Comparing Game Performance Before and After a Driver Change

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Updates to graphics card drivers can accelerate, slow down, optimize, or alter game performance without warning. Such variability makes diagnosing driver performance issues extremely difficult. If a game ran well last week but no longer works properly after an update, the cause is likely a driver problem. However, memory instability or other factors can also … Read more

A Controller Connects Successfully but Stops Responding In-Game

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A controller that connects successfully but stops responding once a game starts can be one of the more confusing input problems on a PC. Windows may show the device as connected, the controller may light up normally, and another application may even recognize button presses. Then the game launches and suddenly none of the inputs … Read more

Background CPU Activity That Matters More Than Its Percentage Suggests

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A CPU usage of 25% or 35% in Task Manager might give you the impression that your processor is still performing well. Although this percentage seems harmless, games can exhibit stuttering, crashes, or abnormal frame rates. The CPU usage displayed by Windows is only a part of the performance issues on modern gaming PCs, which … Read more

The Difference Between Input Delay and Low Frame Rates

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Some games, even with sharp graphics, can feel choppy; others, even with smooth controls, can still stutter. Although both are referred to as “latency,” they are different issues. Input lag refers to the time interval between a player’s action and the game’s response, whereas a low frame rate means the computer is generating fewer frames. … Read more

A Game Uses the Integrated GPU Instead of the Dedicated Graphics Card

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A PC game can sometimes launch on the integrated graphics built into the processor even when a dedicated NVIDIA or AMD graphics card is installed. The result is usually obvious: unusually low frame rates, poor graphics performance, high frame-time spikes, or a game that suddenly behaves as though the computer has much weaker hardware than … Read more

How Performance Changes Dramatically Between Windowed and Fullscreen Modes

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Changing a game from fullscreen to windowed mode looks like a simple display preference, but it can sometimes produce a surprisingly large change in how the game feels. A title that runs smoothly in full screen may develop stutters in a window. Another game may show almost no FPS difference at all. Some systems even … Read more