Conquer the Lag: A Comprehensive Guide to Reducing Vanguard CPU Usage
Hey there, fellow gamer! Are you tired of your PC sounding like a jet engine and your frame rates dropping to single digits every time you launch Valorant? The culprit might just be Riot Vanguard, the anti-cheat system that keeps the game fair but can sometimes be a real resource hog. If you're experiencing stuttering, high CPU usage, and overall system slowdown, you've come to the right place. Let's dive in and fix this together, step-by-step.
Step 1: The First Strike - Taming Background Processes
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of Vanguard itself, let's address the most common cause of high CPU usage: unnecessary background processes. Think of your PC's CPU as a team of workers, and every program is a task. If you have a dozen workers doing small, irrelevant tasks, they can't focus on the most important job: running your game.
What to do right now?
Press
Ctrl + Shift + Escto open the Task Manager. Don't be afraid! This is your control center.Click on the "Processes" tab.
Look for any programs you don't need running while you game. Are you streaming music? Do you have 15 browser tabs open? Is a download in progress?
Right-click on the process and select "End task." Be careful not to end critical system processes. If you're unsure, search for the process name online.
A bonus tip: Go to the "Startup" tab in Task Manager and disable any programs you don't need to run on startup. This prevents them from eating up resources from the get-go.
QuickTip: Revisit key lines for better recall.
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| How To Reduce Vanguard Cpu Usage |
Step 2: Calibrating Vanguard - Fine-Tuning the Anti-Cheat
Now that we've cleared out the clutter, let's focus on Vanguard itself. While it’s designed to be a lightweight kernel-level driver, sometimes it gets a bit too aggressive.
Sub-heading: Setting Priority in Task Manager This is a quick and effective trick. By lowering Vanguard's priority, you tell your CPU to prioritize other tasks, like running Valorant.
Open the Task Manager (
Ctrl + Shift + Esc).Go to the "Details" tab.
Scroll down and find
Riot Vanguardorvgc.exe.Right-click on it, hover over "Set priority," and select "Low" or "Below normal."
Keep in mind that this change is temporary and will reset after you restart your PC.
Sub-heading: Restarting the Vanguard Service Sometimes, a simple reset is all that's needed. This can help clear up any temporary issues or resource leaks.
In the Windows Search bar, type "Services" and open the app.
Scroll down the list and find the "VGC" service.
Right-click on it and select "Restart."
This will temporarily stop and then restart the Vanguard service, which can often resolve performance glitches.
Step 3: Optimizing Your System for Gaming
Vanguard's high CPU usage can often be a symptom of a larger system problem. Let's make sure your PC is ready to handle the demands of competitive gaming.
Tip: Remember, the small details add value.
Sub-heading: Updating Drivers and Windows
Keep your drivers up to date! Outdated graphics drivers can cause conflicts and lead to higher CPU usage. Visit the official website of your graphics card manufacturer (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel) and download the latest drivers.
Ensure your Windows operating system is fully updated. Windows updates often include performance optimizations and bug fixes that can help with compatibility issues.
Sub-heading: Adjusting Power Options You want your CPU to be running at its full potential when you're gaming.
Open the Control Panel.
Go to "Hardware and Sound" and then "Power Options."
Select the "High Performance" power plan. If you don't see it, click on "Show additional plans." This ensures your CPU doesn't throttle its clock speed to save power, which can lead to performance drops.
Step 4: The Last Resort - Reinstalling Vanguard
If the above steps don't work, there might be a corrupted file in your Vanguard installation. Reinstalling it is a simple process that can often fix stubborn issues.
Close Valorant and the Riot Client.
In the Windows Search bar, type "Add or remove programs" and open the app.
Scroll down the list and find "Riot Vanguard."
Click on it and select "Uninstall."
After it's uninstalled, restart your computer.
Launch the Riot Client and Valorant. It will automatically detect that Vanguard is missing and prompt you to download and reinstall it.
Final Thoughts: A Word on In-Game Settings
QuickTip: Reading carefully once is better than rushing twice.
While we've focused on Vanguard's CPU usage, remember that your in-game settings in Valorant also play a huge role in performance. If you're on a low-end PC, prioritize FPS over graphical fidelity. Lowering settings like Material Quality, Texture Quality, Detail Quality, and disabling things like VSync, Bloom, and Distortion can free up significant resources for your CPU and GPU.
10 Related FAQs: How to...
How to check my CPU usage in real-time?
You can use the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and go to the "Performance" tab to see real-time CPU usage.
How to know if Vanguard is the program causing high CPU usage?
In the Task Manager's "Processes" tab, you can sort by "CPU" to see which processes are using the most resources. If "Riot Vanguard" or vgc.exe is consistently at the top of the list, it's the culprit.
How to disable Vanguard when I'm not playing Valorant? You can right-click the Vanguard icon in your system tray (the arrow in the bottom right of your taskbar) and select "Exit Vanguard." You'll need to restart your computer to play Valorant again.
How to prevent programs from starting with Windows? Open the Task Manager and go to the "Startup" tab. You can right-click on a program and select "Disable" to prevent it from starting automatically.
Tip: Take your time with each sentence.
How to update my graphics card drivers? Visit the official websites of NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, and use their driver update software or manually search for your specific graphics card model.
How to change my power plan to "High Performance"? Open the Control Panel, go to "Hardware and Sound," then "Power Options," and select "High Performance."
How to lower in-game graphics settings in Valorant?
In Valorant, go to Settings (Esc key in-game) -> Video -> Graphics Quality, and adjust the settings to "Low" or "Off."
How to check if my PC meets the minimum requirements for Valorant? You can find the minimum and recommended system requirements on Riot Games' official Valorant support page.
How to change processor affinity for Vanguard?
In the Task Manager's "Details" tab, right-click on vgc.exe, select "Set affinity," and uncheck some of the CPU cores to limit the resources it can use. Be cautious with this setting as it can lead to instability.
How to know if Vanguard is running?
Look for the red Riot Vanguard icon in your system tray. If it's there, the service is running. You can also check for vgc.exe in the Task Manager's "Processes" or "Details" tab.
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