Severe CPU overuse and micro-stuttering on PC – GPU underutilized (FC 26)
Platform: PC (Laptop & Desktop)
OS: Windows 11
Issue:
EA SPORTS FC 26 heavily overuses the CPU while barely utilizing the GPU,
resulting in constant micro-stuttering, freezes, and overheating.
This issue is NOT limited to low-end systems.
Example of a high-end system affected:
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D
- RTX 5090
- 64 GB DDR5 RAM
- X870 motherboard
On this system, FC 26 is the ONLY game that pushes the CPU up to 85°C,
while other demanding games (e.g. Battlefield 6, running in 4K) stay below 70°C.
Observed behavior:
- GPU usage remains low
- CPU usage spikes aggressively
- Gameplay is not smooth despite high FPS
- Micro-freezes occur constantly during matches
Steps tried:
- Clean GPU driver installation
- Reinstalling the game
- Lowering graphics and resolution
- Limiting CPU boost
- Disabling background applications
Result:
No improvement.
The game remains technically unplayable.
Conclusion:
This is clearly a CPU scheduling / optimization issue in FC 26,
affecting both laptop and high-end desktop systems.
Unlike other games, there are no configuration (.ini) options available
to control CPU behavior.
This appears to be a fundamental PC optimization bug that requires a patch.
