Network Issue Fortnite

Fortnite Lagging and Freezing on New PC - Complete Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-06 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-06 👥 Reports: 1 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

The primary fix is to disable the HP Omen Gaming Hub and Nahimic audio services, which are known to conflict with Fortnite's anti-cheat and cause severe performance degradation.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

This error is defined as severe, periodic performance degradation characterized by frame rate drops to 1 FPS, network latency spikes, and application freezing at 5-10 second intervals. The problem occurs exclusively on the Windows platform, specifically affecting systems with pre-installed OEM software suites. The error manifests across all recent versions of Fortnite, including the current live build and any public test servers. This is a common issue on new HP, Dell, and ASUS systems. The severity is game-breaking, rendering competitive play impossible. No specific Fortnite error codes are generated; the failure mode is systemic performance collapse within the game engine and network stack. The root cause is typically a software conflict between background services and the game's anti-cheat or rendering pipeline.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The application exhibits consistent micro-stuttering and full-screen freezes at regular 5-10 second intervals. During these freezes, the frame rate drops to 1-5 FPS. Concurrently, the network ping displayed in the game's HUD increases from a baseline to values exceeding 200-500ms. The freezing occurs during character movement, camera panning, and environmental interaction. The game does not crash to desktop; it remains responsive after each freeze cycle. Performance monitoring software confirms GPU utilization drops to near 0% and CPU thread scheduling halts during each freeze event. The problem persists in both full-screen and windowed mode and continues even after the game process is terminated, indicating a system-level service conflict.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: HP Omen Gaming Hub SDK or Light Studio service running in the background. These services hook into the DirectX API and conflict with Fortnite's Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) or BattlEye, causing periodic security scans that freeze the game and spike CPU usage. Why this causes the problem: The anti-cheat system interprets the OEM software's low-level hooks as a potential security violation, triggering aggressive validation cycles. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Nahimic or related audio enhancement services (A-Volute, Sonic Studio) are present. These audio drivers install a kernel-level audio filter that interferes with the game's audio rendering and can cause full-system latency. Why this causes the problem: The kernel-level audio driver creates a Device Driver Lock (D-Lock) that blocks other threads, including the game's main render thread, until audio processing completes. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Fortnite is set to use DirectX 12 rendering API on a system with shader compilation issues or driver-level incompatibility. The DX12 pipeline compiles shaders in real-time, causing stutters. Why this causes the problem: Each new texture, effect, or environment element encountered requires a shader compilation, which halts the rendering thread. Category: Hardware Issue Specific technical explanation: The system is using a single channel RAM configuration or XMP/DOCP profile is not enabled, resulting in insufficient memory bandwidth for the RTX 3060 GPU. Why this causes the problem: The GPU is starved for data, causing the render pipeline to wait for texture and geometry data from system RAM, manifesting as periodic freezes. Category: Network Problem Specific technical explanation: Network Buffer Bloat on the home router under load. When the game sends/receives UDP packets, other devices on the network (phones, streaming boxes) cause queueing delays. Why this causes the problem: The router's default Quality of Service (QoS) settings do not prioritize game traffic, leading to unpredictable latency spikes that the game engine interprets as a performance issue. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Windows Power Plan is set to "Balanced" or "Power Saver," allowing the CPU to drop to low clock speeds during less demanding game moments, failing to ramp up quickly enough. Why this causes the problem: The processor's performance states (P-states) transition too slowly, causing a CPU bottleneck during sudden action. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: NVIDIA GeForce Experience overlay or Instant Replay feature is enabled. The constant video buffer recording introduces significant disk I/O and CPU overhead. Why this causes the problem: The overlay injects itself into the DirectX swap chain, and the recording feature saturates the NVMe/SSD bandwidth, blocking game asset streaming.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Terminate Conflicting OEM Services

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator access to terminate services. Steps:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Click the "Details" tab.
Locate and select each of the following processes: OmenCap.exe, OmenCmd.exe, OmenMon.exe, LightStudio.exe, NahimicService.exe, SonicStudio.exe, A-Volute.SonicStudio3.exe.
For each selected process, click "End task". Confirm if prompted.
Open the Start Menu, type "Services", and open the Services application.
Find the services "OMEN Gaming Hub Service", "Nahimic service", and "Light Studio Service".
Right-click each service, select "Properties", set "Startup type" to "Disabled", and click "Stop".
Restart the computer and launch Fortnite.

Technical Explanation: This prevents low-level software hooks from interfering with the game's anti-cheat and audio subsystems, eliminating the periodic security validation locks and kernel-level audio driver conflicts. Verification: Monitor Task Manager for the terminated processes after reboot. They should not reappear. Launch Fortnite and observe the regular 5-10 second freeze pattern; it should be eliminated.

Solution 2: Configure Fortnite Graphics and Performance Settings

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None. Steps:

Launch Fortnite and enter the main menu.
Open Settings (gear icon) and navigate to the Video Settings tab.
Set "Rendering Mode" to DirectX 11.
Set "Window Mode" to Fullscreen.
Disable "NVIDIA DLSS", "NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency", and "Ray Tracing".
Set all quality presets (Textures, Effects, View Distance, etc.) to Low.
Apply the settings and restart the game.
Navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\FortniteGame\Saved\Config\WindowsClient.
Open the file GameUserSettings.ini in Notepad.
Find the line bUseVsync=False and ensure it is set to False. Find the line FrameRateLimit=0 and change it to FrameRateLimit=144 (or your monitor's refresh rate).
Save the file, right-click it, select "Properties", and check "Read-only". Click Apply.

