Witcher 2 random FPS drop

mrkvw

Honorable
Jan 20, 2014
4
0
10,510
Hi there.

I recently purchased a Dell XPS 15 9530 with i7-4702HQ, 16GB ram, GT750m.

I'm seeing random FPS drops to 5-6 FPS when running the Witcher 2 at modest settings (1600x900, low spec). The game runs fine for the most part at around 50-60 FPS, but will randomly drop for a minute or so. Doesn't seem to be related to the in game environment, as it can happen even in small rooms with not much to render. The problem is occurring both during gameplay and cut scenes, but is not repeatable (the same cut scene or game sequence won't always trigger a FPS drop).

I've made sure to upgrade to the latest Nvidia drivers, and am monitoring GPU and CPU, GPU running at a constant 99% usage and doesn't get above 79 C. CPU seems fine as well, not above 50%. The GPU temperature drops to around 63 C as soon as the FPS drop occurs, so perhaps some throttling is going on. Any suggestions as to what could be causing the issue?

Thanks
 
Solution
Try locking the game to 30FPS at the same quality settings and see how that works.

1) NVidia Control Panel
2) Manage 3D settings
3) add "Witcher 2"
4) Vertical Sync -> Adaptive Half Refresh
5) Save
6) Verify using FRAPS in the game that it's locking to 30FPS

If it's temperature-based throttling then this should make things much cooler and may prevent the drops completely, or at least extend the time they happen. If it doesn't help, we've eliminated this as the cause.
Try locking the game to 30FPS at the same quality settings and see how that works.

1) NVidia Control Panel
2) Manage 3D settings
3) add "Witcher 2"
4) Vertical Sync -> Adaptive Half Refresh
5) Save
6) Verify using FRAPS in the game that it's locking to 30FPS

If it's temperature-based throttling then this should make things much cooler and may prevent the drops completely, or at least extend the time they happen. If it doesn't help, we've eliminated this as the cause.
 
Solution

mrkvw

Honorable
Jan 20, 2014
4
0
10,510


Thanks a lot, this seemed to do the trick (although I only had Vertical Sync options for Yes and No)