GPU and memory at 100%

[Astrapogiannos]

Hello. I just bought Victoria 3 but I cannot play it it melts my GPU, running constantly at 100% even if I zoom out and pause the game. With my GPU I play other more demanding games fine, also all other paradox games I have (HoI4, EU4, CK3, Stellaris) all running good.

I did a search on the internet and tried almost every solution with no results

What I did:

• Limit FPS to 30 both in game and via Nvidia control panel
• Set my graphics to medium and completely disabled shadows
• disabled V-Sync
• tried both full screen and windowed mode
• Rolled back to previous Nvidia graphic drivers, down below to May 2022
• Run the game without any mod
• Re-installed the game
• Edited 00_graphics.txt and changed CITY_VFX_ZOOM_CUTOFF from 250 to 50, CITY_PARTICLES_ZOOM_CUTOFF from 200 to 50, ROUTE_ENTITIES_CUTOFF from 250 to 50
• Checked if there are GDI Objects leak but it is not. My GDI objects are always 591 and not increasing. So its not GDI objects leak.
• Even in background it uses my gpu to 100% while I did limit it to 20fps in nvidia control panel...

Nothing have worked

My monitor is a Dell 2k resolution but as I said I play other games without even get to 50% GPU usage, even open world RPG/Action games that should be more GPU demanding.

I am out of options, I really wanted to play this game as I am fan of paradox games. I hope its not on my end and would be somehow "fixed" in a patch so I will be able to play.

The game starts ok but after 3-5 minutes start using 100% gpu and the fan goes crazy...

I recently installed Kaspersky Antivirus, is there any chance that this might cause the problem? But I added whole steam folder to exclude list and victoria 3.exe specificall to applications to not monitor. Also does cause me problems to other games.

Hope for a solution. Thanks in advance

EDIT:
My specs:
Windows 10: (build: 19044.2251)
CPU: Intel icore 5 6600k
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970
RAM: 12GB DDR4
SSD: Samsung 870 evo

Debug mode gives me 2 errors:
FILE_WRITE_ERROR:1 "Failed to create savegame"
FILE_WRITE_ERROR_DESC:1 "The game failed to create a savegame. This may be due to:\n- Not enough space on disk\n- File permission issues\n- Antivirus or ransomware protection software\n- Game file corruption\n- Issues caused by installed Mods"

(found them at errors_l_english.yml since log didnt open on left click).

 

[AndrewT]

I recently installed Kaspersky Antivirus, is there any chance that this might cause the problem? But I added whole steam folder to exclude list and victoria 3.exe specificall to applications to not monitor. Also does cause me problems to other games.

FILE_WRITE_ERROR:1 "Failed to create savegame"
FILE_WRITE_ERROR_DESC:1 "The game failed to create a savegame. This may be due to:\n- Not enough space on disk\n- File permission issues\n- Antivirus or ransomware protection software\n- Game file corruption\n- Issues caused by installed Mods"

I'm pretty sure this is a Kaspersky issue, although not sure it is related to your headline issue here.

The issue is not preventing K from scanning those folders, it is K not allowing Victoria3.exe to write files where it wants to - a separate function. You may need help from K supoort omn that.

 

[Astrapogiannos]

I'm pretty sure this is a Kaspersky issue, although not sure it is related to your headline issue here.

The issue is not preventing K from scanning those folders, it is K not allowing Victoria3.exe to write files where it wants to - a separate function. You may need help from K supoort omn that.

Thanks! I did uninstalled Kaspersky just in case, but the problem still persists . Thanks though!

 

[AndrewT]

AV apps rarely uninstall completely. Try the free utilities Revo Uninstaller and Ccleaner to make sure it's completely gone.

And when you say "the problem still persists", do you mean the file access issue, the high GPU use, or both?

 

[Astrapogiannos]

AV apps rarely uninstall completely. Try the free utilities Revo Uninstaller and Ccleaner to make sure it's completely gone.

And when you say "the problem still persists", do you mean the file access issue, the high GPU use, or both?

