Strap yourselves in, this might be a long story, but please bear with me.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 @ 144hz
Graphics Settings: Borderless Windowed mode (because I have 2 screens and this mode is very convenient when switching between the two)
OS: Windows 10 64-bit (Version 1809, note that the issue also happened in version 1803 also)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1700x 3.4Ghz
RAM: 32GB
GPU: MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X (8GB VRAM)
Frame Rate setting: Normally Capped at 72fps
Driver: 417.71, 418.91 (now 391.85 after installing it, not rolling back)
Hard drive/solid State Drive: I run FFXIV off a Samsung 1TB SSD

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A year ago in 2018, I decided to update my Nvidia GTX 1080 GPUs drivers from 391.xx to 398.xx. By doing so, the FPS in FFXIV has gone from being at a stable 71fps at cap, to not being able to maintain a good frame rate as the score lingered around the 40s. This was also the case no matter what graphics setting I play the game in.

I then rolled back to 391 and everything was fine again, with me thinking “okay that was a bad driver”

Fast forward to 2019 a few weeks ago. I decided to give updating my GPU another shot to 417.xx , I thought the error would of been dealt with by now either by Nvidia, Microsoft or Square Enix. But to my amazement the problem was still there, turning my GTX 1080 into something worthy of a console’s graphics card as frame rates were crippled once again.

https://youtu.be/Zi7Njyme3_w

I rolled back again and everything was fine with 391.xx.

https://youtu.be/NebLCV0gzhc

Now this time, things went very bad as Windows then updated from 1803 to 1809 and came with a happy little GPU update like a rotten cherry atop cake. Now I have no way to rollback at all! Great! >:(

After. I attempted to fix the GPU issue so I can play FFXIV with newer versions of Nvidia installed.

(Because I don’t want my GTX 1080 trapped on an old version forever what if Shadowbringers requires me to update the GPU drivers)

Here’s what I done:

Reinstalling the game, Didn’t work

Installing game on different SSD, Didn’t work

Manually uninstalling and reinstalling drivers. Didn’t work.

Using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller), Did not work.

Fiddled around with the Nvidia control panel and set vsync to the “adaptive refresh” thingy or whatever it’s called. Didn’t work, I know control panel is meant to take control of the FPS thing but it’s like it didn’t do its job properly and the program’s FPS can still be controlled via FFXIV still. (I saw this on a forum post in FFXIV where one of the GMs on the forums suggested someone to do this.)

https://youtu.be/8ligLlYyuOY

Tried different Hrtz (from 144 to 120) on the monitor. Didn’t work.

Reinstalled windows 10 and only had FFXIV on the PC and nothing else, did not work.

Tried it on my GTX 960, it had to same result so it wasn’t my GPU at all.
(When swapping GPUs, it’s like I had to install the drivers again. I am not sure if that is a normal thing?)

After those attempts, I was just beyond frustrated.

I thought that FFXIV didn’t like the newer updates beyond 391.xx BUT I FOUND AN ANOMALY!

When I took advice from others to re install (not rollback because the option was grayed out) 391.xx itself, upon doing so. This driver that used to work perfectly started to work the same way as the ones after it. 391.xx’s driver was halfing my FPS! So that’s proof it isn’t the games fault.

https://youtu.be/nZLE_3QMzzs

Also the second finding was that Nvidia should put an extraction path folder in the Nvidia directory (My PC > C driver > NVIDIA > Display Drivers) with 391.xx it did BUT with others (like the drivers after 391.xx) It did not do that.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...ia_problem.png

I have got some solution from the Nvidia Forums and my PC repair shop said “system restore it” which I know would never work because I already did that once. But I need advice from here because my friends think it’s best for me to do so.

I deeply love FFXIV, it’s a game that holds a special place deep within my heart.
However I am not good with computers. I shall give further system info upon request.