Massive runaway resource usage when alt-tabbed to desktop?

jristaub17_ESO · October 2023

So, I play ESO with fullscreen window mode. I do this, because whenever I'm playing around with builds, checking out gear, learning about anything new with the game, or other things, I like to be able to switch from the game without having problems switching back to it.

I've noticed for a while that whenever I do this, my fans crank up to max. I didn't think a lot about it, until recently when I started noticing that my CPU temperature was spiking from around 35 degrees, to 60+ degrees (Celsius.) So, DARN HOT!! I also noticed after digging around that my GPU is also spiking. My power usage is going through the roof.

It appears that ESO must be dropping into some kind of UNTHROTTLED render loop cycle, and it is consuming MASSIVE amounts of resources, whenever you tab away from the game to the desktop. This is really problematic, in particular because it causes a huge amount of power to be used (both the CPU and GPU, and I suspect memory and motherboard as well, all hit 100%), and the heat generated is pushing my custom water cooling system to its limits.

Is there something that could be done, to make sure the game's render loop doesn't surpass say 30fps or something like that, when the game is not the foreground application?

Mooncake · October 2023

I have the same issue and all this time I've been thinking it was a problem with my machine.

I found this in the Settings but turning it on makes no difference:

Reverb · October 2023

Mooncake wrote: »

I have the same issue and all this time I've been thinking it was a problem with my machine.

I found this in the Settings but turning it on makes no difference:

Did you notice that you set your FPS limit at 100 there? So even with that setting on it’s not doing anything to limit resource consumption when ESO is in the background. Try turning Limit Background FPS to ON and set the limit at 10 fps and see if that helps.

Mooncake · October 2023

Reverb wrote: »

Did you notice that you set your FPS limit at 100 there? So even with that setting on it’s not doing anything to limit resource consumption when ESO is in the background. Try turning Limit Background FPS to ON and set the limit at 10 fps and see if that helps.

OMG, no, I hadn't noticed, lol. I have no idea how I set that up to a 100.

Fixed now. Thanks!

SeaGtGruff · October 2023

jristaub17_ESO wrote: »

It appears that ESO must be dropping into some kind of UNTHROTTLED render loop cycle, and it is consuming MASSIVE amounts of resources, whenever you tab away from the game to the desktop.

That might explain why alt-tabbing to bring another process to the fore helps speed up my really long loading screens, as well as helps slow-rendering areas finish rendering sooner.

Are you on Windows 11? It's been suggested to me by another player that it might be a Windows 11 issue, or perhaps an ESO issue that only manifests under Windows 11, but I really have no idea.

jristaub17_ESO · October 2023

Forgot about this until it was happening again. Thanks for the suggestion. Will see if this does the trick.

I suspect if the game is running at 100fps in the background, that would indeed speed up loading. Most games operate on what is called a "global game loop", which is primarily what affects FPS. If the global game loop runs slower than your set FPS limit, then your FPS drops. I run at 4k, so its around 50-60fps when I play. But if it jumps to 100fps when I tab away, then that would effectively double the rate at which stuff can happen in game.