Hey everyone! I'm diving into AAA gaming for the first time with Cyberpunk, but I'm running into some issues. I downloaded the game on a Crucial SSD because my laptop doesn't have enough storage space. Here are my laptop specs:
- Device Name: laptop-3g9i04qv
- Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-10980HK CPU @ 2.40GHz 3.10 GHz
- Installed RAM: 32.0 GB (31.8 GB usable)
- System Type: 64-bit Operating System, x64-based processor
When I launched the game through Steam, the main menu was really laggy. Then, when I tried to start playing, I got an error about initializing ray tracing, suggesting there might be a problem with my GPU drivers.
I went into Windows graphics settings and set Cyberpunk to high performance, but that didn't help. Task Manager showed the game running off the CPU instead of the GPU, and I noticed it was using GPU 0 (integrated) instead of the discrete GPU (GPU 1), which I believe is available on my laptop.
I tried changing it via the NVIDIA Control Panel but received an 'access denied' message. I'm not super experienced with gaming on PC, as I mainly use this laptop for engineering programs like SolidWorks. Smaller games worked fine, so I'm confused about what's going on. Any advice would be awesome!
2 Answers
If the NVIDIA Control Panel is denying you access, it could be a permissions issue. Try running it as an administrator again, or you might need to check your user account settings. Also, remember to see if your laptop has a dedicated GPU; sometimes, it can be tricky depending on the model. If not, lowering the graphics settings should help with performance while you figure this out!
First off, you should definitely check which GPU is in your laptop—sounds like you have an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, which should be able to handle Cyberpunk. Make sure you've updated to the latest drivers for that GPU; outdated drivers can cause these issues. If you're unsure how to check for updates, just head to NVIDIA's website and download the GeForce Experience app—it'll help manage your drivers! That might fix the lag you're experiencing and help the game run better.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll look into updating the drivers. I didn't even realize how important they were.
I will try the admin thing again! Thanks for the heads-up. I definitely see the discrete option in Task Manager, so I think I am good on that front.