Valorant—Riot Games’ flagship tactical shooter—has become a mainstay on the competitive scene, but a puzzling issue is troubling some of its players: significant FPS (frames per second) drops when playing on a laptop while charging.
For a game that relies on precision, smooth gameplay is not just a luxury but a necessity. So, why does this issue happen, and what can be done to fix it?
FPS Drop While Charging: Anecdotes and Evidence
Many Valorant players report a dramatic decrease in FPS when plugging in their laptops during play.
Strikingly, their frame rates frequently stabilize or or even improve when running purely on battery power, but deteriorate as soon as the charger is connected:
- Unstable FPS Upon Charging: Players have seen their frame rates drop from solid numbers (like 100+ FPS) to as low as 20 or 30 FPS the moment they begin charging. Sometimes the problem persists until the laptop is restarted.
- Wild Fluctuations: For some, unplugged performance is stable—hovering around 60–90 FPS—but charging can cause framerate swings from over 200 FPS down to 40 or lower, making the experience “unplayable.”
- Broader Gaming Impact: This issue is not exclusive to Valorant and can affect other titles too, highlighting a hardware or system-level problem.
What Causes FPS Drops When Charging?
Several factors can be at play:
- Power Management and Settings: Laptops often default to “Balanced” or “Power Saver” modes while on battery, which can cap processor speeds. Ironically, some systems shift into power-saving or eco modes even while charging, throttling performance unknowingly. Incorrect or restrictive “Processor Power Management” settings in advanced power options can also cause sudden drops in CPU speed when the charger is plugged in.
- Charger or Battery Issues: If the supplied charger cannot provide enough power, laptops may divert energy to charging the battery rather than powering high-performance components. This means the CPU and GPU compete for limited power, resulting in sluggish performance. Additionally, poor contact or defective adaptors can cause voltage fluctuations and unstable power delivery, leading to FPS drops.
- Thermal Throttling: The additional power draw when charging may increase heat output, causing the CPU or GPU to throttle performance to prevent overheating—an issue particularly common in compact gaming laptops.
- Driver or System Issues: Out-of-date GPU drivers, BIOS, or system chips can exacerbate performance issues. A recent update or a clean install of drivers can help alleviate such troubles.
Common Fixes and Community Advice
Players and tech experts have experimented with a range of troubleshooting steps:
- Switch to High Performance: Change the Windows Power Plan to “High Performance” and ensure processor minimum and maximum states are set to 100%.
- Update Drivers: Keep GPU, BIOS, and chipset drivers up to date.
- Clean Up System and Background Apps: Close unnecessary programs, especially resource-hungry browsers, during gameplay to free up CPU and memory resources.
- Check Hardware: Use monitoring tools to verify that the laptop isn’t overheating and that the power adapter provides sufficient wattage.
- Investigate Charger Quality: Test with a different charger if possible, ideally one with a higher power rating.
- Adjust Game Settings: Lowering in-game graphics, switching off surplus effects, and running Valorant in “Fullscreen” mode can also offer smoother gameplay.
What If Nothing Works?
Sometimes, despite all tweaks, the FPS drop persists. In such cases, it may be a fundamental hardware design limitation, requiring more advanced service or even a change in laptop or power brick. Eventual software fixes from manufacturers, or even game engine patches, can’t compensate for insufficient hardware capabilities.
Final Thoughts
The FPS drop in Valorant when charging is a real and widespread frustration—especially because it contradicts the expectation that plugged-in laptops should run at their best. While many players can solve the problem with power settings and driver updates, for others, the issue may be with their hardware’s power delivery system.
Until manufacturers address these quirks, affected gamers may have to juggle battery life with performance, carefully managing their charging routines to get the smoothest Valorant experience possible.
Written by:
Christian