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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
[Game Master] Nvidia Gaming Troubleshoot & Performance Optimization
This document supplies you with useful solutions if you’re encountering the
problems below in games. Please follow the instruction for troubleshooting.
Low performance, FPS drop, stutter
Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR), Blue Screen of Death (BSoD)
Game/System freeze, crash
Flicker, black screen, garbage screen, or other graphics artifacts
Audio problem, like sound stutter/delay, distorted sound, or microphone related
Connection problem, like ping spikes
Outline
1. Before Starting ............................................................................................................................. 2
1.1. Check if the hardware configuration is the same as the original .............................. 2
1.2. Check the system requirements of the game ............................................................. 2
1.3. Check the system environment................................................................................... 3
1.4. Check notebook performance..................................................................................... 8
1.5. Update the game ......................................................................................................... 9
2. Basic Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................... 10
2.1. Graphics card setting ................................................................................................. 10
Restore NVIDIA graphics setting ............................................................................ 10
Power management mode ..................................................................................... 10
NVIDIA DSR ............................................................................................................. 11
NVIDIA V-SYNC ....................................................................................................... 12
NVIDIA G-SYNC ....................................................................................................... 13
Other display settings............................................................................................. 13
2.2. Streaming service ...................................................................................................... 14
Windows background recording (Xbox Game DVR) .............................................. 14
Blizzard Battle.net streaming ................................................................................. 16
Steam overlay and streaming ................................................................................. 16
2.3. Reinstall operation system and driver ...................................................................... 17
2.4. Connection problem .................................................................................................. 18
3. Advanced Troubleshooting for particular games ..................................................................... 19
3.1. League of Legends (LOL) ............................................................................................ 19
3.2. Overwatch .................................................................................................................. 19
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
1. Before Starting
If your game doesn’t work properly on the notebook, there are several possible
reasons why. Before starting the troubleshooting, please check the notebook's
hardware configuration is the same with original, your notebook meets or
exceeds the system requirements, you have the proper system environment, and
the notebook's performance is normal.
Besides, please keep your game updated to prevent the problem from
out-of-date or corrupted files.
1.1. Check if the hardware configuration is the same as the original
If you upgraded the memory or SSD, we suggest you return to the original
condition since the notebook was shipped without a problem, and we should
check if your problem exists with the condition.
Unplug any non-required external devices
You may have other devices plugged into your notebook (such as a webcam,
external hard drive, or USB drives like gaming mouse or keyboard). Some device
driver or their software might conflict with your system. MSI suggests you
remove these external devices for troubleshooting.
1.2. Check the system requirements of the game
To play a game without problems, all game needs certain hardware
components or other software resources to be present on a computer. These
prerequisites are known as system requirements and are often used as a
guideline. The most game defines two sets of system requirements: minimum
and recommended. With the increasing demand for higher processing power
and resources in newer versions of the game, system requirements tend to
increase over time.
Make sure your notebook meets the game's recommended system
requirements.
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
1.3. Check the system environment
The system environment includes the BIOS/EC firmware, Windows Update, and
the proper driver and utility. Please check your system environment by
following the instruction below.
BIOS and EC firmware
Since the new BIOS and EC firmware fix some potential issues and improve the
system stability, MSI suggests you try to update the latest BIOS and EC firmware
from the download webpage of your notebook.
Windows Update
After applying the latest Windows Update (e.g. Windows 10
Anniversary/Redstone 1 Update “build 14393”), some device functions or
software might not work properly.
MSI suggests you keep running Windows Update to download the important or
critical hotfix.
Install the proper driver and utility
MSI suggests you install the latest MSI approved driver and utility from the MSI
website. It helps you to get the most stable system environment.
NVIDIA and Intel graphics driver
MSI suggests you try the graphics driver on MSI website at the beginning
but we also recommend you try the generic graphics driver on Nvidia
website since the generic version supports the latest feature and includes
patchs for known issues.
