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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Low frame rates, sudden stutters, long loading times and crashes can have different causes, so start by identifying the symptom rather than changing hardware or settings at random. Check the affected game’s current PC requirements, note when the problem began, then test one change at a time in the same scene. A setting that helps one game or PC may not help another.
Start by identifying the problem
Separate consistently low frame rates from intermittent hitching, long loading, visual corruption and crashes. These symptoms can point toward different areas to investigate, but none proves a specific cause on its own.
- Write down the game and version, your PC’s CPU, graphics card and memory, display resolution, graphics preset, and whether the game is installed on an SSD or HDD.
- Note when the issue began: on first launch, after a game update or graphics-driver change, or after changing resolution, ray tracing or another setting.
- Check whether other games show the same problem. If only one title is affected, its settings, update or support guidance deserve particular attention.
This information gives you a baseline for testing and makes it easier to describe the issue if you contact the game’s support team.
Compare your PC with the game’s requirements
Use the current official requirements for the exact game, version and performance target you want. A game’s minimum tier is not a promise of high settings or a particular frame rate. Requirements may also change over time, so check the publisher’s latest page before buying hardware.
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Diablo IV illustrates how requirements can tie hardware to an intended target. Blizzard’s 2023 PC launch specifications listed these tiers; they are historical launch requirements, not a guarantee of the game’s current requirements:
| Diablo IV launch tier | Stated target | Other listed requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1080p native resolution, 720p render resolution, low settings, 30 fps | 8 GB RAM; named older CPU and GPU classes; DirectX 12; SSD with 90 GB available |
| Medium | 1080p, medium settings, 60 fps | 16 GB RAM; named CPU and GPU classes; DirectX 12; SSD with 90 GB available |
| High | 1080p, high settings, 60 fps | 16 GB RAM; newer named CPU and GPU classes; DirectX 12; SSD with 90 GB available |
| Ultra 4K | 4K, ultra settings, 60 fps | 32 GB RAM; higher GPU class; DirectX 12; SSD with 90 GB available |
Blizzard’s Diablo IV launch requirements also warn that running below minimum specifications—including on an HDD, dual-core CPU or integrated GPU—may significantly diminish the experience. Don’t transfer these figures to another game: compare your own components with that game’s current published tiers.
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Test demanding graphics settings one at a time
Choose a repeatable location or encounter, change one setting, and compare how the game feels under similar conditions. Lowering resolution or reducing demanding visual options can help reveal whether graphics workload contributes to the problem. If performance improves, that is useful evidence, but it does not establish that the GPU is the only bottleneck.
CPU limits are also possible. Microsoft’s developer discussion, last updated in 2020, says many games it reviewed were CPU-limited on systems with high-performance GPUs, and notes that high-resolution settings can increase GPU demands. This is technical context, not a diagnosis of your particular PC. Microsoft Learn’s discussion of Windows game performance explains why changing graphics quality alone may not solve every low-FPS problem.
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Check ray tracing if the game offers it
Ray tracing can raise graphics demands. If the problem began after enabling it—or after a game update—compare performance with it off, using the game’s current menu and support instructions.
One historical example is Elden Ring version 1.09: Bandai Namco said ray tracing could have become enabled by default after that update and advised players to turn ray tracing quality off if it was unintentionally enabled and affecting gameplay. Its version 1.09 note also listed ray-tracing configurations for 1080p: a minimum of Windows 10, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT for low quality/low ray tracing; and a recommended Windows 11, 16 GB RAM, RTX 3070 Ti or RX 6900 XT for high quality/high ray tracing. These are version-specific historical details, not current universal requirements. Consult the Elden Ring version 1.09 patch notes as an example of why patch notes matter, then check guidance for your game’s current version.
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Treat stuttering differently from low average frame rates
Intermittent hitching may involve shader compilation, but it can also have other causes. Some games prepare shader data as they are first played; compilation can consume processing time and affect frame pacing. Don’t assume that all stutter is shader-related, and avoid repeatedly clearing shader caches as a blanket fix: a cleared cache may need to be rebuilt.
Square Enix documents a game-specific procedure for the title covered by its support article. It says the shader cache is created after installing and playing for the first time, and describes opening System > Graphics, switching Compile Shader on, then returning to the title screen. The article estimates the procedure takes 35–90 minutes depending on PC specifications and says the GPU shader cache must be enabled. That duration and menu path apply to the documented game only; verify the current instructions for your own title before using them. See Square Enix’s shader-compilation support steps.
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Check background applications and drivers
Unnecessary startup applications and outdated CPU, GPU or audio drivers are reasonable basic checks if the problem persists. Valve Steam Support’s performance troubleshooting search extract recommends these steps, but they are general triage—not a guaranteed FPS improvement. Close only applications you recognize and do not need while playing, and use official support channels for driver guidance rather than relying on a promised gain. Steam Support’s performance troubleshooting page is a starting point.
Know when storage is relevant
An SSD may matter if the game’s requirements call for one, or if the game is still installed on an HDD and loading is the main concern. Blizzard’s Diablo IV launch requirements specified an SSD and 90 GB available for each listed PC tier. That requirement does not show that an SSD will fix GPU- or CPU-limited low frame rates, or shader stutter in general.
If you are considering storage hardware, first check the PC’s supported drive size and interface, and make sure the drive has enough capacity for the game and its updates. Use the current requirements for your specific game to decide whether storage is actually a mismatch.
Escalate with useful details
If a measured settings change, current driver guidance and basic background-app checks do not help, consult the game’s current official support page and patch notes. Provide the game version, PC specifications, resolution and settings, the symptom, when it began, and whether other games are affected. A symptom that appeared directly after an update is especially useful context; an older example or another game’s fix is not a substitute for advice about the current build.
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