FPS Drops While Gaming? 7 Causes, Quickest Checks First

In this guide (10 sections)

• Is it an FPS drop or short freezes?
• What exactly happens?
• 1. The processor or graphics card gets too hot and slows down
• 2. The monitor is plugged into the motherboard
• 3. A laptop is on battery or in a power-saving mode
• 4. V-Sync or a frame limit is holding the frame rate down
• 5. Something in the background is using the PC
• 6. The processor can’t keep up in busy scenes
• 7. The graphics driver is outdated or damaged
• Real cases: what other users ran into

An FPS drop is when the game’s frame rateFPS (frames per second): How many pictures per second the PC draws in a game. More is smoother; around 60 or more feels fluid. More in our Windows & performance glossary →Close ✕ falls and stays lower for seconds or minutes, or is lower than it should be from the start. It feels sluggish rather than jerky. Most of the time the parts are fine: the PC is slowing itself down because of heat, power settings or a simple setup mistake, and each of these can be checked without special tools.

Is it an FPS drop or short freezes?

If the frame rate counter stays high but the game freezes for a split second every so often, that’s stutter (short, repeated freezes), which has different causes. See our guide on games that freeze briefly (stutter). If the whole game slows down, or the number on the counter falls and stays down, you’re in the right place.

What exactly happens?

What you see	Most likely cause	Where to look
The game runs well at first, then the frame rate falls after 10–30 minutes.	Overheating	Cause 1
Every game runs very slowly, even on low settings, and the graphics card stays cool.	The monitor is plugged into the motherboard	Cause 2
A laptop runs games much slower when unplugged, or slower than it used to.	Battery or power settings	Cause 3
The frame rate never goes above exactly 30, 60 or another round number.	V-Sync or a frame limit	Cause 4
The frame rate drops at random moments, even on the desktop the PC feels busy.	Something running in the background	Cause 5
The frame rate drops in crowded or busy scenes, even on low settings.	The processor can’t keep up	Cause 6
The problem started after a driver update or a new graphics card.	The graphics driver	Cause 7

1. The processor or graphics card gets too hot and slows down

Processors and graphics cards protect themselves: when they reach their temperature limit, they lower their speed. This is called thermal throttlingThermal throttling (slowing down from heat): When a chip slows itself down because it's too hot, to protect itself. More in our Cooling & noise glossary →Close ✕. The typical sign is a game that runs well for the first few minutes, then loses frames as the PC heats up.

How to check: show your temperatures on screen while you play, or record them and look at the highest values afterwards. Our guide on how to monitor temps while gaming shows how, with free tools. As a rough guide, a processor near 95–100°C, or a graphics card hot spot above about 105°C, means it’s slowing down.

Fix: clean the dust from the coolers and filters, check every fan spins, and make sure the case gets fresh air. Our guides on safe CPU temperatures while gaming and how hot a graphics card should run explain what’s normal and how to bring temperatures down.

2. The monitor is plugged into the motherboard

A desktop PC often has two sets of video ports: one on the motherboard and one on the graphics card. If the monitor is plugged into the motherboard and the processor has integrated graphicsIntegrated graphics: Graphics built into some processors, which let you use the motherboard's video ports without a graphics card. More in our Graphics cards & display glossary →Close ✕, the picture works, but games run on the processor’s basic graphics instead of the graphics card. Frame rates can be a fraction of what they should be.

Where to plug in the monitor

Back of a desktop PC. With a graphics card installed, use the ports on the card.

• 1Motherboard ports (higher up)
  Usually disabled when a graphics card is installed, and useless if the CPU has no integrated graphics.
• 2Graphics card ports (the horizontal row lower down)
  Plug the monitor in here.

How to check: look at the back of the PC. The graphics card’s ports are in a horizontal row, lower down, in one of the long expansion slots. In Task Manager → Performance, play a game and see which GPU is busy.

Fix: plug the monitor cable into one of the graphics card’s ports. This is easy to get wrong after moving the PC or connecting a TV.

3. A laptop is on battery or in a power-saving mode

Gaming laptops save a lot of power when unplugged, and their performance drops sharply. Settings can also make games run on the processor’s basic graphics instead of the dedicated graphics card.

How to check and fix:

1. Plug in the charger. Gaming laptops need it to run at full speed.
2. In Windows, open Settings → System → Power & battery and set the power modePower mode (power plan): A Windows setting that trades speed for energy saving. On laptops it also changes when unplugged. More in our Windows & performance glossary →Close ✕ to Best performance.
3. Open the laptop maker’s app (such as Armoury Crate, Legion Space, Omen Gaming Hub or Alienware Command Center) and choose its performance or turbo mode.
4. In Settings → System → Display → Graphics, find the game and set it to High performance, so it uses the graphics card.
5. NVIDIA laptops have a “Battery Boost” option that limits the frame rate on battery. Check it in the NVIDIA app if you play unplugged.

If the graphics card still draws far less power than it should (monitoring tools show this as “board power” or “GPU power”), contact the maker: some laptops need a BIOS or firmware update for that.

4. V-Sync or a frame limit is holding the frame rate down

If the counter never goes above a round number like 30, 60 or 144, the frame rate isn’t dropping: something is limiting it on purpose.

How to check: look for these settings:

• V-Sync in the game’s graphics menu. It ties the frame rate to the monitor. On a 60 Hz monitor that means a maximum of 60, and with some games it can fall straight to 30 when the PC can’t quite reach 60.
• A frame rate limit in the game, or in the NVIDIA or AMD driver settings.
• The monitor running at 60 Hz when it can do more. Our guide on monitor stuck at 60Hz shows how to check and fix it.