Technical Explanation: Forcing DirectX 11 avoids real-time shader compilation stutters. The frame rate cap prevents the GPU from over-rendering, reducing heat and power throttling. Read-only config prevents the Epic Games Launcher from resetting settings. Verification: The game launches with the specified settings. Use the in-game performance overlay (Settings > Game UI > Net Debug Stats) to confirm stable FPS and the "DX11" tag.

Solution 3: Perform a Clean Reinstall of NVIDIA Graphics Drivers

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 15 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Internet connection to download drivers. Steps:

Download the NVIDIA Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from www.guru3d.com.
Download the latest Game Ready Driver for the RTX 3060 from NVIDIA's website.
Disconnect your internet cable or disable Wi-Fi.
Boot Windows into Safe Mode (hold Shift while clicking Restart in the Start Menu > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart > Press 4).
Run DDU, select "Clean and restart" for NVIDIA drivers.
After reboot, install the previously downloaded driver package. Choose "Custom Installation".
Select "Perform a clean installation" and check only "Graphics Driver" and "PhysX". Do NOT install GeForce Experience.
Complete the installation and restart.

Technical Explanation: A clean installation removes corrupted driver files and registry entries that can cause scheduling conflicts with the GPU, ensuring optimal communication between Fortnite and the RTX 3060. Verification: Open NVIDIA Control Panel > System Information. Confirm the driver version is correct. Launch Fortnite and check that the freeze-induced GPU utilization drops to 0% no longer occur.

Solution 4: Optimize Windows Network and Power Settings

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator access. Steps:

Open Windows Settings > System > Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings.
Select "High Performance". If not visible, click "Create a power plan" on the left, choose "High performance", name it "Gaming", and select it.
Click "Change plan settings" next to the selected plan, then "Change advanced power settings".
Expand "Processor power management". Set "Minimum processor state" to 100% and "Maximum processor state" to 100%.
Open Command Prompt as Administrator (search "cmd", right-click > Run as administrator).
Execute the following commands in order:

netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal netsh int tcp set global chimney=enabled netsh winsock reset ipconfig /flushdns

Restart the computer.

Technical Explanation: The High Performance plan prevents CPU clock speed fluctuations. The TCP stack optimizations (Auto-Tuning and Chimney Offload) reduce network processing latency and improve throughput for game packets. Verification: Run the command powercfg /getactivescheme in Command Prompt to confirm the "High Performance" or "Gaming" plan is active. In-game ping should show reduced spike magnitude.

Solution 5: Disable Fullscreen Optimizations for Fortnite

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 3 minutes Success Rate: Low Prerequisites: None. Steps:

Navigate to the Fortnite installation directory: C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64.
Locate the file FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe.
Right-click the file and select "Properties".
Navigate to the "Compatibility" tab.
Check the box for "Disable fullscreen optimizations".
Check the box for "Run this program as an administrator".
Click Apply, then OK.
Repeat these steps for the Epic Games Launcher executable, typically at C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\Launcher\Portal\Binaries\Win32\EpicGamesLauncher.exe.

Technical Explanation: This bypasses Windows 10/11's Fullscreen Optimizations, a feature that forces a borderless fullscreen composite which can introduce frame pacing issues and input lag. Verification: The game launches with a User Account Control prompt. The Windows Game Bar will not activate when pressing Win+G during gameplay.

Solution 6: Adjust BIOS/UEFI Settings for Memory Performance

Difficulty: Advanced Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Knowledge of system BIOS access key (usually F10 for HP). Steps:

Restart the computer and press the BIOS key (F10, Del, or F2) repeatedly during startup.
Navigate to the "Advanced" or "Performance" tab.
Locate the setting for "XMP Profile", "DOCP", or "Memory Profile".
Enable the XMP Profile (usually Profile 1).
Locate the setting for "Above 4G Decoding" and enable it.
Find "Resizable BAR" or "Smart Access Memory" and enable it.
Save changes and exit (usually F10). The system will reboot.
Upon entering Windows, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), go to the Performance tab, click Memory, and verify the "Speed" matches your RAM's rated speed (e.g., 3200 MHz).

Technical Explanation: Enabling XMP ensures the RAM runs at its advertised speed, providing the necessary bandwidth for the GPU. Resizable BAR allows the CPU to access the entire GPU frame buffer at once, reducing data transfer bottlenecks. Verification: Task Manager confirms the correct RAM speed. GPU-Z software will show "Resizable BAR" as "Yes".

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain system stability by performing a clean driver installation with each major NVIDIA Game Ready Driver update, skipping optional intermediate releases. Configure Windows Update to pause updates during active gaming periods to prevent background installation conflicts. Establish a monthly maintenance routine: use the DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and sfc /scannow commands in an Administrator Command Prompt to repair system file corruption. Monitor background processes with Task Manager's Startup tab and disable all non-essential OEM applications. Create a system restore point before installing any new system-level software. Ensure the