I just built my new PC, but I'm experiencing FPS drops below 60 when entering new areas in The Last of Us Part 1. I'm running everything on ultra settings with DLSS at quality in 1440p. My specs are an RTX 5070, an i5 12400F, and 16GB of 2400MHz RAM (I do plan to upgrade to DDR4 3600MHz eventually). I have G-Sync enabled, so I locked my frame rate at 60, but it still dips to around 57. Is this a normal issue, or could it be a problem with my PC? Sometimes I see the FPS drop without fully utilizing my CPU or GPU, so I'm unsure if my CPU is the bottleneck. By the way, the game is installed on an NVMe SSD.
2 Answers
Your CPU might be holding you back a bit. When a new area loads in a game, it demands quite a bit from the CPU to handle everything, and it sounds like your i5 might be the weakest link in your setup. It could help to upgrade to something like a Ryzen 5700X along with a B550 motherboard; that generally provides a solid performance boost for gaming.
Honestly, both CPUs you're considering are solid for gaming. But your RAM speed could also be a factor here. Lower RAM speeds can affect performance, especially with the new areas loading.
It's not all about the CPU! You're running quite a good setup overall, but don't underestimate the impact of your RAM speed and the game's loading processes when transitioning between areas. Your system memory plays a significant role in how quickly the game can pull in assets, so that lower RAM speed could be part of the slowdown too.
Is it really that bad? I'm still learning about PCs, but I might consider an upgrade if it will help performance. Do you think it's worth the trouble of returning the motherboard and CPU?