FPS stuttering on a high-end PC

[ryuz121]

I have been having similar problem with my game. I googled the problem and tried the usual proposed solutions like, changing v-sync, messing with nvidia control panel, disabling hardware-accelerated gpu scheduling. None of them works, but then i came accros this https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/163071-amd-ryzen-9800x3d-stutter-issue-stuttering-through-pipes/

So there are 2 interesting thing in this thread. The first one is that he seemingly solved the problem after deconstructing some pipes because it's forming some kind of loop?

The second one is, another user, Gurgel tried loading the problem save, have the same stuttering. But then Gurgel load his own save, then load the problem save and that solved it.

So i tried loading another world, then load the save that has the stuttering, and it mostly solved. It's not 100% gone, but now i only get the stutter once a cycle. I don't know why this works, but i have a theory. If loading a save after another save solves it, maybe that also what caused it? See, this is my second playthrough, my first was a few years ago. Before starting my second playthrough, i loaded my old world multiple times to refresh my memories. Maybe at some point i load my second world after loading my old world. You said you had the game since 2019, maybe you load and old outdated save before.

[BLACKBERREST3]

On 6/8/2026 at 1:20 PM, Topis said:

Shove voles have been wandering around my base for a very long time

They don't afaik, but they do have unique pathing. I mention it because they are the best source of meat in the game. You can ranch them without feeding them dirt if I recall correctly. MinhPham made a shove vole ranch the other day. I have surface pro 8 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1185G7 @ 3.00GHz   3.00 GHz with 16gb ram and it's not lagging for me anymore after letting it run for a few cycles like I've said so it's not a game issue as we've deduced. It has to be some issue with the cache, graphics settings, ram, etc. Could even be a faulty pc component and you'd never know unless you did some diagnostics testing. Also, same thing Gurgel said, usb devices can absolutely slow down your pc, I've had it happen before on a desktop pc I built. Too many usb devices can slow down the bus and cause massive delays. Of course I had thought that thunderbolt 4 got rid of this issue, but then again I don't know what all the specs you have. I would upgrade to windows 11 just cause. No reason not to if you are capable of it, it's basically the same OS anyway. Doesn't matter if it's a fresh install or an upgrade. I believe it puts all your files into one folder when you upgrade so you can just copy over stuff later.

13 hours ago, ryuz121 said:

maybe you load and old outdated save before.

It said I had to migrate his save when I loaded it up, I forgot to mention that. I have spaced out dlc. I don't exactly know what that means.

Another tip I have for PCs is you should meticulously upgrade your drivers. Go to the manufacturer's website for your mobo, ssd, graphics, usb peripherals, pcie cards, etc. and download all the latest drivers and software that handle driver updates. I ended stopping using any antivirus after a while, the normal windows defender does a good job already. I used to use kaspersky which is the best antivirus imo, but it was also using a lot of resources.

[Topis]

14 hours ago, ryuz121 said:

You said you had the game since 2019, maybe you load and old outdated save before.

I still have two old saves from 2021 and 2024, but I'm pretty sure I didn't load them after creating the current save I'm playing. That said, this is the first time I'm hearing about the save-loading trick you mentioned, so I'll create a new save and give it a try.

32 minutes ago, BLACKBERREST3 said:

They don't afaik, but they do have unique pathing.

I remember picking a few of Shove Voles from the Printing Pod when they were offered. After wandering inside the walls for a while, they eventually made their way into space and got stuck among the regolith there. That's what I meant by "they're wandering around my base." The unique pathing you mentioned is probably what causes them to keep trying to move upward constantly.

38 minutes ago, BLACKBERREST3 said:

Also, same thing Gurgel said, usb devices can absolutely slow down your pc, I've had it happen before on a desktop pc I built. Too many usb devices can slow down the bus and cause massive delays.

I’ve never experienced this kind of issue in any other game, so I didn’t really pay attention to that part. Besides, the only USB device I have plugged in is for Bluetooth (other than mouse, keyboard and headphones), so it seems like a really low possibility that it would be the cause.

39 minutes ago, BLACKBERREST3 said:

It said I had to migrate his save when I loaded it up, I forgot to mention that. I have spaced out dlc. I don't exactly know what that means.

When I first created this save, I only owned and had activated the Spaced Out DLC. As I played and enjoyed the game more, I bought all the DLCs, but I only enabled the Bionic Booster Pack afterward. The Frosty and Prehistoric DLCs are still disabled. I haven’t activated them yet because I’m not sure exactly what will happen if I do it mid-save. I’m also not sure why the "Migrate" option appeared, it might be because I enabled the Bionic Booster Pack later. When I activated it, the save seemed to reload or restart in some way.

 

The fact that so many people have experienced this issue in one way or another, and that those who managed to solve it did so with methods you’d never think of, suggests that this problem really deserves attention. I honestly wonder how aware Klei is of this issue.

[BLACKBERREST3]

40 minutes ago, Topis said:

I honestly wonder how aware Klei is of this issue.

it doesn't sound like an issue, I think it's intended. I know there are a few mechanics of the game that have changed between vanilla and dlc which is why migration is even a thing. Stuttering could have something to do with migration, but I have a gut feeling it doesn't.

maybe I had them all active when I loaded it. I don't remember now.

[Topis]

When I first launch the game, the main menu uses about 2GB of RAM. After loading a save and returning to the main menu, the RAM usage matches the amount used during gameplay and doesn't drop. Additionally, my RAM usage gradually increases the longer I play. The more time I spend in the game before quitting, the higher the RAM usage gets, and it stays at that high level when I return to the main menu. Does anyone have the same issue?

• RAM usage in the main menu before opening any save: 1.9 GB
• RAM usage after opening a save and immediately returning to the main menu: 4.2 GB
• RAM usage after playing for 2-3 hours and then returning to the main menu: 5.8 GB

I haven't tested this after playing uninterrupted for around 10 hours, so it might go significantly higher than 5.8 GB in that case. I'm not sure.