[7.5] Reproducible CPU Workload/Power Regression in High-Population Areas (7800X3D)

[Tribunus]

I am posting this again as the original thread was closed in error with the answer unsatisfactory.

Since Patch 7.5, there appears to be a reproducible change in CPU workload behavior in densely populated areas that was not present on the same hardware and configuration prior to the patch.

This is not a generic “high temperatures under load” issue, nor does it appear related to insufficient hardware capability following the Dawntrail graphical update as this was in July 2024 and would have presented itself much sooner if this was the cause. The game maintains a stable 144 FPS at maximum settings while the behavior occurs, indicating the system is not struggling to render the game or becoming conventionally CPU limited.

My system specifications are: Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RTX 5070, MSI MPG B850I, and 32GB DDR5 5200MT/s RAM.

This system exceeds the recommended specifications for Dawntrail-era FFXIV, and no hardware, BIOS, cooling, graphics, framerate, or ambient conditions changed before and after 7.5.

Prior to Patch 7.5, CPU temperatures remained consistently around 62°C during gameplay across all areas. After 7.5, the same system now rapidly spikes to approximately 77°C (an increase of 15°C) specifically when rendering crowded hubs such as Limsa Lominsa, Frontlines and Hunt trains. The increase occurs almost instantly when facing high-population scenes and drops again when the camera is redirected away from the crowd or the area is exited entirely.

At the same time, CPU power and sustained boost behavior, are higher than before 7.5 under otherwise identical conditions. Other games and workloads on the system remain unchanged.

Multiple users on Reddit and the official forums are reporting nearly identical behavior beginning specifically after Patch 7.5, particularly on Ryzen 7 7800X3D systems. Given the wide variation in cooling setups, motherboards, airflow, BIOS settings and GPU pairings between these users, this does not appear isolated to a single hardware configuration.

Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...emps_since_75/

Official forums thread: https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...-7.5-CPU-Temps

The issue can be reproduced consistently by being in any high density area and having players in full view. CPU power and temperatures increase immediately while the players are visible, then reduce again when redirecting the camera away or leaving the area.

I also have screenshots and video recordings showing the behavior after 7.5, showing a stable 144 FPS operation under identical settings. These captures clearly demonstrate a measurable workload change associated specifically with Patch 7.5. This is again not an issue with system requirements.

Screenshots:




Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...62SifLrX3WX7ci

Some of these videos have very few players that cause the same behavior, not what you would expect from systems with these chips.

Edit: For transparency I have just tested this again with fewer players on screen as another user reported this happening to them, the same behavior begins occurring with as few as 10 players on screen, which would also explain why I don't see this behavior in dungeons and trials but do in alliance raids and front lines.

Changing in game settings also have little to no noticeable effect on this behavior and the newly added display limits in 7.5 are set to the default option of "normal" and is therefor no different that it was pre 7.5

Edit 2: Capping the FPS to 120 offered no notable change, it simply sped up how quick it goes away when moving the camera or location. It cannot be related to FPS cap behavior, GPU load or cooling instability. Visible players are still triggering sustained CPU behavior post patch regardless of seemingly what I do my end.

Edit 3: Solution 9 is particularly bad and occurs around the tomestone vendors hub even with zero players in direct view.

[Uhgpaysuhbaliet]

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

We are sorry to know that your PC has been overheating after the recent 7.5 patch. We understand that you are running the game with hardware that exceeds the normal requirements, please do understand that the game does use a lot of resources especially in all main cities as the game is accounting for all the players and all the gear they wear, as well as the myriad of background effects and NPCs that are normally in the cities. Even with high spec PCs you may still encounter some overheating issues since the game did also upgrade in terms of graphics.

For now we suggest making sure that the unit is well ventilated and that the fans are properly working, other than that we suggest other forms of cooling such as using a Liquid Cooling system.

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums!

[Tribunus]

It’s not an overheating issue and it is well ventilated I assure you. There’s nothing wrong with my system, and as shown in the clips, the game isn’t struggling to render. The screenshots and recordings also weren’t taken in heavily populated cities, they are in different locations to show it is happening regardless of zone — one of the clips was recorded in Phantom Village with only a handful of players present, yet it produced the same result as clips showing dozens of players.

The graphical update to the game was introduced in July 2024, so if that were the cause, these issues would have appeared much earlier. As I mentioned, this problem did not exist prior to patch 7.5 and only started occurring afterward. Other users in the previous thread and on Reddit, all using the same CPU, have reported the exact same experience and confirmed they did not encounter this issue before the patch.

Surely you’d agree that it’s highly unlikely all of us would suddenly develop unrelated heating issues with the same CPU in the same game at the exact same time the patch was released and not have the same thermal response in any other game or application.

[Ukhisteysubuh]

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience you're experiencing. We understand how important it is for you to enjoy the game smoothly.

As mentioned in our previous response, the recent patch update may currently be causing increased CPU workload in certain situations, particularly in main cities or highly populated areas, which can result in higher CPU temperatures.

We'd also like to clarify that this issue is not caused by your system, especially considering the specifications of the device you're using to play FINAL FANTASY XIV Online.

If you encounter any additional errors or issues while logging in or playing the game, please let us know so we can investigate further. We truly appreciate you bringing this concern to our attention, and we will make sure your feedback is forwarded accordingly.

We will now be closing this thread. Should you have further concerns, please don't hesitate to post on the FFXIV Technical Support forums so that we can assist you.

Thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums!