I'm experiencing an issue where my PC lags for about 30 seconds every 45 seconds during any game I play. The frame rate drops from 50-60 FPS down to 10-15 FPS, and then it goes back to normal afterward. My memory and GPU usage don't max out, and the temps stay reasonable—around 80°C for the GPU and 70-80°C for the CPU. This lag issue occurs across all games, even older ones like Quake 3 Arena, so it doesn't seem to be a RAM or GPU stress problem. It feels like something might be lagging my system in the background, given the consistent timing of the issue. I've been dealing with this for almost a year and can't pinpoint the cause. Any ideas on what might be going on? Here are my specs: I5-8250U, 12GB DDR4, MX130 2GB, 512GB WD SSD, and 256GB NVMe.
2 Answers
Have you tried the steps in this guide? It might help you out: https://www.reddit.com/r/AMDHelp/s/E9mIN4WPyn. Look specifically at steps 9, 12, and 16. Once you’ve resolved the issue, be sure to share your results in the comments section of that guide!
You might want to check your SSD temperatures. Also, keep an eye on your CPU’s initial boost since it can hit over 100°C before quickly dropping back to around 70°C. That 45-second lag could be your CPU reaching its boost clock and then thermal throttling afterward. Try using a tool like HWInfo for more detailed monitoring.
Doing that now. So that 45-second window could be the CPU boosting to max clock before thermal throttling?
Thank you! Will follow up once done.