I’m pretty much facing this exact same issue, started around a week or two ago. Used to get 250-300 fps at all times, on every single map, every single regular game mode. Now the game will work fine in training range, high GPU usage, 300 fps stable, but as when I join a QP game or an arcade game or a comp game the GPU locks itself to 40% or lower GPU usage. CPU is at the same usage it always is, 50-60%, have more than 9gb (8x2 total, 2666Mhz) RAM free all the time.
Full specs - Lenovo y540 laptop, i5-9300H quad core 4.1Ghz CPU, RTX 2060 GPU, 512gb m.2 NVME drive, 16gb RAM (8x2, 2666Mhz)
Nowhere close to thermal throttling, both the GPU and CPU are running 5-10° cooler than they used to be before when game worked perfectly. Getting low-mid 60s on the GPU and low-mid 70s on the CPU. CPU doesn’t start to throttle on this laptop until it’s into the 90s. GPU in the 80s.
Windows is set to Max performance, same in Lenovo Vantage, same in Nvidia control panel.
AAA games like Metro Exodus are still working perfectly, 95%+ GPU yeah, same 50-60% CPU usage in that game, benchmarks like 3Dmark, Furmark, Heaven are working perfectly like they used to before.
I’ve already tried DDU uninstalling my Nvidia drivers and moved to an older version, didn’t fix it. Also rolled back to older Bios, didn’t fix it.
Issue instantly gets fixed when I turn up render scale to 150% from 100%, GPU usage skyrockets to 90%+, I start getting 200+ FPS, then as soon as I turn it back down to 100% it again locks itself below 40% and I start getting 100~ FPS. I want to play at 100% render scale and get close to 300 Fps at all times like I used to before, plus 150% render scale makes the enemy outlines thinner and harder to see.
It’s either BattleNet, Overwatch itself, Nvidia drivers or something in Windows settings that’s dictating Overwatch particularly to stay under 40% GPU usage at 100% Render scale. I’ve also totally uninstalled Overwatch and reinstalled it, didn’t fix things.
Blizz customer support basically refused to help me saying that because I am getting at least 60 FPS they can’t help me as they consider that ‘working fine’.
My regular settings that I’ve used for almost 2 months now - 1080p 144Gz, Triple buffering and Vsync Off, Reduce buffering On, Fps dey to Custom and 300, everything on lowest possible setting except render scale on 100%, Texture quality on Max, Texture filtering on Max and Anti-aliasing on Max.
I’ve also tried playing around with all the presets, hoping that perhaps turning up some particular setting might unlock this artificial GPU usage lock but only turning to Render Scale unlocks this Artificial lock.
The issue is also on PTR, so whatever software is putting up the artificial lock is putting it on PTR too. Makes it more likely that it is probably an Overwatch issue.