[any] repeatable framerate drop bug, pictures included

[Rowsol]

https://imgur.com/a/vyUYLm7

I have 4 installs of gzdoom, dating back to a 1.8 dev build still on my computer. I've turned any fps caps off and running completely vanilla, no mods. I'm using win 7 64 bit - last windows update was a couple months back. 8gb of ram, 650 ti boost - the drivers are a few months old. Above you'll see a collection of pictures showing the fps I'm getting standing at the start of doom 2 map01. I use fullscreen mode because I get better fps, probably has something to do with windows aero running while in windowed mode. The bug happens in window mode too.

The bug is as follows. If I start a game and immediately start a new game without going into the options I get my 'max' fps. Now once in game if I alt-tab, then go back in, my fps seems to cap out much lower. The only fix I've found aside from just restarting the game is with the guncaster mod. If I open the store in the mod, then close it, my fps jumps back up to normal levels. While alt-tab is a sure fire way of causing it, simply going to the options menu can also sometimes do it, but that one's more random, and has a higher chance of happening the deeper you go in the menu, such as going into the opengl options.

This has been a bug for me for a long time and while it seems that it wouldn't be a big deal to lose a few hundred fps when you're still in the hundreds, When you're in an intense battle and getting 35 fps instead of 60, it's a problem. I'm assuming it's something wonky with my computer since I can't find anyone else reporting this and I'll be honest, this problem along with my dwindling love for the game has me seriously contemplating hanging it up for good.

update: I just deleted the 3.6 ini and reset it to stock, removed the 200 fps cap, and the bug persists. Just incase my old ini was to blame.

[Kinsie]

and I'll be honest, this problem along with my dwindling love for the game has me seriously contemplating hanging it up for good.

While I understand you're frustrated, stuff like this doesn't get things looked at any quicker or with any higher a priority.

[Rachael]

While what Kinsie says is true, there's something even more unfortunate going on here, it seems: This looks like an issue that affects a specific setup, and without that setup it makes it very difficult for a developer to look at it and understand what is going on.

So unless there is someone else who is also having this problem who is able to debug it, we're shit outta luck with finding the cause.

In cases like this it's so easy to blame the driver - as it is often the culprit. A 650 isn't that old - maybe you might check with nvidia one last time to see if there's an update?

Check the date on the driver. NVidia released a new one just a few days ago. Outside of that, make sure there are no processes in the background dominating your CPU. Things like Youtube, Firefox, and Chrome love to passively eat computing cycles whether you're using them or not.

[Graf Zahl]

This sounds like your system is powering down after running at high performance for some time. Have you checked your fans? Dust can be a cause for this.

[Rachael]

I forgot about that - heat and dust buildup can be a cause, too.

[Rowsol]

Well, I found out what's causing it. My GPU RAM is dropping to 800mhz. When I open and close the guncaster shop it shoots back up to 3000mhz. Attached the photos. Looks like I need to figure out a fix for this.

[drfrag]

I think it's a driver problem. Changing power management mode in nvidia control panel from adaptive to maximum performance should fix it. BTW when i alt-tab i usually get a crash.