GPU utilization is so busted in this game

[Cal]

I've already finished the game like 3 times and have all achievements but man the stuttering is painful. I decided to start again with a new build this time and i can barely maintain 40-50 fps with a rx 6600. I've been monitoring my GPU speeds and usage and it's all over the place while playing elden ring, I honestly thought this would of been fixed by now.. I should be maxed at a base speed of 2500mhz but instead i hover around 1000mhz or lower.. so unoptimized and they never bothered to fix it because it's technically "playable"

[fauxpas]

Since when has Fromsoft ever been known for proper PC optimization? There is a reason that I play on console.

[Cal]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Since when has Fromsoft ever been known for proper PC optimization? There is a reason that I play on console.

Don't worry if i had a next gen console i would be doing the same but unfortunately i don't.

[nfinite.recursion]

Your GPU is fine. The game is primarily CPU- and RAM-bound. There are also some software-related issues that can cause stuttering as well.

My workstation has a W6600 Pro which is pretty much just a top binned RX6600. It runs the game perfectly fine, aside from that one Walking Mausoleum in the Consecrated Snowfield. Though it also runs alongside a Ryzen 5950X and 64GB of DDR4 3200MT/s RAM.

Also, it makes no sense for a GPU to run at max clocks on a frame limited game. There's no need for it to try so hard with a game that only runs at up to 60fps, unless the GPU was just barely "good enough".

[DamZe]

The PS5 version runs subpar, mind you.

Ask anyone who plays the native PS5 version over the downgraded PS4 Pro version, and they will tell you that they have framedrops, so nothing magical about the "nextgen" consoles.

[C1REX]

My 5700xt that has similar power to your 6600 holds very solid 60fps at 1440p. The game is better optimised than many other recent titles IMHO.

The game is heavy on CPU, RAM and even ssd drive however.

Three important settings that may help with stuttering:

- ReBar/Smart Access Memory
- PBO for AMD and IPM for Intel
- XMP/DOCP

All three are off by default and need to be switched on manually. Worth to check as it's free performance boost. One of them removes the RAM speed limit. You can check in Task manager if your RAM is not limited to 2133-2666MHz that may be not fast enough and sometimes cause stutters.

[SHOCKNUTZ]

Originally posted by nfinite.recursion:

Your GPU is fine. The game is primarily CPU- and RAM-bound. There are also some software-related issues that can cause stuttering as well.

My workstation has a W6600 Pro which is pretty much just a top binned RX6600. It runs the game perfectly fine, aside from that one Walking Mausoleum in the Consecrated Snowfield. Though it also runs alongside a Ryzen 5950X and 64GB of DDR4 3200MT/s RAM.

Also, it makes no sense for a GPU to run at max clocks on a frame limited game. There's no need for it to try so hard with a game that only runs at up to 60fps, unless the GPU was just barely "good enough".

thats crazy. when i play the game my cpu only shows like 4%.

[C1REX]

Originally posted by SHOCKNUTZ:

thats crazy. when i play the game my cpu only shows like 4%.

CPU utilisation is extremely misleading. My 16 cores CPU is often close to 1% utilisation and still bottlenecks due to single core performance limit, cache limit and scheduling performance.

3D versions of AMD CPUs are often faster in games while having slower clocks because of more L3 cache memory. This also shows that almost every game has CPU cache bottleneck.

[NikiUh]

Originally posted by DamZe:

The PS5 version runs subpar, mind you.

Ask anyone who plays the native PS5 version over the downgraded PS4 Pro version, and they will tell you that they have framedrops, so nothing magical about the "nextgen" consoles.

The PS5 version has fps issues yes, but its still more enjoyable than a stuttery PC version in my opinion. I also have a very capable PC (4090, 5900x 32gb ram). Most PC games nowadays are cashgrab, neither people with low end pcs nor people with high end pcs can play them without ANY issues. I would take lower fps over stutters any day...

[C1REX]

Originally posted by соBака:

The PS5 version has fps issues yes, but its still more enjoyable than a stuttery PC version in my opinion. I also have a very capable PC (4090, 5900x 32gb ram)..

Why the game stutters for you when it doesn’t stutters for others with much slower PCs?

[Occam's Chainsaw]

Originally posted by nfinite.recursion:

Your GPU is fine. The game is primarily CPU- and RAM-bound. There are also some software-related issues that can cause stuttering as well.

