FIX: Game Stuttering with High FPS - 8 Tips

Oliver updated on Oct 24, 2024 to Computer Instruction | How-to Articles

What can you do if you encounter game stutters on a high-end PC? Do not panic. This page covers multiple tips for you to resolve the game stuttering with high FPS issues.

Have you ever faced sudden interruptions or delays while playing a game? That's Game Stuttering, also known as Game Stutter. Although stuttering and Low FPS are both performance issues, there is a big difference between the two.

Stuttering describes the irregular or inconsistent delivery of frames, leading to a choppy or jerky gaming experience, even if the average frame rate is high. On the other hand, a low frame rate occurs when a game renders fewer frames per second than intended, resulting in a generally slow and sluggish gaming experience.

But don't worry — I've got you covered. Here, EaseUS will share the most common Game Stuttering with High FPS and its fixes.

  1. Fix 1. Keep Fans and Vents Clean
  2. Fix 2. Upgrade to SSD
  3. Fix 3. Update Drivers
  4. Fix 4. Disable Unnecessary Device
  5. Fix 5. Modify In-Game Settings
  6. Fix 6. Quit Unnecessary Background Processes
  7. Fix 7. Monitor System Temperature
  8. Fix 8. Clean up Your Hard Drive

Why Game Stuttering with High FPS?

There are various types of game stuttering, starting from brief pauses and inconsistent performance to frame rate decreases. Game stuttering is quite common in high-end computers nowadays. Sometimes it is normal that your game stutters in specific scenarios such as explosions and fast movement.

There are various reasons why you experience game stuttering on your PC. These can be broadly divided into two categories: Hardware issues and Software Issues. Let's go through the most common causes in detail:

Category Issue Description
Hardware Issues Overheating components Critical components like CPU or GPU limit performance to prevent harm when overheating, causing brief stutters.
Underpowered GPU Even with high FPS, a GPU that isn't powerful enough may stutter in demanding scenarios.
Inadequate RAM Insufficient RAM causes difficulty in allocating and managing memory resources, leading to stuttering.
CPU bottlenecks When the CPU can't handle GPU demands, stuttering occurs as the system struggles to process game data.
CPU-GPU spec imbalance Significant performance imbalance between CPU and GPU can cause inefficiencies and stuttering.
Software Issues Outdated or faulty drivers Can cause performance and compatibility issues, leading to stuttering even at high FPS.
Too many background processes Competing for system resources with the game can cause stuttering.
Inappropriate game settings Mismatched resolution or graphics settings can unnecessarily strain the system, causing stuttering.
Random bugs or errors Game-specific issues that might cause stuttering or lag in the gaming experience.

Now, let's look at 8 Fixes that may help you fix game stuttering with high FPS issues.

Tip
Please ensure your PC meets the game's minimum system requirements before trying the fixes below.

Fix 1. Keep Fans and Vents Clean

It's essential to keep your computer's fans and vents clean to maintain proper airflow and cooling. If your system overheats, it can lead to performance throttling and stuttering, even if your FPS is high.

Follow these steps to clean your fans and vents effectively:

Step 1. Prepare Your Workspace and Tools. Locate a brightly illuminated space and assemble the necessary tools, such as a can of compressed air, a small brush, a screwdriver, and a soft cloth.

Step 2. Power Down and Unplug Your System. Make sure to shut down your computer entirely and disconnect it from the power supply. If you are cleaning a laptop, try to take out the battery to minimize the risk of electric shock.

Step 3. Open the Case or Access Panel. To take off the case or panel, utilize a screwdriver to unscrew the screws. Keep the screws in a safe place and cautiously take off the panel to reveal the inner components.

Step 4. Clean the Fans. Secure the fan blades to stop them from moving. Utilize the compressed air can to eliminate dust from the blades and motor. 

Step 5. Clear the Vents. Blow the dust out of the vents using compressed air from both the inside and outside of the case. If the vents are very dirty, you can dislodge any stuck dust using the small brush. 

Step 6. Reassemble Your System. After carefully replacing the case or access panel, secure it with the screws that were set aside earlier. Ensure that everything is properly aligned and tightened. Reconnect your system to the power source and, if necessary, reinsert the battery.

Next, Start your computer and pay attention to any odd sounds coming from the fans. Use software tools to keep track of the temperatures and guarantee that the system is operating at a cooler and more efficient level.

Fix 2. Upgrade to SSD

Switching to a Solid-State Drive (SSD) can result in a significant reduction in game stuttering, even when your FPS remains consistently high.

Switching from a conventional Hard Disk Drive (HDD) to an SSD can greatly enhance your gaming experience by boosting data access speeds and cutting down on loading times. Despite FPS (Frames Per Second) quantifying the frames rendered per second, the fluidity and responsiveness of gameplay can still suffer from sluggish storage drives, particularly when dealing with data-heavy tasks like loading new game areas or textures.

To get a better understanding of the differences between SSD and HDD, you can check this page out.

HDD vs SSD for Gaming: Differences You Need to Know

HDD vs SSD for gaming, which one is better? If you have questions about this, find the answers in this article. Read more >>

Fix 3. Update Drivers

When your graphics or audio drivers are outdated or faulty, it can lead to stuttering. So, it's important to keep drivers up to date to ensure smooth communication between your hardware components, operating system, and applications.

If your drivers, especially graphics drivers, are outdated, it can cause performance issues and stuttering while gaming, even if your frames per second (FPS) is high.

You can check out the following official sites to download the latest driver for your graphic cards:

You can also use EaseUS DriverHandy to automatically detect and update other drivers, such as audio drivers.

