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Metrics Guide

How to Read HWiNFO Indicators

HWiNFO shows hundreds of sensors. Here's what actually matters for diagnosing gaming performance issues and how to interpret each key metric.

Temperature Indicators

Temperatures are crucial - high temps cause throttling which leads to stuttering.

CPU Package Temperature

The overall CPU temperature - most important CPU temp to watch.

0-70°C
✅ Great
70-80°C
✅ Normal
80-90°C
⚠️ Warm
90°C+
🔥 Throttling!

GPU Temperature

Graphics card core temperature - affects gaming most directly.

0-65°C
✅ Great
65-80°C
✅ Normal
80-85°C
⚠️ Warm
85°C+
🔥 Throttling risk

GPU Hot Spot / Junction Temperature

The hottest point on the GPU die. Usually 10-15°C higher than core temp.

Warning if above 100°C - indicates poor thermal contact or inadequate cooling

Throttling Indicators (Critical!)

These Yes/No flags tell you exactly when your hardware is slowing down.

Thermal Throttling: Yes

Meaning: CPU/GPU is too hot and is reducing performance to cool down

Impact: Sudden FPS drops and stuttering during load

Fix: Thermal Throttling Guide →

Power Limit Throttling: Yes

Meaning: GPU has reached its power limit (TDP)

Impact: GPU can't boost higher, may cause slight FPS variance

Fix: Increase power limit in GPU control panel (if cooling allows)

Voltage Limit: Yes

Meaning: GPU can't get enough voltage to clock higher

Impact: Usually minor - GPU is at safe operating limits

Fix: Often okay, but check power supply if unstable

All Flags: No

Meaning: Your hardware is running within limits

Impact: No throttling-related performance loss

Clock Speeds & Usage

GPU Clock (MHz)

Current GPU core frequency. Should be stable during gaming.

  • Stable ~1800-2200 MHz: Normal for modern GPUs
  • Drops suddenly: Indicates throttling
  • Very low (<500 MHz): GPU not being used (CPU bottleneck?)

GPU Usage (%)

How much of the GPU is being utilized.

  • 95-100%: GPU is the limiting factor (normal for GPU-bound games)
  • 50-90%: CPU bottleneck or frame cap active
  • <50%: Likely CPU bottleneck or in-game fps limit

CPU Usage (%)

Watch both overall and per-core usage.

  • One core at 100%: Single-threaded bottleneck
  • All cores high: Multi-threaded CPU limit
  • Low CPU + low GPU usage: Frame limit or issue

Advanced CPU Indicators

Effective Clock vs Reported Clock

HWiNFO shows multiple clock readings. Know the difference:

  • Core Clock (reported): What the CPU says it's running at — can be misleading during C-state transitions
  • Core Effective Clock: The ACTUAL average frequency including idle time. This is the true performance number.
Tip: If Core Clock shows 4.8 GHz but Effective Clock shows 3.2 GHz, your CPU is entering idle states mid-gaming — likely a power plan issue.

C-State Residency

Shows how much time the CPU spends in power-saving states during gaming. High C-state residency while gaming = CPU not being fully utilized. This often indicates a single-thread bottleneck where most cores are idle.

VRM Temperature (Motherboard)

The Voltage Regulator Module powers your CPU. Cheap motherboards with weak VRMs can overheat:

<80°C
✅ Safe
80-100°C
⚠️ Check airflow
>100°C
🔴 VRM throttling

Memory Metrics

Physical Memory Used

RAM usage in GB or %

  • <80%: ✅ Healthy
  • 80-95%: ⚠️ Getting tight
  • >95%: 🔴 May cause stuttering (paging)

GPU Memory Used (VRAM)

Video memory on graphics card

  • <80%: ✅ Plenty of room
  • 80-95%: ⚠️ Near limit
  • 100%: 🔴 Texture streaming stutters likely

Page File Usage

Disk being used as RAM overflow

  • Low/Zero: ✅ RAM is sufficient
  • High spikes: 🔴 RAM is full, causes stuttering

Power Metrics

GPU Power (W)

How much power your GPU is drawing.

What to look for:

  • Stable at/near TDP: Normal under load
  • Sudden drops: Power limit throttling
  • Way below TDP: GPU not fully utilized

Example TDPs:

  • RTX 4070: ~200W
  • RTX 4080: ~320W
  • RX 7800 XT: ~263W

Frame Time (The Stutter Metric)

FPS tells you how many frames per second. Frame Time tells you how long each individual frame takes. This is far more important for detecting stutter.

