MSI GL62 6QF lag spikes in games with charger plugged in

[reallymuted]

Hello guys!
I've been trying to solve this problem for atleast a year now, tried everything so far, GPU drivers, BIOS updates, everything i've come across online with others that have a similar problem.

My laptop is an MSI GL62 6QF, i cant remember if this problem has been around since i bought the thing or started happening later on, really cant remember. The problem being, whenever i play video games with my charger plugged in, with in about 15 minutes it starts getting really unplayable lag spikes, every 5 seconds it will cause a 2 second lag spike where my game just freezes and then i just load dead, almost unplayable if im honest. When i play without the Charger plugged in, it runs perfectly fine, which leads me to believe, my charger could possible be over volting my components or something.

Im really clueless guys tbh, because i dont know much about electricity, ive never played with a clean connection to the power, ive always been using travel adapters becuase i bought this laptop from the US, although i'm from England, and was travelling to Japan and now currently living in Australia, never had a clean connection, just travel adapter with my laptop charger plugged in via them? Could this be the problem? Over volting or something? Anyway, i will upload pictures of my charging setup and see what you guys can see wrong, i dont know what wattage or energy rating my laptop even requires, yeah, i dont anything about electrics! Im hoping some of you guys can help me! Thank you very much guys! Im really excited to see your replied!

Charging setup pictures !

https/ibb.co/dO1TDd
https/ibb.co/drOKKJ
https/ibb.co/kB3x6y
https/ibb.co/e8cPmy

 

[helpstar]

Eventually the laptop is overheating. While plugged into the wall the CPU and GPU will work harder than without charger, due to energy saving mechanism.

Check the CPU and GPU temperature while gaming, e.g. coretemp and msi afterburner

Did you overclock your laptop?

Set the energy managment in windows to balanced

 

[reallymuted]

Eventually the laptop is overheating. While plugged into the wall the CPU and GPU will work harder than without charger, due to energy saving mechanism.

Check the CPU and GPU temperature while gaming, e.g. coretemp and msi afterburner

Did you overclock your laptop?

Set the energy managment in windows to balanced

I didn’t overclock my laptop and usually runs at 90 degrees max, also I changed power options so my CPU runs at 100% even with no charger plugged in, and still as soon as I unplug my laptop, the lag spikes just completely go away, I don’t know if it’s overheating, I cant imagine the temps would just decrease that much in an instant, and stop the lagging as soon as I unplug it. Yeah I’m not sure what the best monitoring programs are tbh, what should I monitor and is there any information I should gather for an easier diagnostics?

 

[helpstar]

cpu and gpu frequency and temperature while plugged in and while unplugging

 

[reallymuted]

Using which software? Coretemp?

 

[shmoochie]

This really does sound like it is overheating. I've had the best luck with hwinfo for monitoring temps. For some reason I get more accurate readings than with the paid software.

 

[reallymuted]

Here is my CPU temps during plugged in and then running on battery.

https/ibb.co/k7idEJ - Running On battery
https/ibb.co/g2GyEJ - Plugged in charging

Also sometime before, i changed my CPU to operate at 50% and had no change, still stupid freeze spikes in game, this was with battery and plugged in, changed maximum and mimimum cpu usage to 50%. I didnt check temps at that time though.

 

[shmoochie]

Unless I'm reading it wrong, your cpu is hitting the upper 80's on a 40% load while plugged in, and that is with you just entering a game. Test it again after playing for 20-30 min or when the stuttering starts, but I guarantee it is throttling to a certain extent. It may not be the only issue, but it is one.

How long have you had the laptop? You might need to take it somewhere to get cleaned and repasted. Another option you could try is undervolting, but I would open a separate ticket for that.

 

[reallymuted]

Had the laptop for a couple of years or a little longer, the test was done after I was playing for 30 mins and the freezing started, then unplugged the charger and almost instantly the freezing stops.

 

[shmoochie]

Hmm, I guess it could also be the multimedia settings. Here's another fix you might try:

First open the power settings, then click "change plan settings" beside the "balanced (recommended)" option. Then click "change advanced power settings" on the screen that appears. In the dialog box, scroll down and expand "Multimedia settings". Then expand "when playing video" and then change the "plugged in" option to balanced.

http/www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-1894048/laptop-lags-playing-games-plugged.html

 

[shmoochie]

Also try changing the NVIDIA settings if that doesn't work. Right click on desktop, select NVIDIA control panel, select manage 3D settings, and then change the power management mode to maximum performance.

 

[reallymuted]

Tried all your suggestions and sadly none of them work, so I geuss its just overheating and it’s Unfixable? Laptops mannn.... or rather MSI laptops lol... much rather a pc but travel too much.

 

[helpstar]

Open it up, clean it and reapply thermal paste.
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_gfezN9d3k

 

[reallymuted]

What is the best thermal paste to use? And how much will this impact my temps? 10 degrees?

 

[helpstar]

Use thermal paste like Arctic mx-4

 

[shmoochie]

What is the best thermal paste to use? And how much will this impact my temps? 10 degrees?

How much it lowers the temps will depend on the state of the existing thermal paste. Stock paste is prone to drying out over time, and either cracking or pulling away from the die and heat sink.Definitely clean it out with compressed air and then repaste. You should also try undervolting your laptop. It worked wonders for me. Here is a pretty good guide: https/www.ultrabookreview.com/10167-laptop-undervolting-overcloking/

 

[reallymuted]

A sign of hope guys. So i decided to undervolt with -0.115v, -0.120 was just too much and caused crashes, Seems stable here at -0.115v, So far, Ive managed to play 4 Matches of Fortnite in a row without a single freeze or any indication of one, usually starts very little then gets worse, Before even at the end of 1 match it started the freezing, so seems to be a lot more controlled now and possibly solved until the future, However, I think im still going to repaste for a more consistent lower temperature. Rather have it running as cool as possible.

Would Artic Silver 5 do the trick???
Next step, Alcohol, Thermal Paste & a Screwdriver set haha

 

[shmoochie]

That is good to hear. Yes, I like AS5 better than MX4. Just remember this statement from the company and don't put too much: "While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths." This is especially important in a laptop since they get moved around a lot.