FPS drop is a common issue most gamers face while gaming on a laptop. If you are one of the victims and want to know why does my FPS drop when I unplug my laptop, you must keep reading this article.
FPS drop down due to several reasons. Every laptop manufacture differently, so you cannot say that the reasons for every laptop are similar, but similar for most of them.
Lack of power, power profile mode, thermal throttling, outdated drivers, poor Wi-Fi connection, and BIOS on power saver mode are common causes of the FPS drop when you unplug the laptop.
How are they causing the trouble? Let me tell you how they are doing this and how you can fix the issue to boost your laptop performance:
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Reasons Why FPS Is Dropping While Unplugging The Laptop
When we use our laptop for making any assignment or playing a game, we keep it plugged in to let it get continuous charges.
If you are playing any high-memory game or working on any high-memory file, unplugging the charger suddenly can cause problems for your laptop.
Unplugging the laptop suddenly drops the FPS and makes you confused and worried. Most users cannot understand the reasons behind the FPS dropping, so they get panic. There are several reasons behind the dropping of FPS.
Here are some common causes of FPS dropping:
Lack Of Power
Using the laptop when it is low in battery can cause the FPS to drop low. A full battery is the only great thing to ensure the best gaming experience if you use a gaming laptop.
If your laptop battery is already low and you start playing games or working on assignments, the FPS will drop down. When you want to play the game with good graphics and work on any assignment, a low battery will crash the game’s graphics.
The only solution to this problem is to use a laptop with a full-power battery. If the laptop’s power is low, plug in the laptop and use it.
Power Profile Mode
Another common cause of unplugging the laptop is power profile mode. Every user knows that the laptop has different power profiles to perform better. So, if your laptop also has multiple power profiles, then your laptop’s CPU and GPU performance must be good.
The battery-saver mode automatically switches on when a user unplugs the laptop charger. As a result, the working and performance of the GPU and CPU will also reduce and become slower.
The power saver mode causes several slow performance issues in the laptop. It is somehow better for the system because it saves the battery while using the laptop but affects the performance.
The power saver mode can sometimes crash the graphics, resulting in a poor gaming experience. So, the FPS dropping can also be due to the power-saving mode. If you don’t know what is the reason behind the FPS dropping, you can find it accordingly.
If you find that the power saver mode is actually making the FPS drop, then you need to follow the steps given below:
- First of all, go to the Control Panel of the laptop.
- Tap on the Hardware and Sound option and then open the Power Options.
- You will see the list of different power plans on the left side of the screen. Find the option “Balanced.”
- Once you find it, tap on it.
- Scroll down the screen and select the Battery part to expand it.
- When you see the “Battery Save Settings” under this option, you will find the option ” When Plugged In, turn off. “
- Check if this setting is turned on; if it is, then turn it off.
After turning this feature off, the laptop, desktop, or whatever device you use will not turn on the power saver mode after unplugging the laptop. There are more other ways to solve the FPS issue.
Nvidia Graphics Card
You can resolve the issue with Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. Follow the methods given below:
- Go to the Nvidia Control Panel and tap on the “3D settings. “
- Scroll the page and find the “Power Management Mode” option; tap on it once you find it.
- Tapping on this option will enable you to select the performance and set it up to the “Prefer Maximum Performance. “
- It will help you to turn off the power saving mode if it is turned on on your laptop.
- Disabling it will improve the performance of the FPS.
AMD Graphics Card
- For this method, you need to open the “Catalyst Control Center.”
- Go to the “Power Play” option.
- You must convert the “Battery” option to the “Performance” setting.
- Set the AC power to the maximum performance setting and hit “Ok. “
- It will turn off the laptop’s power-saving mode and improve the FPS rates.
- The power saver mode will not turn on when you unplug the laptop.
Thermal Throttling
Thermal throttling is another reason why the FPS of the laptop drops. If you are working on your laptop or playing a game, the system will become overheated, throttling the CPU and GPU to prevent damage.
If you find your system is getting overheated, then follow the steps given below to avoid the problem:
- Go to the “Task Manager” option and click the “Performance” tab.
- In this section, you will find the CPU and GPU graphics.
- Check if any of them is being throttled; if not, there is a problem.
Fix the issue by following the given steps:
- First, clean the dust and debris from the laptop’s internal system.
- Cleaning the fan and other components will allow the airflow and keep the internal system cooler.