My workstation has a W6600 Pro which is pretty much just a top binned RX6600. It runs the game perfectly fine, aside from that one Walking Mausoleum in the Consecrated Snowfield. Though it also runs alongside a Ryzen 5950X and 64GB of DDR4 3200MT/s RAM.

Also, it makes no sense for a GPU to run at max clocks on a frame limited game. There's no need for it to try so hard with a game that only runs at up to 60fps, unless the GPU was just barely "good enough".

That mausoleum whoops my PC's ass. Runs exactly the same on both my GTX 1060 rig and my RTX 3060 Ti rig.

[NikiUh]

Originally posted by C1REX-PL:

Originally posted by соBака:

The PS5 version has fps issues yes, but its still more enjoyable than a stuttery PC version in my opinion. I also have a very capable PC (4090, 5900x 32gb ram)..

Why the game stutters for you when it doesn’t stutters for others with much slower PCs?

The game stutters for everyone, most people just dont care at this point or are just blind af.

[C1REX]

Originally posted by соBака:

The game stutters for everyone, most people just dont care at this point or are just blind af.

I’ve benchmarked the game few times and have about zero stutters. The game is not perfect but is pretty amazing comparing to other modern titles.

[cridus]

there are a few things you can try to lessen the stutters. I'll try to find a list I've posted somewhere else and post it here.

they may look like placebo "fixes" but no, they all actually helped people solve performance problems.

edit: here they are:

Originally posted by cridus:

the usual fixes I've seen suggested (by experts) are:

- nvidia global settings, set "shader cache size" to "unlimited".
I don't know how it's done with AMD.

- nvidia game-specific settings, set "low latency mode" to "ultra" (only recommended if you're above the... recommended specs), set "power management mode" to "prefer maximum performance" and set "vertical sync" to "fast".
again, I don't know what are the AMD equivalents.

- go to windows' settings, system -> display, find the "graphics settings" link and click on it. in the page that opens, do these 2 things:
1- enable "hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling";
2- under "graphics performance preference" in the dropdown choose "desktop app" and then browse to the game's exe and choose it. after it's added, click on "options" and choose "high performance", then save.

- in device manager, under "software devices" disable "Microsoft device association root enumerator". old hardware connected to the pc (even through the LAN iirc) might stop working.

- increase mouse polling rate (yes...)

- remove in-game overlays

- make sure (with CPU-Z) the ram is in dual channel mode and uses the whole "bandwidth" (I may be using the wrong terms here). for the latter, look for "DRAM frequency" in CPU-Z (in the "memory" tab).
see if you have a "XMP" mode in the bios. if yes, enable it.

- make sure (with GPU-Z) the GPU is mounted on a "PCIe x16" connector.

- if your GPU supports it, give a try to enabling "resizable BAR" (Nvidia) or Smart Access Memory (AMD) in the bios.

- if you have an AMD CPU, you can give a try to enabling "Precision Boost Overdrive" (PBO). do note that it will very probably increase the CPU's temperatures, although the system should (as far as I know) adjust it to prevent it from reaching the shutdown threshold.

- disable the "Control Flow Guard" exploit protection for the game:
search for "exploit protection" in the search bar/start menu and open it.
in that window, select the "program settings" tab, then click on "add program to customize" and then on "choose the exact file path".
browse to elden ring's exe and select it.
once it's added, in the dialog that opens automatically scroll down to "Control Flow Guard (CFG)", check the "override system settings" checkbox and then toggle OFF the toggle-button below.
click on "apply" and reboot the PC to make the changes take effect.

- as a last resort, remove the GPU drivers with DDU and either reinstall them or install new ones. do note that you will lose the settings you had in the nvidia control panel (I don't know about AMD), so write them down or something.

- consider updating the bios too, maybe, but this, too, will reset your settings (of the bios, not the nvidia ones, of course), so write them down first.

sorry for the improper terminologies, I'm just reporting what I've seen and tried.

[C1REX]

Originally posted by cridus:

I would add Resizable BAR/Smart access memory and PBO (boost clock) to the list. Both are off by default.

[opus132]

RPGs and stuff like simulations have always been CPU heavy. It's how it has always been.

And by CPU heavy, i mean single core performance.

If you want a laugh try Arma 3. My 5600x struggles to get above 45 FPS while my GPU is taking a nap.