Why is my FPS capped at 30 when unplugged?

Your FPS is capped at 30 when unplugged because your laptop defaults to battery mode when you unplug it, which steps down the power usage and speed of the CPU and graphics cards to conserve battery life. This power-saving feature is designed to extend the battery life of your laptop, but it can significantly impact your gaming performance, causing low FPS, lag, and stuttering.

Understanding FPS Capping

What is FPS Capping?

FPS capping is a hardware or software limitation that restricts the maximum number of frames per second that your GPU can render. This can be due to various reasons, including power-saving features, driver settings, or game optimizations.

FAQs

1. Why is my FPS capped at 30 on battery? Your FPS is capped at 30 on battery because Nvidia Experience has a “Battery Boost” option that needs to be disabled. If you don’t see this option, try reinstalling Nvidia Experience.
2. Why is my FPS low when unplugged? Your FPS is low when unplugged because your CPU and GPU receive less power when not connected to a charger, resulting in reduced performance.
3. Why is my FPS capped at 60 when unplugged? Your FPS is capped at 60 when unplugged due to your laptop’s motherboard power settings, which limit performance for battery retention reasons.
4. Why is my FPS suddenly capped? FPS caps are usually due to an game, driver, or power setting. Configuring these settings properly will allow you to increase your FPS.
5. How do I stop FPS capping? Change your in-game settings to uncap your FPS, including disabling VSync and setting Limit FPS to Custom.
6. Why is 30 FPS on PC bad? 30 FPS on PC can feel worse than on consoles due to the complexity of PC hardware and optimization.
7. Why does my gaming laptop run slow when unplugged? Your gaming laptop runs slow when unplugged because the system is trying to conserve battery power and throttles the CPU/GPU.
8. Why is low FPS bad? Low FPS is undesirable because it can make your games look choppy, blurry, and laggy, and increase input lag and stuttering.
9. Can bad Internet cause low FPS? Yes, a slower internet connection can cause lower FPS, higher ping, and lag.
10. How do I get 60 FPS on my battery? You can get 60 FPS on your battery by adjusting your Nvidia settings, including setting Max Frame Rate to your desired FPS cap.
11. Can too much FPS be bad? Yes, too much FPS can cause synchronization errors, overloading your monitor and causing it to malfunction.
12. Why is my FPS limited on battery? Your FPS is limited on battery because hardware performance is limited by design to conserve battery life.
13. How do I uncap FPS from refresh rate? You can uncap FPS from refresh rate by changing VSync to “false” and setting your desired refresh rate.
14. Does capping FPS reduce GPU usage? Yes, capping FPS can reduce GPU usage, especially in games with unlimited FPS caps, causing your GPU to work at 100% unnecessarily.
15. Can a 60Hz monitor run 120fps? No, a 60Hz monitor cannot display 120 FPS, and you would need a better monitor, such as a 144Hz monitor, to experience real 120 FPS.