My Acer Nitro laptop has started running games poorly since yesterday. The games become laggy and stutter, while the cursor, Windows interface, and web browser remain completely smooth. Restarting the laptop usually fixes the problem, but it no longer helps. I have already updated the drivers and set the games to use better performance in Windows settings. What else should I check to find the cause?
1 Answer
Check the laptop’s temperatures and hardware behavior while a game is running, using a tool such as HWiNFO. Look at CPU and GPU temperatures, usage, clock speeds, power limits, and whether the dedicated GPU is actually being used. Even if temperatures look normal in NitroSense, the GPU could be stuck at low clocks, running in a power-saving mode, or the game could be using integrated graphics. Also make sure the charger is connected, Windows and NitroSense are set to a performance mode, and no overlay, recording app, update, or background process is consuming resources.
Then compare GPU usage and clock speed while the game is lagging. If usage or clocks are unusually low, check the selected GPU and power mode, reinstall the graphics driver if necessary, and watch for CPU or GPU utilization being limited by another process.
The temperatures look normal in NitroSense. What should I check after that?