I'm experiencing a frustrating issue with my old PC. No matter what games I play, they feel super laggy, despite showing that I'm getting over 100 FPS. My monitor's max refresh rate is 75Hz, and I've noticed that any game, whether it runs over or under that, ends up feeling laggy. For reference, I play my Xbox 360 at 30 FPS and it feels smooth, so it's definitely not just my perception.
I've tested an HDMI to VGA connection, but even when I connected straight to an HDMI screen, the problem persisted. I've experimented with Vsync settings in both the NVIDIA control panel and in-game options, but nothing has improved the situation. For example, Watch Dogs Legion shows around 40 FPS but is unplayable, while Black Ops 4 runs over 110 FPS and still feels off even when locked at 75 FPS. Locking it at 30 FPS just made it even worse.
Currently, I have:
- Intel i5 4460
- 8GB DDR3 RAM (single stick)
- GTX 1050 Ti
It's frustrating because this PC is supposed to run older games without issues, but I can't enjoy them at all. Any insights on what might be causing this lag despite having high FPS?
3 Answers
Seriously, you really need to get another stick of RAM. Even a basic 2x4GB setup will perform better than your current 1x8GB. It’s just more efficient. Plus, it’s a proven fact that single-channel RAM can really drag down performance in games, even if your FPS looks good on paper.
A big reason console games feel smoother is that they often run at a locked frame rate with no drops. On PC, even with high frame rates, you might see fluctuations that lead to lag. Try using a frame rate limiter like RivaTuner with MSI Afterburner to lock in a stable FPS a few frames below your monitor's refresh rate. Also, if you have a FreeSync or G-Sync monitor, it can greatly help with input lag issues if you enable it correctly.
I’ll definitely give that a shot! I'm wondering if locking to 30 FPS at a 60Hz refresh rate might help too, but so far nothing's been solid.
The main issue here is likely that single stick of 8GB RAM. Having only one stick can limit performance, especially with modern games that need more memory. I’d suggest upgrading to at least 16GB total for a smoother experience. You can check your system's usage with something like MSI Afterburner to confirm that theory. Adding another 8GB stick with the same specs should help you out.
I get that, but I’m baffled how 100 FPS can feel so sluggish! If it was just the RAM, wouldn’t the performance drop significantly more at lower FPS?
That's the thing—it feels weird hitting over 100 FPS but noticing lag, especially when 60 FPS feels worse. It just doesn't seem right to me!