Stalker 2 Not Using GPU and Crashing at 100% CPU Usage: “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, set for release in 2024, is a first-person shooter and survival horror game created by GSC Game World. This title is the fourth main entry in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and marks a significant comeback for the franchise after a 15-year hiatus since the launch of Call of Pripyat in 2009.
Although the game boasts impressive graphics and an engaging gameplay experience, some users have encountered performance challenges, including suboptimal GPU utilization and crashes occurring when the GPU reaches full capacity.
These issues can be particularly vexing for gamers utilizing high-end PCs who anticipate seamless gameplay. Whether you are accessing the game through Steam or the Xbox Game Pass app on PC, this guide aims to assist you in troubleshooting the GPU usage problems and the crashing incidents linked to CPU overload.”
Stalker 2 Not Using GPU
If you’ve invested in a high-quality graphics card for gaming and find that it’s not being utilized in your gameplay, it can be quite frustrating. Many players are experiencing similar problems with Stalker 2, where the game fails to leverage their dedicated GPU. Unfortunately, this issue has not received adequate attention from the developers.
As a result, players may encounter problems such as low frame rates, lag during graphic loading, black screens, and other performance-related issues.
If you are experiencing these symptoms on your Windows PC, it indicates that Stalker 2 is not properly utilizing your GPU. Here are some steps to resolve this issue:
Method 1: Use a Dedicated GPU
If your system is equipped with a powerful GPU but you’re experiencing low frame rates, lag, and other graphical problems while playing Stalker 2, it may be that the game isn’t utilizing your dedicated graphics card.
To resolve this issue and enhance your gaming experience, you can adjust the settings and ensure that Stalker 2 is running on your dedicated GPU by following these steps.
For the NVIDIA GPU
To access the NVIDIA Control Panel, perform a right-click on your desktop and select it from the menu. Once inside, navigate to the 3D settings section and find the “Manage 3D Settings” option located in the left sidebar.
In the “Program Settings” tab, locate and select Stalker 2 from the list of applications. Next, ensure that a high-performance NVIDIA processor is chosen as the preferred option, then save your adjustments.
After making these changes, restart your computer to determine if this resolves any issues you may be experiencing.
For the AMD GPU
- To access the AMD Radeon settings, perform a right-click on your Desktop and select the AMD Radeon control panel from the menu.
- Once the panel opens, navigate to the ‘System’ tab and select ‘Switchable Graphics’ from the available options.
- After making your adjustments, be sure to save your changes and restart your computer for them to take effect.
Method 2: Update GPU drivers
An outdated graphics driver might be the root of the problem you’re experiencing. To resolve this, you can update your GPU drivers to the most recent version. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:
- Press Win + X on your keyboard to bring up the Quick Link Menu.
- Select Device Manager from the list that appears.
- Expand the Display Adapters section by double-clicking on it, then right-click on your dedicated graphics card.
- From the menu that appears, select Update Driver, then click on the option to search for drivers automatically.
- If an update is found, it will download and install without further action required from you.
- After the installation is complete, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.
Method 2: Close BackGround Tasks
Having too many unnecessary applications running in the background can lead to issues when trying to play resource-intensive games like Stalker 2.
Background processes consume a significant amount of system memory, including GPU memory, which can result in reduced performance and lower frame rates. To enhance your gaming experience, it’s advisable to close these background tasks by following these steps:
- On your desktop, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager directly.
- In the Task Manager window, navigate to the “Processes” tab located at the top.
- Here, you’ll find a list of all active processes on your computer. Identify any tasks that are not essential and select them.
- Click on “End Task” to close each unnecessary process.
- Repeat this for all tasks that you believe are not needed.
- Finally, restart your game and check if performance has improved.
By managing your background tasks, you can potentially achieve a smoother gaming experience.
Method 3: Change Game Graphics settings
Should the previous methods not resolve the issue, consider adjusting the in-game graphics settings as a potential solution. Here’s how to do it:
- Open your system and start the Steam client.
- Navigate to your library and select Stalker 2.
- Access the game’s settings and disable the “V Sync” option.
- Next, go to the Advanced settings and lower all graphical options to either low or medium.
- Finally, restart the game and check if the issue persists.
Method 4: Reinstall Stalker 2
This is the final step in resolving your game’s lagging or low FPS issues, often caused by GPU misconfigurations. Although this process may take some time, it can be very effective. Here’s how to reinstall Stalker 2:
- Launch the Steam Client on your computer.
- Navigate to the Library tab, find Stalker 2, and right-click on it.
- Choose the option to Uninstall, then confirm by selecting Delete.
- Allow the uninstallation process to finish completely.
- Once done, close the Steam application.
- Open File Explorer and enter this path in the search bar: C:\Program Files (x86)\steamapps\common. This will take you to the game’s installation folder.
- Locate the Stalker 2 directory, then press Shift + Delete and confirm to permanently remove it.
- After this, restart your computer, revisit the Steam store, and download Stalker 2 again.
This fresh installation should resolve any GPU-related problems you have been experiencing.
Stalker 2 Crashing at 100% CPU Usage
Another challenge that Stalker 2 players around the world encounter is the game crashing suddenly when the CPU usage hits 100%. This problem may stem from insufficient CPU memory or if the CPU being used does not meet the game’s recommended specifications.
If you have a compatible CPU but are still experiencing crashes, there are some workarounds that you can try. Before proceeding, ensure that your GPU drivers are fully updated.
- Access the Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar or pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc from your keyboard.
- In the Task Manager, check the usage levels of both the GPU and CPU to identify any applications that are utilizing excessive GPU resources.
- Once you locate the high-consuming application, select it and choose “End Task” to close it.
- Next, right-click on your desktop and open the NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Navigate to the 3D settings section and select “Manage 3D settings” from the left sidebar.
- In the Program Settings tab, find Stalker 2 in the list.
- Opt for the high-performance NVIDIA processor and save your changes.
- Finally, restart your PC to determine if the issue has been resolved.
By following these steps, you may be able to alleviate the crashing issue and enhance your gaming experience.
Conclusion
We have reached the conclusion of our guide addressing the issues with Stalker 2, specifically the problems related to GPU utilization and crashes occurring at 100% GPU usage.
It’s important to recognize that this can be a vexing challenge that significantly affects your overall gaming experience. Additionally, keep in mind that game lag and low frame rates can also arise from slow internet connections, so it’s advisable to verify that factor before drawing any final conclusions.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Stuttering, Lag, and Freezing Issues on PC: Effective Solutions to Fix