- In the second step, you need to purchase a cooling pad for your laptop system.
- They will also improve the airflow and not let the system overheat.
- In the third step, you can also resolve the issue by reducing the voltage of the laptop components, which can contribute to the reduction of power usage.
- Undervolting the laptop will keep it under control and cool for longer.
Outdated Drivers
Sometimes, if your laptop’s drivers have become outdated, that can also cause FPS to drop down. Performance issues are the common issue that users experience due to outdated drivers.
So that is why ensure that the drivers you use in your laptop are upgraded. Update the drivers after every few days to improve the laptop’s performance. If you find that the drivers of your laptop are outdated now, then follow the steps given below for better results:
- First of all, you need to check the driver updates.
- Go to the “Device Manager” option.
- Find the devices which have exclamation marks in front of them.
- Here, you can find out whether the updates are available or not.
- If an update is available, you can install the new drivers for the laptop.
- If you cannot locate this option on our laptop, use the driver updater tool.
- If you have not installed this tool on your laptop, install it and use it for the driver updates.
- Open the tool and let it scan your system for the drivers.
- The tool will scan the laptop, find outdated drivers, and inform you about them.
- Running this tool will install the latest versions of the drivers and fix the issue.
Poor Wi-Fi Connection
A weak Wi-Fi connection can also cause the FPS to drop. Suppose you are playing a high-memory game on the laptop or working on a high-memory file; the weak Wi-Fi connection will cause trouble here.
The performance issues will also cause due to the weak Wi-Fi connection. The laptop sends the data back and forth between the server and the router. Fix the issue by following some instructions:
- There are several methods to improve the Wi-Fi connection.
- The first thing you need to do is place the router close to the laptop.
- Decreasing the distance will help the data travel at a higher speed.
- The closed router will improve the laptop’s performance.
- Always prefer to use the ethernet internet because it is stable, reliable, and much better than the other internet networks.
- Change the channel that your router is using.
- Connecting too many channels or devices to the same router can make the internet work slowly.
- If you have trouble with the Wi-Fi connection, follow the above steps.
BIOS On Power Saver Mode
BIOS is the basic input-output system of your laptop. When a user starts the laptop, the BIOS is the one that starts the hardware and all operating system. So, if your BIOS is set to high-performance mode, it will perform more than the power saving.
But if you have set up your laptop in power-saving mode, it will prioritize saving power more than its performance. It will affect the overall performance and cause problems.
You will also suffer from low frame rates. So, don’t worry; follow the steps given below for quick fixes and reduce the FPS dropping:
- First, you must go to the BIOS settings to fix the issue.
- The only thing you need to do is to restart your laptop and press the F2 key while restarting the laptop.
- It will open the BIOS setting on your laptop screen.
- Once the BIOS opens, use the startup or boot tab to find the power-saving mode.
- Once you find the option, disable it and save your changes.
- Turning off the power saver mode will always protect your laptop and help it perform well.
- It will also boost the FPS and will not let it reduce once you unplug the laptop.
Final Verdict: Why Does FPS Drop When Unplugging Laptop Charger
If you were looking for ways to boost your laptop FPS, I hope reading the article helped you know the answer. Several reasons can cause your laptop’s FPS to drop when you unplug the laptop.
Follow the details and steps you just read in this article to reduce the FPS dropping issue. Many users face this issue but don’t know how to eliminate it. I’m sure this article was helpful to you.
Follow the tips I described here to help boost your laptop performance and reduce the FPS dropping when you unplug your laptop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is My Laptop Performance Worse When Unplugged?
The power profiles set in the power settings describe the laptop’s performance. When plugged in, the laptop will automatically perform higher and faster. When you unplug the laptop, its performance suddenly reduces, and FPS drops. As a result, the laptop slows down and gives poor performance.
Why Is My FPS Capped At 30 When Unplugged?
If your laptop is capped at 30 when unplugged, that might be due to the default ” battery mode. ” When you unplug the laptop, the OS decreases power usage and reduces the CPU and GPU speed. All you need to do is to change the CPU usage profile. Set the graphics card at the maximum and higher speed.
Why Does My FPS Increase When I Charge My Laptop?
Charging your laptop while working or playing produces heat, and the laptop system produces heat, resulting in more heat. This heat makes the FPS increase in the laptop. All you need to do is to click on the battery icon and set it up to maximum performance.