMSUNG 980 or 990. All other non-game programs run from another SSD. I will look up how to limit pagefile size and try that as well.

Graphics card running 100% wouldn't cause slowdowns, not in my experience. So it most likely something else, im guessing it's storage related, iops etc, while multitasking. Could possibly be efficiency cores too, for whatever odd reasons, try disable them in bios and see what happens.

Someone else brought up that it looks like a CPU problem since my CPU usage pretty much caps at 30%... It is just weird that the problems kick in as soon as my GPU hits 97%+ usage. I might be able to check another graphics cards this weekend to hopefully either confirm that it is a problem with my card specifically or that it is regardless of the GPU.

couple of things to try run mem test for errors.

https://www.memtest86.com/download.htm

I will try that, thank you!!

also try running hw monitor

https://www.cpuid.com/downloads/hwmonitor/hwmonitor_1.53.exe

try running a game with this open. and see what the temps are like.

Temps across all components seem to be fine. CPU never goes above 87° and GPU never goes above 70°. And those are only peaks.

 

[beyondlogic]

I know that this is still mixing RAM. Thank you for clarifying. I just stated that I have not encountered any problems prior.

The two 16GB kits were sold as a set. The problem persists with just those. I have yet to try only one of them. Will do so the next time I get the chance.

I have one regular SATA SSD that pretty much only runs Windows with around 50GB of free space. My games all run from either a SAMSUNG 980 or 990. All other non-game programs run from another SSD. I will look up how to limit pagefile size and try that as well.

Someone else brought up that it looks like a CPU problem since my CPU usage pretty much caps at 30%... It is just weird that the problems kick in as soon as my GPU hits 97%+ usage. I might be able to check another graphics cards this weekend to hopefully either confirm that it is a problem with my card specifically or that it is regardless of the GPU.

I will try that, thank you!!

Temps across all components seem to be fine. CPU never goes above 87° and GPU never goes above 70°. And those are only peaks.

87 c that to me is quite hot what was the hot spot temp. cause it could be thermal throttling realisticly you want to try keep cpus in the 60-75 region for stability just because the max temp is 100c doesnt mean you should run it at 100c all the time.

also as crazy as this is going to sound i would recomend this bracket

when these cpus get hot they can bend a bit thus the pins dont make great contact with the cpu
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermalrig...95-888a-0d1188ee9b2d&pd_rd_i=B0BJPY2212&psc=1

also some coolers

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYU1OskbY-Q

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysb25vsNBQI


this fixes 2 problems

1. allows all the cores of the cpu under the ihs equal cooling due allowing a even surface for the cooler to make good contact.
2. can fix some instability issues e.g ram not function/usb issues etc due to pins making better contact.

 

[Fratsch]

87 c that to me is quite hot what was the hot spot temp. cause it could be thermal throttling realisticly you want to try keep cpus in the 60-75 region for stability just because the max temp is 100c doesnt mean you should run it at 100c all the time.

The 87° is peak temperature which it reaches only for very short durations as the fans are spinning up.

I am currently checking RAM integrity. I have swapped out my graphics card for another one and the problems persist. So it does not seem to be related to my card specifically.

 

[beyondlogic]

The 87° is peak temperature which it reaches only for very short durations as the fans are spinning up.

I am currently checking RAM integrity. I have swapped out my graphics card for another one and the problems persist. So it does not seem to be related to my card specifically.

what is the spec of your monitor

 

[Fratsch]

what is the spec of your monitor

1440p, 21.5:9 ultrawide

 

[beyondlogic]

1440p, 21.5:9 ultrawide

if you haven't already turn vsync on this will force the gpu to stay within the monitors framerate basicly stops your gpu going over 144 frames as this is essentially flushing frames down a toilet.

 

[Fratsch]

if you haven't already turn vsync on this will force the gpu to stay within the monitors framerate basicly stops your gpu going over 144 frames as this is essentially flushing frames down a toilet.

I do have frames limited to 144, yeah.

One thing I have noticed. The problem DOES only occur when the GPU is reaching close to 100% usage, but if the game window is not in focus, the desktop applications will not lag. It is only when the GPU reaches 100% AND the game is the focused application...

Could this be some issue with resource scheduling on the OS side?

 

[beyondlogic]

I do have frames limited to 144, yeah.

One thing I have noticed. The problem DOES only occur when the GPU is reaching close to 100% usage, but if the game window is not in focus, the desktop applications will not lag. It is only when the GPU reaches 100% AND the game is the focused application...

Could this be some issue with resource scheduling on the OS side?

doubtful.

hardware wise are you using the crappy 16 pin nvidia adapter ?

do control alt delete and see what is consuming your 100 percent gpu usage task manager should tell you whats being so demanding to gpu

in task manager if it doesnt show the gpus process

you right click status and choose gpu this should tell you what is hammering your gpu to 100 percent

 

[Fratsch]

hardware wise are you using the crappy 16 pin nvidia adapter ?

Yes, I am.

do control alt delete and see what is consuming your 100 percent gpu usage task manager should tell you whats being so demanding to gpu

in task manager if it doesnt show the gpus process

you right click status and choose gpu this should tell you what is hammering your gpu to 100 percent

It is my game ( for example Final Fantasy 14). I am playing in borderless window mode (same problem on fullscreen though). Both when I am tabbed in and tabbed out my GPU goes to 97% or more. But only when I am tabbed in do I have problem with desktop applications.

On another note: I checked my RAM and one of my two 8GB kits seems to indeed have problems. I have since removed both permanently, which sadly did not help at all...

 

[Fratsch]

Ok, I am at a point where I have no idea what it could be anymore. Yesterday I did run OBS alongside a game to try and see how stream performance was. My expectation was that is would be terrible since almost all desktop programs AND even windows seem to struggle when I am in a game. But... it turned out OBS ran just fine. Recording AND streaming was possible without any problems whatsoever and the program itself was just as responsive as it always was.
This together with the fact that the problems go away when I tab out of the game make it seem like it might be some kind of resource scheduling problem... Is there any settings in either Windows 11 or the Geforce Control Center/Experience that might affect that?