Realtek audio driver and audio effect software (Nahimic, DTS)
Network driver (LAN, Wi-Fi)
MSI Centers
Dragon Gaming Center (For notebook with NVIDIA GTX 900M series
graphics or older generation)
Dragon Center/Creator Center (Win32)
MSI Dragon Center/Creator Center (UWP)
MSI Center/MSI Center Pro (UWP)
FAQ [How To] Get and Install the Latest Windows 10 Build
Tutorial MSI® HOW-TO get the latest Windows Update
FAQ [How To] BIOS, EC Update and EC Reset
Tutorial MSI® HOW-TO update BIOS on MSI notebook
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
Check the performance settings in MSI Centers and Windows Power Settings
Select the highest performance mode in MSI Centers
a. Dragon Center (Win32 ver.)
b. Creator Center (Win32 ver.)
FAQ [How To] Driver/Software Install and Update
FAQ [How To] Intel graphics driver Clean Install & Update
FAQ [How To] NVIDIA graphics driver Clean Install & Update
Tutorial (Go to the support of your notebook and check if there is MSI Driver &
App Center or only MSI Dragon Center/Creator Center)
- Install driver by using Live Update (Intel 10
th
gen or later CPU notebook)
- Install driver by using MSI Driver & App Center (Intel 9
th
gen or older CPU
model notebook)
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
c. Dragon Center (UWP ver.)
d. Creator Center (UWP ver.)
e. MSI Center (UWP ver.)
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
f. MSI Center Pro (UWP ver.)
Select the high performance mode in Windows power settings
a. Windows 10:
Settings > System > Power & sleep > Additional power settings > High
performance
If there is no “High performance” in the Power Option, please click on
“Create a power plan” to create a “High performance” profile.
b. Windows 11:
Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode > Best performance
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
Security features
Memory integrity and VBS improve security and protect the operating system
from malicious attacks. However, enabling the features might affect the gaming
or benchmark performance.
Please refer to the steps below to disable Memory integrity(VBS included) to
optimize the system's performance.
a. Press the Windows key and type “Core isolation“ and open
b. Set Memory integrity as “off”
c. Click “Yes” to allow the change to laptop
d. Restart the system to take effect the change
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
1.4. Check the graphics performance
If the graphics score in 3DMARK Fire Strike and the FPS in other games are
normal, please refer to the Basic Troubleshooting for more information.
A. Perform the 3DMARK Fire Strike benchmark.
Download 3DMARK Basic Edition (FREE) from the Futuremark website.
B. Compare the graphics score below.
Please be informed that the following score is only for reference, the actual
score might be varied by model or system configuration.
Graphics
GTX 980 SLI
GTX 980
GTX 980M SLI
Graphics Score
237XX
126XX
186XX
Graphics
GTX 970M
GTX 965M
GTX 960M
Graphics Score
73XX
60XX
41XX
(3DMark Basic Edition v2.0.2067)
Graphics
GTX 1080 SLI
GTX 1080
GTX 1070 SLI
GTX 1070
GTX 1060
Graphics Score
390XX
215XX
322XX
167XX
113XX
(3DMark Basic Edition v2.1.2973)
Graphics
RTX 2080
RTX 2070
RTX 2060
GTX 1660Ti
GTX 1650
Graphics Score
254XX
200XX
154XX
144XX
91XX
(3DMark Basic Edition v2.8.6546)
Graphics
RTX 2080
Super
RTX 2080
Super Max-Q
RTX 2070
Super
RTX 2070
Super Max-Q
Graphics Score
252XX
202XX
220XX
194XX
(3DMark Basic Edition v2.10.6799)
Graphics
RTX 3080Ti
RTX 3080
RTX 3070Ti
RTX 3070
Graphics Score
327XX
27XXX
25XXX
25XXX
Graphics
RTX 3060
RTX 3050Ti
RTX 3050
Graphics Score
202XX
144XX
126XX
(3DMark Basic Edition v2.18.7181)
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
1.5. Update the game
Some FPS drop or low-performance problem might relate to the game patch is
installed incorrectly, MSI suggest you remove and install the game
Reinstalling from the most recent version of the setup files ensures that any
problems you experience with the game are not caused by out-of-date or
corrupted files.
Most users have incorrect expect on the graphics performance, they expect high
FPS with the highest in-game setting. (In fact the default video setting in some
game like LOL is only medium for GTX 960M graphics card.)
