Memory usage climbing to 80%, Overheating?

[Ruisuki]

Hello I wanted to mention an issue ive been having since Roads to Power released, which I had thought fixed as of last summer but has resurfaced since nomads released. My computers memory usage climbs to 80% on from just CK3 alone and my temperature rises to 88C/105C hotspot. It doesn't seem to happen with other games, even more intensive ones. Im able to play for about 1 hour, before my computer gets really hot and my monitor loses signal likely due to the heat emanating from this affecting the GPU. This also affects my second monitor so it isnt that or the wires, and since it only seems to affect me when I play CK3 Im wondering what the issue might be/how can I fix this? I wanna emphasize this only started happening post RtP and after many months it just resurfaced again post nomads, so I dont think its a problem with my hardware.

GPU: gigabyte aorus 3060TI
RAM: g skill ripjaws 32gb (8gbx4)
CPU: Ryzen 7 5800x
No mods

 

[AndrewT]

Right click on ck3.exe , properties, compatibility. Tick "disable fullScreen optimisations" untick every other box in that dialog, Apply and exit.


Then in the launcher Game Settings menu, select fullScreen display mode, Vsync off, cap refresh rate at 60.





If those don't help:


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.


IF dxdiag.txt fails to attach here, rename it to dxdiag.log , or zip it up.





Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK3/pdx_settings.txt .


From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK3/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log , exceptions.txt

 

[Ruisuki]

Hi, thank you for the quick response. I included everything except exceptions.txt as I dont see it in that directory

Wait nvm I found it under C:\Users\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Crusader Kings III\crashes\ck3_20250430_204802

 

[AndrewT]

We see two Bluescreens in that dxdiag - did you see those happen? Were they related to this game or something else? If you look at them in your Windows Event Viewer , there may be some text in them that point to at least the general area of the problem.

With those settings you should not see fps higher than 60 in the game, is that right? If so you really should not be getting overheating at that modest refresh rate!

You definitely don't get this with, say, Stellaris?

 

[Ruisuki]

i do recall seeing bluescreens before yes, but it mustve been months ago. The chances of it being another game while not impossible are pretty low. CK3 is pretty much the only game I consistently play. Sorry Im looking at the event viewer but I dont know how to make heads or tails out of what Im looking at

So in the past when I had this overheating issue last year I did have the v sync off, fullscreen optimisation checked and everything else unchecked and I did notice fps was locked to 59 (I locked it to 60 just now FTIW) on the launcher screen already. Those were already set before the memory/OH issue kicked off again this week. I will say my temps are still hitting the same numbers I posted above (88C/105C hotspot)- and as soon as I shut off CK3 it immediately jumps back down to 44, so something is definitely going on there.

As for Stellaris here are my memory usage and temps while its on, no issue whatsoever, not even warm. Once I turn on CK3 though.... it gets immediately hot. I mean you can feel it in the room lol

 

[AndrewT]

As you describe it, it does come across as a game issue, I agree - but then why does everyone not get the same issue? Interesting.

How 60hz can trigger 90c in the GPU is hard to imagine, frankly.

If GeForce Experience or the Nvidia app are running, exit them before starting the game - does that help at all?

 

[Ruisuki]

As you describe it, it does come across as a game issue, I agree - but then why does everyone not get the same issue? Interesting.

How 60hz can trigger 90c in the GPU is hard to imagine, frankly.

If GeForce Experience or the Nvidia app are running, exit them before starting the game - does that help at all?

Well I did a google search after having this issue last year and found others with the same problem, including a thread from 2021 which youve responded to in the past. Didnt sound like there was a resolution there though https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...hutting-down-my-new-pc.1499212/#post-27919890

These are the programs I have running, but it hasnt proven an issue before. I dont know what to do since it only happens to this game. I also cleaned my pc again and reapplied thermal paste in case that was the issue but the temps are still hitting incredibly high. Oh and I also wanted to add, it just freezes as well. Im able to alt tab to get this screenshot but i cant react to anything on the map now. Also want to add that I've done every one of the suggestions above but this is after 3-5 minutes of boot up

 

[AndrewT]

Well I did a google search after having this issue last year and found others with the same problem, including a thread from 2021 which youve responded to in the past.

I'm not saying it's never happened to anyone in the past! Just that if it were a game bug you'd expect it to happen to everyone, or at least everyone with particular hardware, say. But nothing's impossible really.

