Openai/69553fe0-f62c-8009-9ba9-7e41adbbee9d

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gpt-5-2

User: My fps seems to be stuck in the 20's.

My fps seems to be stuck in the 20's. My gpu drivers have been installed and uninstalled. I'm not using more then 30% of graphics card regardless of setting. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

PC specs

GPU: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

RAM: 64gb 2133mt

Disk: Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2tb

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900x 12-core

Please help, I bought this game months ago and have been dying to play it. My pc runs Zero dawn gorgeously and Id hate to platy FW on 20 fps.

Assistant: You’re describing a classic low-GPU-usage / low-FPS lock, and the fact that it sits in the 20s regardless of settings i…

You’re describing a classic low-GPU-usage / low-FPS lock, and the fact that it sits in the 20s regardless of settings is the biggest clue. This is not a raw GPU power issue.

I’ll break this down from most likely → least likely, and I’ll focus on things that specifically cause ~20–30 FPS caps with low GPU utilization.

🚨 #1 Likely culprit: RAM speed bottleneck (this is huge)

You listed:

64 GB @ 2133 MT/s

On a Ryzen 9 5900X, that is extremely slow.

Why this matters

Ryzen CPUs are very sensitive to memory speed because:

• Infinity Fabric (FCLK) is tied to RAM speed
• Low RAM speed = massive CPU stalls
• The GPU sits idle waiting for the CPU → low GPU usage

This can absolutely lock you into the 20–40 FPS range, especially in CPU-heavy open-world games like Horizon Forbidden West.

What should happen

Most 5900X systems run:

• 3200–3600 MT/s (sweet spot)
• FCLK at 1600–1800 MHz

What to do right now

1. Go into BIOS
2. Enable XMP / DOCP
3. Make sure memory is actually running at its rated speed

If your RAM is only rated for 2133: 👉 That alone can explain your issue.

⚠️ Zero Dawn is far less CPU-heavy than Forbidden West — that’s why it runs fine.

🚨 #2 In-driver FPS limiters (very common on AMD)

AMD drivers have multiple ways to cap FPS without being obvious.

Check ALL of these in Adrenalin:

• Radeon Chill → OFF
• Frame Rate Target Control (FRTC) → OFF
• Enhanced Sync → OFF (for now)
• Wait for Vertical Refresh (V-Sync) → Always Off

Also check:

• Game profile vs Global profile (they override each other)

A 30 FPS Chill minimum will look exactly like what you’re describing.

🚨 #3 Windows power & CPU parking

Windows loves to kneecap Ryzen CPUs.

Do this:

• Set Power Plan → AMD High Performance
• Or Ultimate Performance (if available)

Then check:

• CPU clocks during gameplay (HWInfo) - If cores aren’t boosting past ~4.5 GHz → that’s a problem

Low CPU boost = low GPU usage.

🚨 #4 Fullscreen mode & Windows optimizations

Forbidden West hates certain Windows settings.

Try:

• Exclusive Fullscreen (not borderless)
• Disable Fullscreen Optimizations - Right click exe → Properties → Compatibility
• Disable Windows Game Bar
• Disable Xbox Game DVR

These can hard-cap FPS in DX12 games.

🚨 #5 Shader compilation (especially first launch)

HFW compiles shaders during gameplay, not all upfront.

Symptoms:

• Low GPU usage
• Massive FPS drops
• Improves after 20–60 minutes

Fix:

• Let it sit in one area for a bit
• Restart after first long play session

🚨 #6 Smart Access Memory (Resizable BAR)

On AMD this matters a lot.

Check in Adrenalin:

• Smart Access Memory → Enabled

If disabled, performance tanks in newer titles.

🚨 #7 Verify this one thing (important)

You wrote:

RX 9070 XT

That GPU does not officially exist (as of now).

If you meant:

• RX 7900 XT / XTX
• RX 7800 XT

Double-check:

• Device Manager → Display Adapters
• Adrenalin → Hardware Info

If Windows is misidentifying the GPU or using a fallback driver → FPS tanks.

🔍 Why Zero Dawn runs great but Forbidden West doesn’t

| Game | CPU Demand | RAM Sensitivity | | -------------- | ---------- | --------------- | | Zero Dawn | Moderate | Low | | Forbidden West | Very High | Very High |

This perfectly matches your symptoms.

✅ Most likely fix order (do this in order)

1. Enable XMP / DOCP (or upgrade RAM if truly 2133)
2. Disable all AMD FPS limiters
3. Set AMD High Performance power plan
4. Enable SAM
5. Exclusive fullscreen + disable Windows optimizations

If you want, tell me:

• Exact GPU model
• RAM brand & rated speed
• Current FPS + CPU/GPU clocks during gameplay

I can pinpoint the exact choke point and get you out of the 20s.