Why am I lagging in-game?

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

Hey, I recently bought FIFA 14 and I cannot understand why I lag (particularly in fast moving sequences) when playing. It's very strange, as in some games such as Borderlands 2 i have not experienced similar problems (running high settings). In other games (LoL, Bioshock Infinte) , however, I sometimes (although not as prevalent) have the same problem and it can sometimes ruin the experience.

I have tried a number of things in an attempt to fix the problem but it has helped very little. I have tried deleting my drivers and installing them again, I have tried clearing up my ram and hdd with ccleaner and I have checked to see if it was a cooling problem.
Here's my specs:
Graphics card: Radeon HD 7850 HIS 2 GB
CPU: Intel i3 2120 3.30 Ghz
RAM: 8 GB
OS: Windows 7 64 bit
Motherboard: Gigabyte H77-D3H
Is it the game itself? Is it my hardware(i.e. bottleneck)? Is it my software/settings?
Any help is appreciated, thank you

AnEwG · Mar 23, 2014

Did you disable the iGPU? What is the model and brand of your PSU?

tiny voices · Mar 23, 2014

His iGPU will auto-disable when a GPU is installed.

What is your CPU usage in-game in FIFA. If I remember correctly, it is a VERY CPU intensive game, and not very GPU intensive at all. Your i3 could be a bottleneck here.

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

tiny voices :

You may be right, it's quite high: ~80 %, is there anything I can do to make the game run smoother? (without buying a new CPU).

AnEwG · Mar 23, 2014

He seems to be having similar problems with League of Legends which certainly isn't a CPU intensive game.
Here is a guy with an i5-4670k who is having a similar problem:
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1992188/fifa-stuttering.html
And I am almost certain that this game isn't anywhere as demanding as to be bottlenecked by an i3-2120.
Here is the only benchmark I could find for the game and it is for notebooks, the closest processor for an i3 on the list is AMD A10-4600M with HD 7660G integrated graphics which is certainly no where near as strong as an i3-3220+ HD 7850 and still delivers a 65 FPS at high with 4xMSAA:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/FIFA-14-Benchmarked.102767.0.html
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i3-3220-vs-AMD-A10-4600M

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

AnEwG :

According to their recommended specs i shouldn't have problems running it: http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=6222&game=Fifa%2014
It's all very strange

tiny voices · Mar 23, 2014

What are your max CPU and GPU usage in these games?

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

tiny voices :

Is there an easy way to track the CPU and GPU usage in-game?

AnEwG · Mar 23, 2014

If you are having similar problems in other games as well but they are more pronounced in FIFA 2014, it could be a software problem with the game itself or drivers or an under powered gpu and that is why I asked you about the brand and model of your PSU. You should try to update the drivers to the latest version available for your card or an older version if you already have the latest driver version, you should also look for the latest patch for the game as was advised in the thread I referred to.

AnEwG · Mar 23, 2014

smack_them :

MSI afterburner.

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

AnEwG :

My CPU's max is at a 100% and my GPU is only at around 25 %. This may be quite relevant, my PSU is only at 450 watt: http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Edition-Bronze-Wired-Supply/dp/B005FPT38U .I assessed it to be enough but that may not be the case. I'll try to update a bit more.

tiny voices · Mar 23, 2014

Your PSU is plenty. Not the issue at all.

Like I said your CPU is the problem. It is running at 100% and acting as a bottleneck.

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

tiny voices :

Why is it maxed out though? Can I solve it?

tiny voices · Mar 23, 2014

It is maxed because the game is using 100% of its power and wants more. To fix it, you need a better CPU.

Some games like FIFA and LoL are designed to be VERY VERY (despite that that other guy told you) CPU intensive so that your average Joe with an i5 laptop but no graphics card can still run them well. Games like Boarderlands and other demanding games are coded for a gaming computer and utilize WAY more GPU power. This takes the strain off the CPU.

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

tiny voices :

Okay, thanks a lot for your help and time. One more thing, either my sensors are broken or my CPU is burning right now, it says its a 100 C and i have 3 fans in my computer and (granted, it with a stock fan) I haven't overclocked my CPU in any way. What is happening? I am concerned

tiny voices · Mar 23, 2014

Is the CPU heatsink and fan properly installed with thermal paste?

Download HWMonitor to check the CPU temp as it is VERY reliable.

AnEwG · Mar 23, 2014

I don't understand why would it be a CPU problem when a weaker APU can handle the game fine at the highest settings. like I said update your drivers first before jumping to conclusions. Also are all 4 logical cores of your CPU are pegged at 100%?

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

tiny voices :

I would think so, I mean it hasn't died these past 3 years I've had it, I'll check the temp. again.

tiny voices · Mar 23, 2014

He only has 2 cores and 2 threads. ONLY the cores will matter because these games are not coded to use hyper-threadding at all.

AnEwG · Mar 23, 2014

tiny voices :

I would like to see some benchmarks to back up your claims like the one I posted. Neither FIFA nor LOL by any means are CPU intensive as evidently a AMD APU which is weaker than the OP CPU ran the game fine on integrated graphics at highest possible settings. And here is a LoL benchmarks that proves that even a duel core Athlon can run the game just fine:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/league-of-legends-performance-benchmark,3484-8.html

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

tiny voices :

Yeah it also says it's at a 100 Celsius, I'm gonna have to check that out.

AnEwG · Mar 23, 2014

tiny voices :

Actually he has 2 physical cores and 4 threads because the i3 is hyperthreaded.

tiny voices · Mar 23, 2014

AnEwG :

The threads don't do anything in 95% of games and these two are no exception. The ONLY thing that matters are the cores.

smack_them · Mar 23, 2014

AnEwG :

Yes that is correct. It was maxing out on all stats (that I could see) in the monitoring program.

tiny voices · Mar 23, 2014

smack_them :

100C is VERY close to the melting point of solder and you are close to frying the CPU. If it really is that hot, it is probably throttling itself and causing your performance issues, but it would NOT say 100% usage though.

Try Coretemp as the last check. If it says 100c as well, then that is a HUGE issue.

Why am I lagging in-game?

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