I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron 5570 with an i7 8550u processor and a Radeon 530 graphics card. It worked great for daily tasks, but when I started playing games like Left 4 Dead 2, I noticed some issues. The game runs around 70 fps normally, but it can drop to just 10 fps at times. Upon monitoring the performance, I found that the CPU and GPU suddenly reduce their frequency or usage. I've already switched the power mode to high performance, but that hasn't helped. Any tips on resolving this?
2 Answers
It sounds like your laptop might be experiencing thermal throttling, which happens when the hardware gets too hot and the performance reduces to cool down. Try keeping an eye on the CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming. You might also want to clean out any dust around the heatsink and fan, and replace the thermal paste if it’s old. Tools like HWMonitor can help you track temperatures in real-time while you play. Can you hear the fan working when the laptop is under load? That might point to airflow issues.
Yeah, thermal throttling is likely your issue. Also, consider putting the laptop on a cool, flat surface to improve airflow. This might help keep the performance stable while gaming.
The fan isn't super loud, but I agree that maintenance and changing the thermal paste sounds like a smart idea.