Need For Speed Heat CPU Usage fix? Worked for me

Summary

In this video, Drake discusses how he improved the performance of Need for Speed Heat on his system, which was previously suffering from high CPU usage and lag. He shares a simple fix involving tweaking files like the user CFG and profile options to optimize CPU usage and graphics. Drake also highlights other adjustments he made to run the game better, such as running it in windowed mode. He expresses frustration with EA’s lack of optimization for older systems and missing features, but ultimately finds a smoother gaming experience after these changes.

Takeaways

• 😀 The user had long-standing issues with the game, Need for Speed Heat, maxing out their CPU usage, resulting in slow, laggy gameplay.
• 😀 The user owns an 8-core Intel CPU, which was being pushed to 90% usage, causing performance problems in the game.
• 😀 A simple tweak to the 'user CFG' file in the game's installation folder helped reduce CPU usage significantly.
• 😀 After the tweak, the CPU usage dropped to around 40%, and the game ran smoother, with a better overall experience.
• 😀 The user is running the game on a GTX 980 graphics card and is satisfied with 45 to 60 FPS at a resolution of 2560x1440.
• 😀 The user recommends tweaking the 'user CFG' file by adjusting the 'thread process account' and 'GST render' settings.
• 😀 The user also found that the game runs better in windowed mode, even though the game initially defaults to a small window resolution in this mode.
• 😀 The user had to manually adjust the resolution in the file to fit the screen properly when running in windowed mode.
• 😀 The user points out that EA has made several design oversights in the game, such as limiting graphical settings and resolution adjustments.
• 😀 The user suggests modifying additional settings in the 'profile options' file to improve performance, including lowering shadow quality, texture quality, and other graphical settings.

Q & A

What issue was Drake experiencing with *Need for Speed Heat*?

Drake was experiencing high CPU usage (up to 90%) while playing *Need for Speed Heat*, which caused the game to run slowly with jerky, laggy performance.

What system specifications is Drake using to run *Need for Speed Heat*?

Drake is using an 8-core Intel CPU and a GTX 980 GPU, running the game at a resolution of 2560x1440, and he gets 45-60 frames per second (FPS).

What fix did Drake find to address the CPU usage problem in *Need for Speed Heat*?

Drake found that editing certain game files, specifically the *user.cfg* and *profile_options_profile* files, to tweak the thread process settings could reduce CPU usage significantly.

How does Drake adjust the *user.cfg* file to reduce CPU usage?

In the *user.cfg* file, Drake changes the 'Thread Process Account Max' setting to match the number of cores in his CPU (for example, setting it to 4 for an 8-core CPU).

What other file does Drake suggest adjusting besides the *user.cfg* file?

Drake also suggests adjusting the *profile_options_profile* file located in the *Documents* > *Need for Speed* > *Settings* directory, where similar changes are made to match the settings in the installation folder.

How did running the game in windowed mode help with performance?

Running the game in windowed mode improved performance by reducing CPU usage. However, the game defaults to a small window size, which Drake manually adjusts after launching the game.

What performance tweaks did Drake make in the game’s settings?

Drake lowered various graphical settings, such as lighting, shadow quality, texture quality, and undergrowth quality, to optimize performance and reduce GPU and CPU load.

What is Drake’s opinion on the lack of graphical customization options in *Need for Speed Heat*?

Drake criticizes the game for having limited graphical settings. He points out that players can only choose between low, medium, high, and ultra settings, removing more granular control over graphical elements.

What was Drake's experience with the game's performance after making these changes?

After applying these changes, Drake found the game to run smoothly with a significant reduction in CPU usage, down to around 40%, without needing to tweak CPU priorities or other advanced settings.

What does Drake think about EA's handling of *Need for Speed Heat* and its optimizations?

Drake feels that EA could have provided a fix or update to address these issues, noting that the required tweaks were quite simple but not officially acknowledged by the developers.