I'm curious to know whether PC gaming is more reliant on the CPU or GPU performance, or if it really depends on the specific game. I'm currently using a PC with an NVIDIA 3070 graphics card and an Intel i7-7700K processor that's overclocked. The game I mainly play is F1, and I'm experiencing significant lag even though my FPS is over 100. It feels like the response time is off compared to the console version, as I have to turn much earlier. I recently got a Ryzen 5900x, along with a motherboard and RAM from a friend, for $350, and I'm considering building that to see if it resolves the lag issue. Is there a way to determine if my CPU is the problem? The usage percentages haven't been incredibly high, but I'm unable to monitor them during intense gameplay since I have to switch screens. Maybe there are spikes I'm missing?
4 Answers
It's really game-specific. Lag spikes can come from various issues, including your RAM. Do you know how much RAM you have installed and its speed? If your RAM is maxed out while gaming, or if there are too many background applications running, that could contribute to the problem. Also, check if your CPU or GPU is overheating or throttling because that can cause lag. Monitoring their temperatures during play could give you some clues. Those are probably the most common culprits worth investigating.
Have you checked if frame generation is enabled? Sometimes, that can make games feel laggy even when your FPS is good. If you have it on, try turning it off and see if that helps.
Are you gaming on a monitor or a TV? That can also affect how lag feels during gameplay.
If your FPS is consistently high, but you're still feeling lag, it might not be a performance issue at all. It could actually be input lag or even a connection issue if your game needs internet. For input lag, sometimes turning off VSYNC can help. Since you mentioned it’s hardwired, I doubt it’s an internet issue, and I'd recommend looking into that VSYNC setting.
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