1-3 Fps When launching game

Only getting a couple of frames when I start the game and no matter what I change or try I cant get it to get past maybe 3-4 frames. I used the fix guide- Solve Shader-Related FPS Drops & Lag Spikes in Path of Exile 2 but nothing seemed to help. Tried reinstalling and restarting but no luck either.

I’ve already tried several troubleshooting steps before posting:
- Restarted the PC multiple times
- Fully uninstalled and reinstalled the game
- Updated GPU drivers
- Completely deleted shader/cache files
- Tested both DirectX 12 and Vulkan multiple times
- Forced graphics priority through Windows settings
- Launched directly via the game’s .exe
- Tested multiple graphics presets (High, Medium, and Low)

Unfortunately, none of these steps resolved the issue.

### Current performance behavior:
- Both my CPU and GPU frame times consistently spike between 500–1100ms
- Shader cache usage/maxing occurs even after fully deleting and rebuilding the cache
- DX12 performs slightly better than Vulkan:
- DX12: CPU frame times around 5–15ms, GPU around 500–700ms
- Vulkan: GPU frame times never drop below ~560ms

### System specifications:
- ASUS system
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-Core Processor (32 CPUs, ~4.5GHz)
- 64GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
- DirectX 12
- AMD Radeon Graphics Processor (integrated graphics also present)
- Miracast supported with HDCP
- Microsoft Graphics Hybrid supported

The game is currently unplayable for me. I’ve never been able to get above 3–5 FPS, and at times it drops as low as 1 FPS... What’s confusing is that every other game I play runs perfectly fine at 120+ FPS on maximum settings without crashes, stuttering, or instability.

I’m not especially technical, so a lot of these troubleshooting steps were either researched online or done with help from a friend. I’d really appreciate any additional assistance, especially considering the troubleshooting steps I’ve already completed.

Please and thanks in advance!

Are you sure that the game is using your nVidia RTX 4090, and not the integrated one?

Not sure how to post an image in the thread but yes it is set to that in my settings. GPU High performance Nvidia

Don't rule out failing hardware - your GPU should not be around 500–700ms at all.

How old is the PC and when did you first notice this happening? Only in PoE?

Edit: scratching head at the moment as you seem to be able to play everything else without issue.

3 Years old now and its only in path of exile 2. I can play much more intensive games without any problems. Only noticed it the other day with I downloaded it to play with some friends and was only able to get 1 fps even on the menu.

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Drblade#3358 wrote:

Not sure how to post an image in the thread but yes it is set to that in my settings. GPU High performance Nvidia

imgur.com......