Well luckily I do use revo uninstaller but did not run CCleaner. For the problem I mean the gpu usage. The errors I have no idea what it is and if it is related to GPU usage but I doubt they are.

I did install a mod that removes clouds and dropped settings even more. Now my GPU is around 80% but when I open menus in game, like buildings or trade menu, it jumps to 100% for a while then slowly back to 90% (I have GeForce Experience Overlay to check it)

 

[AndrewT]

I have seen GeForce Experience cause games to run badly. What if you unload that before starting the game?

 

[Astrapogiannos]

I have seen GeForce Experience cause games to run badly. What if you unload that before starting the game?

Thanks I tried it. uninstalled GeForce Experience and installed the graphic drivers again, this time doing a clean install (only driver). Yet still have problem

 

[AndrewT]

DXDIAG is a program you run from the Windows search box on the task bar. After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Vic3/pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Vic3/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log

 

[Astrapogiannos]

Thanks for not giving up on me I am attaching all the files requested here! The pdx_settings was a json file. I had to save it as txt to be able to attach it.

EDIT: in the error file, the error about "common/history/buildings/help.txt" is a personal mod I created but loaded it once. I have the problem without loading any mods at all.

I also forgot to say I am using steam version of the game.

 

[Brynjar]

Set my graphics to medium and completely disabled shadows

Both your GPU and RAM are below the recommended system requirements. You probably can't expect to run the game comfortably on anything other than low graphics settings, and not necessarily then either (depending on your definition of comfortable)

By 2k reolution, do you mean 1920x1080p? If not, I would suggest making sure the game isn't running at a higher resolution than that.

 

[Astrapogiannos]

Both your GPU and RAM are below the recommended system requirements. You probably can't expect to run the game comfortably on anything other than low graphics settings, and not necessarily then either (depending on your definition of comfortable)

By 2k reolution, do you mean 1920x1080p? If not, I would suggest making sure the game isn't running at a higher resolution than that.

I played Witcher 3, FFXIV, Black Desert with this setup at medium settings and was running very good and surely not stressing my gpu to 95-100% ... I can send you screenshots from Black Desert but I dont think its necessary. I dont think Victoria 3 is anything near demanding as an open world MMO like Black Desert or WoW or FFXIV or even Witcher 3. I also dont have any issues running Crusader Kings 3 which as I understand they have same graphic engine (read that on internet, dont know if its true).

I guess is a driver issue. I have read on forums even people with 3070 had same issue although they managed to be able to fixed it to a point by removing some settings (which shouldnt be the case)

 

[Brynjar]

I played Witcher 3, FFXIV, Black Desert with this setup at medium settings and was running very good and surely not stressing my gpu to 95-100% ... I can send you screenshots from Black Desert but I dont think its necessary. I dont think Victoria 3 is anything near demanding as an open world MMO like Black Desert or WoW or FFXIV or even Witcher 3. I also dont have any issues running Crusader Kings 3 which as I understand they have same graphic engine (read that on internet, dont know if its true).

I guess is a driver issue. I have read on forums even people with 3070 had same issue although they managed to be able to fixed it to a point by removing some settings (which shouldnt be the case)

CK3 is based on the same engine, but has lower system requirements than Vic 3. All the other games you mention have significantly lower recommended system requirements than Vic 3, possibly with the exception of WoW which doesn't name the gpu specifically, and is the only one of those games recommending 16gb of RAM.

I kind of doubt your claim of everything being fine in WoW though, based on my experience in certain situations with a gpu with similar performance and more memory.

It doesn't really matter how your computer is handling other games though, Vic 3 states their system requirements, and even if Paradox improves performance, you will most likely never be able to run the game comfortably on medium settings while being below the recommended system requirements.

 

[AndrewT]

Yes, I think all you can really do is reduce the resolution and quality settings until the game works adequately for you.

 

[AndrewT]

I see a new nVidia driver just came out, only days after the previous one, and it has a fix for excessive GPU usage in it - worth a try!