In that last screenshot the game is at 60fps or below, is that right?

Make a new Windows user profile on this PC. Go into Startup Apps under it , disable everything you can, and reboot. Do you still get this issue there?

 

[Ruisuki]

I'm not saying it's never happened to anyone in the past! Just that if it were a game bug you'd expect it to happen to everyone, or at least everyone with particular hardware, say. But nothing's impossible really.

In that last screenshot the game is at 60fps or below, is that right?

Make a new Windows user profile on this PC. Go into Startup Apps under it , disable everything you can, and reboot. Do you still get this issue there?

The startup apps recommendation didnt seem to do the trick but...

So turns out the fps was running at 90-100 in the screenshot. I had done what was suggested in the first reply, but I needed to cap the fps in the game options after the game had launched as well. I turned on the fps counter to be sure - I wouldnt have double checked had you not mentioned it just now. After I did that the temps were still high (they stabilized around 80-84C but the GPU didnt overheat to the point where this shutdown the monitor anymore. At least it didnt within the three hours of playtime. Usually I only got around 10mins to (rarely) an hr of playtime at best. So the fps was the issue, though I also toned down settings from ultra to high to be sure.

I guess my main question would be did my fps setting change somehow in the month before Nomads released and now, or did the dlc up the spec requirements and that made a component (cpu im assuming) have to work harder to compensate and thus the fps and graphical settings are no longer feasible for my build? If so, I am a little worried for china ngl.

I do want to also note that there is a 20-30% less memory usage now so even if temps are about as high (5-10c off from before) that must be playing a positive role in fixing my issue. Will future optimisation updates work to further address issues similar to this?

 

[Ruisuki]

Oh and before I forget! The issue where I would alt tab out of the game and come back to it a few minutes later, only to find it had frozen (music still plays just cant interact with anything) still persists. I've never had this happen before and since I have seen others respond with complaints regarding crashes and freezes im assuming thats what the latest patches are about. Just want to put that out there in case its related to this.

 

[AndrewT]

So turns out the fps was running at 90-100 in the screenshot. I had done what was suggested in the first reply, but I needed to cap the fps in the game options after the game had launched as well. I turned on the fps counter to be sure - I wouldnt have double checked had you not mentioned it just now. After I did that the temps were still high (they stabilized around 80-84C but the GPU didnt overheat to the point where this shutdown the monitor anymore. At least it didnt within the three hours of playtime. Usually I only got around 10mins to (rarely) an hr of playtime at best. So the fps was the issue, though I also toned down settings from ultra to high to be sure.

Great, but I would say seeing 80c+ at only 60fps still indicates a problem! I'd more normally see temps in the 50s or 60s at that modest refresh rate.

You mention cleaning your PC out and redoing thermal paste - was just on the CPU, GPU, or both? And have you checked all fans are working?

I guess my main question would be did my fps setting change somehow in the month before Nomads released and now, or did the dlc up the spec requirements and that made a component (cpu im assuming) have to work harder to compensate and thus the fps and graphical settings are no longer feasible for my build?

I just don't know the answer to this query, I'm sorry. Let's pursue the above first.

I do want to also note that there is a 20-30% less memory usage now so even if temps are about as high (5-10c off from before) that must be playing a positive role in fixing my issue.

Very hard to see how reducing the fps could have any effect on memory usage whatsoever! I just cannot account for that finding.

Will future optimisation updates work to further address issues similar to this?

I have no idea, I am sorry - I'm an external contractor and have nothing to do with the development process at all.

Oh and before I forget! The issue where I would alt tab out of the game and come back to it a few minutes later, only to find it had frozen (music still plays just cant interact with anything) still persists. I've never had this happen before and since I have seen others respond with complaints regarding crashes and freezes im assuming thats what the latest patches are about. Just want to put that out there in case its related to this.

Well, I'd say that's another issue that's pretty much unique to you! I'm not aware of any other such reports, and I'd probably see them as I work here and in our ticket system every day (and have done since game release). Is this the case in fullScreen, windowed and borderless display modes? Generally I recommend fullScreen for best performance, but if you do this a lot then windowed may be more suited to you.


I'm going to make a suggestion I would not normally, which is to update your bios - please check with Gigabyte, there have been several updates since your f10 version.