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
2. Basic Troubleshooting
2.1. Graphics card setting
Restore NVIDIA graphics setting
Click on “Restore” to restore display related settings, and check whether the
application or game controls the settings.
This step avoids unstable performance caused by interfered settings.
(WIN10 & WIN11):
Power management mode
Setting this item helps to improve the performance in some games and
applications.
3D settings → Power management mode → Prefer maximum performance
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
(WIN10 & WIN11):
NVIDIA DSR
If the user performs “Optimize” in NVIDIA GeForce Experience, the DSR could
be turned on automatically in the NVIDIA control panel, and then it will affect
the game performance and cause low fps. MSI suggests you disable this item
manually in the NVIDIA control panel.
Besides, the in-game setting “Resolution” might be enabled by DSR and
override the native resolution of the internal panel. MSI suggests you disable
DSR and adjust the resolution back to native resolution.
If you cannot find this option, please skip this step because Nvidia might have
removed this option from the graphics driver.
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
(WIN10 & WIN11):
NVIDIA V-SYNC
V-Sync matches the frame rate to screen refresh rate, and usually, the screen
refresh rate is 60 Hz. If you enable V-Sync, it can increase image stability but it
will keep 60 FPS and then you might feel low performance; if you disable
V-Sync, FPS will be not limited but you might encounter screen tears.
(Adjust this item based on your FPS)
You can adjust the V-SYNC function in the NVIDIA control panel or in-game
settings
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
(WIN10 & WIN11):
NVIDIA G-SYNC
Certain games might have a compatibility issue with NVIDIA G-SYNC and it
would cause stuttering, flashing black screen in games.
If your notebook supports G-SYNC and you encounter stuttering in games, we
suggest trying to disable in the NVIDIA control panel.
Other display settings
Ambient Occlusion, Anisotropic Filtering, Anti-Aliasing could cause negative
effects to FPS or display stability.
FAQ [How To] Enable/Disable NVIDIA G-SYNC
FAQ [Product Information] Whether the notebook supports NVIDIA G-SYNC or not
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
(WIN10 & WIN11):
2.2. Streaming service
Streaming service would put additional CPU loading in the background and
cause low performance, FPS drop, audio stutter, or sound delay in games.
Please refer to the instructions below.
Windows background recording (Xbox Game DVR)
Since Windows 10 Anniversary Update, it auto-enabled Microsoft built-in
recording function. While the feature is useful if you plan on sharing clips
quite regularly, it could be causing some major stutter (Refer to the Microsoft
webpage or DOTA2 forum).
MSI suggests you disable the background recording by the methods below.
Turn off background recording in a game
a. Run a game
b. Press the “Windows logo” + “G” key to open the game bar
c. Select “Settings”
d. In the “Capturing” tab, uncheck the “Record in the background while
I’m playing a game” checkbox.
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
(WIN10 & WIN11):
Access the location below
Start > Settings > Gaming > Captures > turn off Record in the background
while I’m playing a game
(Only in WIN10 because this option is not available in WIN11):
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
Blizzard Battle.net streaming
Refer to the steps below to turn off Battle.net streaming for Blizzard games
a. Click on the Battle.net application icon to open it
b. Select “Settings”
c. Click the “Streaming” icon on the left side of the Battle.net Settings window
d. Uncheck “Enable Streaming” to turn off the streaming feature.
(Blizzard has removed “Streaming” in the current version)
Steam overlay and streaming
The Steam overlay allows the user to surf the web and message friends while
in-game, but can also cause performance issues with some games.
Please refer to the steps below to turn off Steam overlay and streaming for
Steam games.
a. Click on the Steam application icon to open it
b. Select Steam > Settings > In-Game
c. Uncheck “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game” to turn off the Steam
Overlay.
d. Click the “In-Home Streaming” icon on the left side of the Steam Settings
window
e. Uncheck “Enable streaming” to turn off the streaming.
(Steam has removed “In-Home Streaming” in the current version)
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
2.3. Reinstall operation system and driver
Many reasons are causing low performance or freezing, and you cannot be able
to find the root cause even if you try to troubleshoot one by one.