Why Frame Time Matters More Than FPS

Example at "60 FPS":

  • Smooth: Every frame takes ~16.7ms (consistent)
  • Stuttery: Most frames take 10ms, but every 30th frame takes 80ms (still averages "60 FPS" but feels terrible)

FPS averages hide the stutter. Frame Time reveals it.

How to See Frame Time in HWiNFO

Frame Time isn't a hardware sensor — it comes from the rendering pipeline:

  1. HWiNFO + PresentMon integration (built-in since 2024): Enable in sensor settings
  2. MSI Afterburner + RTSS: Shows "Frametime" in overlay and logs
  3. In-game: Some games show frame time in their built-in benchmarks

What Frame Time Values Mean

Frame TimeEquivalent FPSFeel
<8ms120+ FPSButter smooth
8-16ms60-120 FPSSmooth
16-33ms30-60 FPSAcceptable
33-50ms20-30 FPSSluggish
50-100ms10-20 FPSStuttery
>100ms<10 FPSFreeze/hitch
What to Look For:
  • Consistent frame times = smooth gameplay (even at lower FPS)
  • Frame time spikes = stutter (even at high average FPS)
  • Gradually increasing = thermal throttling building up
  • Periodic spikes every X seconds = background process or polling interference

Quick Reference: Problem Signs

If you see...The problem is...Guide
Thermal Throttling: YesOverheatingThermal Guide
GPU Usage <80%, CPU core at 100%CPU BottleneckCPU Guide
RAM >95% + Page file activeMemory shortageNeed more RAM
VRAM at 100%VRAM limitLower texture quality
Power Limit: Yes + clock dropsPower throttlingRaise power limit or check PSU

Real-World Diagnostic Scenarios

Here's what different combinations of readings actually mean in practice:

Scenario 1: "FPS drops after 10-20 minutes of playing"

HWiNFO tells you:
  • CPU Temp: Starts 75°C → climbs to 95°C
  • Thermal Throttling: Changes from No → Yes
  • Core Clock: Drops from 4.5 GHz → 3.2 GHz
Diagnosis: CPU thermal throttling — cooler can't keep up with sustained load.
Fix: Thermal Throttling Guide →

Scenario 2: "GPU usage bouncing 40-99% constantly"

HWiNFO tells you:
  • GPU Usage: 40% → 99% → 45% → 99% (oscillating)
  • CPU Usage (one core): 100% constantly
  • GPU Temp: Low (50-60°C) — GPU is waiting
Diagnosis: CPU bottleneck — one thread can't keep up, GPU starved for work.
Fix: CPU Bottleneck Guide →

Scenario 3: "Micro-stutters every few seconds during cutscenes"

HWiNFO tells you:
  • GPU Memory: 100% (8GB VRAM maxed)
  • GPU Clock: Drops exactly when stutter happens
  • Everything else normal
Diagnosis: VRAM full — textures streaming from system RAM.
Fix: Lower texture quality to High or Medium.

Scenario 4: "Everything looks normal but still stuttering"

HWiNFO tells you:
  • GPU Usage: 99%
  • Temps: All good (60-70°C)
  • No throttling flags
  • RAM: Plenty free
Diagnosis: Likely shader compilation stutter, driver issue, or DPC latency.
Fix: Shader Stutter Guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between GPU Temperature and GPU Hot Spot?

GPU Temperature is the average across the chip. Hot Spot is the single hottest point — usually 10-20°C higher and the real danger number.

Why is my GPU usage low but I'm still getting low FPS?

Classic CPU bottleneck. Check per-core CPU usage — one core at 100% while others are idle confirms it.

Should I reset Min/Max values before gaming in HWiNFO?

Yes. Click the clock icon to reset readings before launching your game. This ensures Min/Max values reflect your gaming session only.

My readings look fine but game still stutters — why?

Hardware isn't everything. Check shader compilation, driver issues, background apps, or DPC latency. See our Shader Stutter guide.

What does "Performance Limit - Reliability Voltage" mean?

GPU can't get enough stable voltage to boost higher. Often normal at stock settings. Only a concern if clocks are dropping significantly.

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