Guide

PC slow while playing? Check what is using the CPU, graphics card or RAM in the background

Before you blame the game or the PC, look at what runs in the background at that moment. FPS often drops now and then because Windows is installing an update, OneDrive is syncing, or an app quietly uses the graphics card.

Updated 24 Oct 2026

Windows' own background work

Windows Update installing: takes CPU and the drive. Let it finish or restart before you play.
Microsoft Defender scanning: let the scan finish. Never turn Defender off, it protects the PC.
OneDrive syncing: click its icon next to the clock and Pause syncing while you play.
Windows Search indexing files: it calms down by itself after a while.

Apps that quietly use the graphics card

These use the same card as the game, so FPS disappears without you noticing:

Moving wallpaper apps
A video left open in a browser
Recording apps like OBS while they record
Discord: turn off the in game overlay and hardware acceleration
Spotify: turn off hardware acceleration and the canvas videos

Low free RAM

With less than 2 GB of RAM free, FiveM starts to hitch. Close browsers with many tabs first. Minimise or close launchers like Steam, Epic or Riot Client once the game has started.

Check it yourself in Task Manager

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. On Processes click the CPU, Memory or GPU column to sort by what uses the most. Closing from the app's own window is better than End task, so the app can save first.

Let Savenz Optimizer check it

The FiveM page of Savenz Optimizer has Before you play. One press shows what is busy right now: Windows Update, Defender, OneDrive, Search, apps using a lot of CPU, graphics card or RAM, and how much RAM is free. Close the apps you don't need right there. Games, anti cheat and Windows itself are never closed. Right clicking the icon next to the clock has Before you play too. Still lagging? Ask in the Discord.

Windows' own background work

Apps that quietly use the graphics card

Low free RAM

Check it yourself in Task Manager

Let Savenz Optimizer check it

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