How do I identify the candidate ‘CPU bottleneck’ as the cause?

If there is no change in the first step, compare the steps in order, including ‘Updating or reinstalling the graphics driver.’ If symptoms disappear immediately after certain actions or the conditions for their occurrence change, this can be an important clue in narrowing down the cause.

Low GPU usage and low frame rates while gaming: When do I need a professional inspection?

Even if you follow the above solution steps in order, if symptoms of low GPU usage recur, or hardware abnormal signals such as burning smell, abnormal noise, overheating, or failure to recognize parts appear together, we recommend backing up important data and then having a professional inspection.

PC FIX

Computer Troubleshooting Guide

Graphics

Low GPU usage and low frame rates while gaming

Q: What should I check first if I see symptoms of low GPU utilization?

First, proceed with the ‘Check symptom occurrence conditions and temperature’ step. Graphics problems often only appear under certain game, load, power, and temperature conditions. We recommend that you avoid changing multiple settings at once and check to see if your symptoms change after each step.

When troubleshooting low GPU usage and low frame rates while gaming, it is important to rule out the causes one at a time. Based on your “GPU low utilization” symptom, check your CPU bottleneck, frame throttling, or power settings before proceeding with the next steps. Check GPU usage, temperature, clock, and game settings together to find the cause of performance limitations.

Solving Order
We've organized the methods starting with the simplest and least expensive ones. Please check the solutions one by one, starting from the top.

Do you have these symptoms?

GPU utilization is low
Graphics card 30%
No GPU use
Low FPS

main causes

CPU bottleneck
Frame limit or power settings
Choosing the wrong GPU

How to solve

Please check them in order from the top. If the issue is resolved, you do not need to proceed to the next step.

Check symptom occurrence conditions and temperature

Graphics problems often only appear under certain game, load, power, and temperature conditions.

Difficulty Easy time 10-20 minutes cost 0 won

1Check GPU utilization and temperature if you experience issues.
2Records when it occurs during game, video, or idle state.
3Check whether it only occurs on a specific monitor, cable, or port.

confirmation point

After these steps, see if the “GPU low utilization” symptom decreases or disappears. If there is no change, the possibility of a CPU bottleneck is also checked in the next step.

Update or reinstall graphics drivers

Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers can cause the symptom.

Difficulty Moderate time 10~30 minutes cost 0 won

1Check the device in Device Manager.
2Check your PC or component manufacturer's site for graphics drivers for your current model.
3If the problem started immediately after an update, consider rolling back to the previous stable version.
4After installing the driver, restart your PC.

Cleanly reinstall drivers

A regular update can remove any remaining conflicting files or incorrect settings.

Difficulty Moderate time 20~40 minutes cost 0 won

1First prepare the necessary graphics driver installation files.
2Clean existing graphics drivers in safe mode.
3Reboot in normal mode and install the manufacturer's official stable version.

Disabling overclocking and undervolting

GPU/VRAM instability can cause driver timeouts, black screens, and artifacts.

Difficulty Moderate time 10 minutes cost 0 won

1Return GPU core/memory overclocking to default.
2It also temporarily disables the undervolt.
3Repeat the same operation in the default state.

Check cable, power, and GPU installation status

Problems with the output path and PCIe/auxiliary power contact may also appear as graphics errors.

Difficulty Advanced time 15-30 minutes cost 0 won

1Use a different monitor cable and output port.
2Turn off the PC completely and check the GPU auxiliary power connection.
3If you are familiar with disassembly, make sure the GPU is fully seated in the PCIe slot.

Cross-test with other GPUs or integrated graphics

It's easy to determine whether a hardware failure is possible by determining if the problem follows the GPU.

Difficulty Advanced time 30 minutes or more cost Replacement parts may be required

1If the CPU has built-in graphics, the output is compared excluding the dedicated GPU.
2If possible, cross-test with a healthy GPU.
3If the symptoms are related to the GPU, consider repair/replacement.

Frequently Asked Questions

We've put together a list of things we frequently check regarding this issue.

Related issues

If the symptoms do not match exactly, please check the issue below.

Graphics

Graphics card not recognized in Windows or Device Manager

If “graphics card not recognized” repeats, it is better to narrow the scope to PCIe installation or auxiliary power issues or BIOS settings rather than changing several settings at once. After ruling out driver problems, determine whether there is a problem with the GPU itself by cross-testing temperature, power, and installation conditions.

View solutions →

Graphics

Problem with graphics card fan spinning at 100% while screen turns off

If the current symptom is close to “black screen fan full load,” first check for GPU driver or hardware errors or auxiliary power contact issues. After ruling out driver problems, determine whether there is a problem with the GPU itself by cross-testing temperature, power, and installation conditions.

View solutions →

Graphics

Graphics driver stops or timeout occurs

When troubleshooting issues where the graphics driver freezes or times out, it is important to rule out the causes one at a time. Based on the “driver timeout” symptom, check for driver instability, GPU overheating, or overclocking before proceeding to the next step. Compare the graphics driver version, installation status, output environment, and tuning settings one by one.

View solutions →

Graphics

VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE Blue Screen Issue

Among graphics issues, “video tdr failure” symptoms may be related to graphics driver crashes or GPU instability. Record the stop code and when it occurred, then narrow down the cause by recent changes, RAM/storage, and system files.

View solutions →

Look for other symptoms too

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