Why is my desktop lagging but games run fine?
Asked by
CuriousOtter92
I've been experiencing some annoying lag on my desktop for about a week now. It happens randomly, especially when I'm typing, moving tabs to my second monitor, or just scrolling on the browser. Interestingly, it seems like this lag only occurs on the desktop and not while gaming—games like Skyrim and Battlefield 6 run smoothly. I've already updated my GPU drivers and nothing unusual pops up in Task Manager. I'm starting to wonder if the recent Windows 11 update could be the culprit. I've also done a malware scan with Windows' built-in tool, so I seriously doubt there's any malware at play since I haven't installed anything sketchy lately. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any suggestions?
Answers
If you suspect this started happening after a recent update, you might want to check if rolling back that update helps. Sometimes Windows updates can trigger unexpected issues. Also, it's worth checking for any new drivers for your hardware that may not have been updated yet.
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Do you mean that the lag happens while you're running a game as well? Or does it only occur when you're back on desktop after playing? This could help narrow down what's causing the problem.
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It could help to close background applications one by one to see if that alleviates the lag. You might also want to try using a different browser, as sometimes extensions can cause performance issues. Also, double-check whether the issue persists on another monitor—this could point to a hardware problem. Another thing to consider is your CPU temperatures; if it’s running too hot, that might result in the lag you’re experiencing.
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