Ever since I updated to the latest Windows version last month, I've been getting constant frame drops and stuttering in games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Palworld. My GPU usage seems fine in task manager, so I'm not sure what's causing it. Did anyone else experience this after updating?
Have you checked if Windows Update installed any new graphics drivers, or rolled back to older ones by mistake? Windows updates sometimes mess with driver versions, and even if GPU usage looks normal in task manager, a driver conflict can definitely cause stuttering - try rolling back your GPU drivers to the version you had before the update, or grab the latest ones directly from Nvidia/AMD's website.
I ran into something similar a while back and it turned out to be a background process eating CPU cycles, not the GPU at all. Task Manager can show GPU usage as "fine" while something else is bottlenecking your frame delivery. Windows Update sometimes enables or re-enables services you don't need - Windows Search indexing, telemetry, background app refresh, that kind of thing. Open Task Manager, sort by CPU usage, and see what's running in the background during gameplay. Check especially for things like Windows Update itself still running, antivirus scans, or cloud sync services. Even if they show low percentage individually, they can cause microstutters if they spike at the wrong moment.
Beyond processes, there's another angle: power settings. Windows updates occasionally reset your power plan or turn on features like Game Mode differently than before. Sounds backwards, but I've seen Game Mode actually hurt performance on some systems if it's fighting with other settings. Go into Settings > System > Gaming and check if Game Mode is on or off, then try the opposite and run a game for ten minutes. Also make sure your power plan isn't set to "Balanced" - switch it to "High Performance" in Control Panel under Power Options if you're on desktop. Laptop users should keep Balanced but disable any "reduce processor speed" settings.
If that doesn't help, one more thing worth trying before driver reinstalls: use Windows Settings to actually uninstall the recent update and see if the stutter goes away. That'll confirm whether it's the update or something that coincidentally broke around the same time. If the stutter stops, you've got your culprit and can either stay on the older version or wait for Microsoft to push a fix.
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