Hey everyone! I recently received a new PC build as a gift, and I'm encountering some odd performance issues. Here's what I'm working with: Ryzen 3 4100 CPU, RTX 5050 GPU, 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM, a 1TB NVMe SSD, and it's running on Windows 11 with all the latest updates and drivers. I understand that the Ryzen 3 4100 isn't the most powerful CPU and it's known to cause bottlenecks with more powerful GPUs. However, I'm only seeing around 100-120 FPS in games like Overwatch and Apex Legends, even with all settings at minimum. What really confuses me is that my CPU usage rarely exceeds 90%, and my GPU usage stays below 60%. The temperatures are fine, and I have the power plan set to "High Performance". Lowering or increasing graphic settings barely changes my FPS (only about 2-3 fps different). I'm puzzled by this. What could be going wrong? Is it a setting in Windows, a configuration issue, or something else I'm overlooking? I'd really appreciate any insights or theories you might have. Thanks!
5 Answers
This definitely smells like a CPU bottleneck issue. Many players experience significant performance drops even with decent specs. It’s a common problem when the CPU can't keep up with the demands of the game, and it appears that’s what you're facing.
Sounds like a classic case of CPU bottlenecking. It's interesting that your CPU usage doesn't hit 100%, but in gaming, the CPU often isn't fully utilized. Plenty of games only use certain cores effectively, so you might not see full usage on all of them. The fact that adjusting the graphics settings barely affects your FPS points towards a CPU limitation rather than a GPU one. If your core usage is consistently under 90%, it could explain the performance you're seeing.
Have you checked if Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) is enabled in your BIOS? If it's off, your CPU will act like a 4-core 4-thread processor, which could hurt your gaming performance considerably. Given that you might be competing against setups with older but more capable processors, this is a significant aspect that could lead to the troubles you're facing in games.
Good point! SMT is on auto but can't be set to fully enabled, and I've also got Core Performance Boost set to auto.
Have you taken a look at how each individual core is performing? Sometimes a CPU can be under 90% usage overall but still throttling due to one or two cores being maxed out. It's a good idea to monitor the usage during gameplay more closely to see if that’s a factor. It might help you determine if you're really getting the most out of your hardware.
I checked, and none of my cores exceed 90%, with some even staying below 60%.
It’s worth looking into the PCIe lanes too. Given your configuration, you might be running into bandwidth limitations. Even if the GPU isn’t the top performer, it could be a factor when paired with your current motherboard limitations.
I doubt that's the case, since I've seen weaker CPUs with similar GPU setups perform better.
Are there specific optimizations that can help reduce bottlenecking for a CPU like mine?