Fix 4. Disable Unnecessary Device

Disabling devices that are not needed can help to release system resources and lower the likelihood of game stuttering, even when the FPS is high.

One user on Reddit shared a method - 'I went to device manager and disabled all the other devices than the ones I actively use, and the stuttering stopped.' Follow the following steps to Disable Unnecessary devices in your system:

Step 1. Right-click on the Start button and select "Device Manager."

Step 2. Expand the categories to find unnecessary devices. The categories could consist of "Network adapters," "Sound, video and game controllers," and "Universal Serial Bus controllers."

Step 3. Choose the device you want to disable, Right-click on it, and select "Disable device."

Then, restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved. If any of your friends are also facing the same issue, share this page with them.

 

Fix 5. Modify In-Game Settings

Modifying your in-game settings can greatly improve performance and minimize stuttering. Adjusting your game's graphics settings can also balance performance and visual quality, reducing strain on your hardware and preventing stuttering.

1. Lowering Screen Resolution. Running the game at a resolution higher than your monitor's capacity can overwhelm your GPU. Lowering the screen resolution is a likely effective solution for addressing game stuttering at high FPS.

2. Turn Off V-Sync. Vertical Sync (V-Sync) is a graphic technology that matches a game's frame rate with the refresh rate of a gaming monitor. However, it can cause input lag, which may lead to stuttering. Turning Off V-Sync may help with the stuttering.

Fix 6. Quit Unnecessary Background Processes

Too many programs and processes slow down the response speed of your system. Even at high FPS, game stuttering or game constantly crashing is common when your GPU and CPU require more time to process the data transition. Follow the steps below to quite the unnecessary background processes:

Step 1. Right-click the empty space on Taskbar and select "Task Manager."

Step 2. Go to the "Processes" tab and select the apps and background processes using the most CPU and GPU. Click "End task" to save resources for games.

Step 3. Next, Navigate to the "Details" tab, right-click the executable of your game, and select "High" as the priority level.

This will stop programs from running in the background. Now, head back and play your game to see if it works without any interruptions.

Fix 7. Monitor System Temperature

It's essential to keep an eye on your system's temperature to ensure it runs well and to avoid stuttering while playing games. When your CPU and GPU overheat, their performance can be reduced, which may lead to disruptions even if your FPS stays high.

Monitoring temperature levels is crucial to maintaining your system's efficiency and longevity. It helps ensure that your hardware operates within safe limits, preventing thermal throttling that can lead to stuttering.

Here are a few recommendations on Temperature Monitoring Software that you can try out

  1. EaseUS Partition Master - Apart from disk management, it also monitors disk temperature and health status.
  2. HWMonitor - It offers comprehensive information on temperatures, voltages, and fan speeds.
  3. MSI Afterburner - This software is top-rated among gamers because of its GPU monitoring and overclocking features.

🚩Read also: Best 8 Windows Temperature Monitor Software Free Download

Fix 8. Clean up Your Hard Drive

Keep your hard drive clean and well-organized to ensure your system runs smoothly. This will minimize game stuttering. 

Over time, your hard drive can gather unnecessary files, outdated applications, and system clutter, which can result in decreased performance and longer loading times. Consistent cleaning up junk files is essential to maintain smooth system operation and enhance your gaming experience.

You can check out EaseUS Partition Master for a thorough cleanup and disk management. It comes with an additional feature, CleanGenius, which offers advanced cleaning features to increase system performance and free up space. It effectively eliminates unnecessary files, clears cache, and uninstalls unwanted applications.

Step 1. Download and install EaseUS Partition Master Suite.

Free Download

Windows 11/10/8/7100% Secure

Step 2. Click PC Cleaner and install EaseUS CleanGinus. Then, click "Cleanup" and click "Scan" to start cleaning up the system and make your PC as good as new.

Step 3. The software will scanning all over your computer to find idle data files that take a huge amount of disk space, you can select useless large files, system junk files and Windows invalid entries and click "Clean" to start system cleanup process.

Step 4. When the scan is complete, click "Done" to finish cleaning system junk files.

Try this tool out and share it with others who are facing the same issue.

 

Conclusion

To sum up, this article discusses the reasons behind game stuttering despite high FPS and offers effective solutions to enhance your gaming sessions. By tackling hardware and software issues such as component overheating, outdated drivers, and incorrect game settings and using fixes like fan maintenance, SSD upgrades, and system temperature monitoring, you can stop stuttering. Following these steps will help ensure a seamless, more enjoyable gaming experience.

Read also:

FAQs on Game Stuttering with High FPS

Are you still confused about why you are facing game stuttering with high FPS? This section will provide you with additional Q&A.

1. Why is my game lagging even with good FPS?

Several factors may cause your game to lag despite a good FPS, such as overheating components, CPU/GPU bottlenecks, insufficient RAM, or software issues like outdated drivers and excessive background processes. Even when the FPS is high, these factors can lead to stuttering and delays.

2. Is 16GB RAM enough for gaming?

Yes, 16GB of RAM should be adequate for the majority of modern games. This amount of memory is sufficient to ensure seamless gameplay and juggle multiple tasks, enabling you to run games alongside other applications without experiencing significant performance issues. However, certain resource-intensive games and applications might see improvements with additional RAM.

3. Why do my games stutter all of a sudden?

Sudden game stutters can occur because components overheat, there is not enough RAM, CPU/GPU throttling, outdated drivers, or background processes use up system resources. These issues can disrupt gameplay, resulting in unexpected pauses and delays, even if the game was running smoothly at first.