Fix: turn off V-Sync to test, or switch it to the adaptive version your graphics card offers (G-Sync or FreeSync) if your monitor supports it. A frame rate capFrame rate cap (FPS limit): A setting that stops the graphics card making more frames per second than you choose, so it works less hard. More in our Graphics cards & display glossary →Close ✕ just below the monitor’s refresh rate is a good setting to keep, as long as it’s set to the number you want.

5. Something in the background is using the PC

Windows Update, an antivirus scan, a game launcher downloading an update or a browser with many tabs can take a big share of the processor and drive, and the game loses frames.

How to check: while the problem happens, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and sort the Processes tab by CPU, then by Disk. Anything using a lot apart from the game is a suspect.

Fix: let updates finish, schedule antivirus scans for when you’re not playing, and close what you don’t need. Our guide on games freezing briefly (stutter) lists the background apps that most often cause problems.

6. The processor can’t keep up in busy scenes

The processor works out what happens in each frame, and the graphics card draws it. In crowded cities, big battles or strategy games with many units, the processor can become the slow part. This is called a CPU bottleneckCPU bottleneck (CPU-limited): When the processor can't prepare frames as fast as the graphics card could draw them, so FPS drops. More in our Windows & performance glossary →Close ✕, and it’s normal to some degree.

How to check: in an on-screen readout, watch the graphics card’s usage during the drop. If it falls well below 90–100% while the frame rate drops, the processor is the limit. Lowering graphics settings barely helps in that case.

Fix:

• Lower the settings that load the processor: crowd density, view distance, physics and simulation options.
• Make sure the RAM runs at full speed and in dual channelDual channel: Two RAM modules working side by side, which roughly doubles memory bandwidth. It needs the right slots. More in our RAM & storage glossary →Close ✕: our guide on RAM not running at full speed shows how to check. Slow RAM makes processor limits worse.
• If you play at high frame rates, a frame rate cap gives a steadier experience than a number that keeps jumping.

7. The graphics driver is outdated or damaged

A driver that’s very old, or one damaged by an update or by swapping from one graphics card brand to another, can cost a lot of performance.

How to check: did the FPS drops start after a driver update or a new graphics card? Does Device Manager → Display adapters show your graphics card by name, with no warning sign?

Fix:

1. Install the latest driver for your card from the NVIDIA, AMD or Intel website.
2. If you changed graphics card brand, or the problem started after an update, do a clean install: the free tool Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) removes all traces of the old driver in Safe Mode, then you install the new one.

If nothing here helps, compare your results with benchmarks for the same graphics card and processor at the same settings. If your numbers are far lower in every game, the next suspects are the power supply and the graphics card itself; our guide on signs your PSU is failing shows how to test the power supply.

Real cases: what other users ran into

These are real reports from PC forums, summarized in our own words, with a link to each original thread.

Real caseRyzen 7 7800X3D · Radeon RX 7800 XT · ASUS TUF B650-Plus WiFiSolved10–15 FPS in every game after connecting a TVRead what happened

In December 2024, after connecting a 4K TV, every game ran at 10–15 FPS, even after switching back to the monitor and reinstalling the drivers. Graphics usage showed 100%, yet the card stayed cool. A reply suggested the display cable was plugged into the motherboard, so the processor’s built-in graphics were doing the work. The owner replied the same morning: “this was the issue”.

Takeaway: if games are slow and the graphics card stays cool, check where the monitor is plugged in. See cause 2.

Source: Steam Community

Real caseCore i7-13700K · RTX 3090 · ASUS Prime B760M · Deepcool 850 WNot solved by the userPower falling to 60% in seconds, with a 104°C hot spotRead what happened

In May 2024, games ran with very low frame rates. In a stress test the graphics card started at full power, then fell to about 60–65% within seconds. Raising the power and temperature limits and reinstalling the drivers didn’t help. Replies spotted a hot spot temperature of 104°C with a low clock speed, a sign of overheating, and suggested replacing the card’s thermal paste. The owner didn’t report back.

Takeaway: a normal-looking main temperature can hide a very hot hot spot. See cause 1.

Source: AnandTech Forums

Real caseASUS ROG Strix G16 · RTX 4060 LaptopNot solved by the userA gaming laptop's graphics card stuck at a fraction of its powerRead what happened

In May 2025, games became unplayable on this laptop, with very low frame rates and freezes. Monitoring showed the graphics card drawing about 30 W, far below normal. The owner tried several drivers, a clean driver install, the maker’s performance modes and a Windows reinstall. A few days later it suddenly ran normally again, but less than two weeks after that the owner reported “I am still having the problem”. The thread doesn’t show a fix.

Takeaway: on laptops, check the power mode and the graphics card’s power draw; if it stays far too low, contact the maker. See cause 3.

Source: ASUS ROG Forum

Frequently asked questions

Why do my FPS drop after playing for a while?

Most often because the processor or graphics card has warmed up and is slowing itself down. Watching the temperatures while you play confirms it in one session.

Why is my FPS lower than in benchmarks?

Benchmarks use specific settings, a specific processor and often a clean PC. Compare like with like. If you’re far below in every game, check where the monitor is plugged in, the RAM speed and the graphics driver.

Does more RAM increase FPS?

Only if you’re running out. 16 GB is enough for most games today and 32 GB gives headroom. Running the RAM at its full speed and in dual channel often matters more than adding more.

Is it bad if my graphics card isn’t at 100% usage?

No, not by itself. It usually means a frame cap, V-Sync or the processor is the limit. It only matters if your frame rate is also lower than you’d like.

Can a power supply cause FPS drops?

Rarely. A struggling power supply usually causes shutdowns or restarts rather than lower frame rates. See our guide on PC turning off while gaming if that’s what happens.