I'm trying to help out with a gaming computer that belongs to a coworker's kid. It's a recent CyberPower prebuilt from Best Buy that packs a decent punch with a 14th Gen i5, 16GB of RAM, and an RTX 4060. The odd thing is, no matter what game we try, it's locked at exactly 20fps. It's not struggling to reach 20fps; it feels like there's a hard cap, similar to when you mistakenly set your refresh rate at 60Hz.
We've already cleaned up the inside of the PC, made sure all Windows updates are in place, installed the latest graphics drivers, and checked the system with CPUID HW Monitor. I've also verified the monitor refresh rate is set correctly at 1080p @ 165Hz, examined power settings, and looked for any overheating issues, but nothing seems to change the frame rate. I've tried different settings in Fortnite, including DX 11 and 12 modes in both windowed and fullscreen.
It feels like there's some hidden setting in Windows capping the frame rate at 20. They checked the cable connection to the GPU versus the motherboard, but I'm running out of ideas. I'm considering checking for monitor drivers and possibly swapping out cables. Any suggestions on what else I could look into?
2 Answers
Have you checked the advanced display settings in Windows? Sometimes the refresh rate settings can throw things off. It's worth a look!
What does HWMonitor show for GPU utilization when you're playing? Also, double-check that the GPU has a PCIe power cable connected inside the case. If it’s not plugged in, that might not allow it to perform correctly, although it may still send a signal to the monitor.
I’ll check the GPU utilization when I get back to the computer. I think there’s a power cable connected, but I’ll verify it.
I did check the refresh rate there to make sure it was correct. Still stuck at 20fps.