I recently got a new gaming laptop, the Katana 15HX B14W, and it was running great—often hitting 80-100 FPS on high graphic settings. However, today while playing a game, it suddenly dropped to a sluggish 15 FPS and maxed out the CPU usage even though it was plugged in and the temperature was fine. I've updated Windows 11 and my graphics drivers, and switched my GPU settings to high-performance instead of integrated, but I'm still experiencing issues. Does anyone have tips or suggestions? For reference, my CPU temperature is around 40-50 degrees. In less demanding games, my CPU is averaging 60% and my GPU only 15%, but my FPS is still 20 or less.
4 Answers
Sounds like your laptop might be experiencing the same fate as my old Lenovo Legion Y520. Sometimes the graphics card just gives out, leaving you stuck with integrated graphics. If your laptop is still under warranty, consider reaching out to support to see if there's a hardware problem.
First things first, check your power settings. Sometimes, even when plugged in, laptops can default to power-saving modes that affect performance. You should also look at what programs are using up your CPU, disk, and RAM. Windows 11 can be a bit bloated, with processes that spike in usage—if you notice something off, like the telemetry or any background processes running high, consider disabling them.
Make sure the game's settings didn't change. Sometimes the refresh rate or GPU settings can get messed up. You should double-check if your laptop is actually using the discrete GPU rather than the integrated one; Windows can be finicky about that. Also, how long have you had your laptop? It might hint at whether hardware issues are a concern.
I was having a similar issue! It turned out that my graphics settings had changed without me realizing. Make sure your GPU preferences in both Windows and the Nvidia control panel are set correctly to high performance. You want to ensure that your laptop is actually utilizing the dedicated GPU while gaming and not automatically switching to the integrated one, which could be limiting your FPS.
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