Solved: Lagging and Freezing in BioShock Remastered—It Was My Multi-Monitor Setup!

[LanceMasterB]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share my experience with BioShock Remastered in case it helps anyone else who’s been struggling with performance issues. Like many players, I ran into frequent lagging, stuttering, and even game freezes (especially when opening the map with the select button on an Xbox controller). After trying every possible fix—tweaking graphics settings, updating drivers, compatibility modes, virtual memory adjustments, and more—I discovered that the root cause was my multi-monitor setup!

My System Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero WiFi 6E
RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR5 32GB (2 x 16GB) @ 6200 MHz
Storage:
Samsung 990 Pro NVMe SSD (2TB, PCIe 4.0)
Samsung 870 EVO SATA SSD (1TB)
Samsung 850 Pro SATA SSD (512GB)
Power Supply: Corsair RM850x (850W, 80+ Gold)
Monitors:
Three HP M27ha monitors (1920x1080 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate):
Center monitor (primary gaming display): Connected via DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter.
Left/Right monitors (secondary displays): Connected via HDMI ports.
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Despite my powerful system, the game still lagged intermittently and sometimes froze when opening the map. It wasn’t until I disconnected the two side monitors that the game started running flawlessly, even at max settings (1920x1080) with VSync enabled.

Key Insight: Multi-Monitor Setups Can Strain the GPU
When you have multiple monitors connected, your GPU splits resources across all displays—even if the side monitors aren’t actively in use. For a game like BioShock Remastered, which is poorly optimized to begin with, this extra load can tip the scales and cause performance issues, especially during high-action scenes or resource-heavy tasks like opening the map.

By disconnecting the two extra monitors, I was able to:

Eliminate lag: The game ran smoothly at max settings.
Stop freezes: The map button worked perfectly, with no freezes or stuttering.
Tips for Players with Multi-Monitor Setups
If you’re using multiple monitors and experiencing performance problems, try these steps:

Disconnect Unused Monitors:
Physically unplug your secondary monitors, or disable them through Windows Display Settings or the NVIDIA Control Panel.
Focus Resources on the Primary Monitor:
Ensure the game is running on your primary (center) monitor.
Test with Reduced Resolution:
If issues persist, temporarily lower the resolution to see if performance improves.
Why This Matters
I can’t help but wonder how many other players gave up on this game because of issues caused by multi-monitor setups. It’s not an obvious culprit, and most troubleshooting guides don’t mention it. Hopefully, this post saves someone else from the frustration I went through!