MSI suggests you reinstall the Windows and check the problem if you have tried
to reinstall the game and graphics driver but the problem still exists.
Kindly follow the instructions below to reinstall the operation system and driver,
and then you will have a clean system environment.
Notebook with Pre-installed system：
a. Use the F3 recovery function or the recovery media created by BurnRecovery
or MSI Centers to restore the system to the factory setting.
(FAQ) How to use F3 Recovery on MSI Windows 10 preloaded system?
(FAQ) How to use MSI BurnRecovery on Windows 10 preloaded system?
(Tutorial) HOW-TO create Recovery Media with Dragon Center (UWP)
(Tutorial) HOW-TO use Backup and System Restore on MSI notebook with
MSI Center Pro (UWP)
b. After the system restore has been completed, kindly perform Windows
Update and make sure the latest Windows 10 update is installed if the
system is Windows 10.
c. Reinstall the game.
d. After the steps above have finished, kindly do not install any third-party
software (such as anti-virus software, game plugins, or system optimized
tool) and check whether the performance is normal in this environment.
Notebook with Free DOS：
a. Install the original or MSDN version of Windows operation system.
(FAQ) How to Get and Install the Latest Windows 10 Build
(Tutorial) MSI® HOW-TO clean install pure OS
(Tutorial) MSI® HOW-TO clean install system and update driver on MSI
Notebook (11th Gen Intel CPU Platform)
b. After the system installing finished, download and install MSI approve driver
and utility from the MSI website or the “ONE TOUCH INSTALL” came with
your notebook.
(Tutorial) MSI® HOW-TO use ONE TOUCH INSTALL to install driver if the
notebook doesn't have a pre-installed system
c. Kindly perform Windows Update and make sure the latest Windows 10
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
update is installed.
d. Reinstall the game.
e. After the steps above have finished, kindly do not install any third-party
software (such as anti-virus software, 3
rd
-party game plugins, or system
optimized tool) and check whether the performance is normal in this
environment.
2.4. Connection problem
A connection issue affects the connection between your system and the game
server. It might cause lag, ping spike, or screen delay during champion select, at
the login screen, or even during the gameplay. Below you can find a list of
common symptoms that are associated with connection issues and a useful
wireless troubleshooting guide.
Current server status
Before performing any troubleshooting steps, it's worth checking the current
status of the game server that you are trying to connect to.
(Find out the server status on the game official website)
Switching to a wired connection
Wireless connections tend to be difficult to troubleshoot due to potential
interference from the environment and other radio signals. This often causes
lag spikes and/or packet loss in the game. To eliminate this factor from your
troubleshooting, we recommend switching to a wired (Ethernet) connection
whenever it is possible.
If you have only wireless connection, please refer to the FAQ below to
troubleshoot wireless connection problems.
(FAQ) [Troubleshooting] Wireless connection problem (wireless signal can’t be
detected, connection lost, unstable or stop working)
(Tutorial) MSI® HOW-TO clean install Killer related software on MSI notebook
(Tutorial) MSI® HOW-TO troubleshoot Killer Wireless LAN issues (code 10 error
in Device Manager)
(Tutorial) MSI® HOW-TO troubleshoot Intel Wireless LAN issues (code 10 error
in Device Manager)
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MSI NB FAE Team︱Revision: 1.5︱Date: 2022/2/18
FAQ No. 2424
3. Advanced Troubleshooting for particular games
3.1. League of Legends (LOL)
The common reasons of low performance or FPS drop are, LOL patch installed
incorrectly, graphics card settings has been changed, some programs or
processes are consuming system resource, or using third party game
plugins/optimization tools.
Go through all the steps in the FAQ below to troubleshoot low performance or
FPS drop problems in LOL.
[Game Master] League of Legends (LOL) Troubleshooting Guide
3.2. Overwatch
Overwatch is a heavily threaded game with fairly complex rendering features. It
will use as much CPU and GPU resources as it can. In the worst case, it would
cause the game unstable (black screen, the game close automatically, game
crash or TDR error).
To avoid these problems in Overwatch, please follow the instructions of the FAQ
below and try to lower CPU/GPU usage run by Overwatch.
[Game Master] Overwatch Troubleshooting Guide