Why This Issue Occurs
Older games like Age of Empires 3 were not designed to handle modern CPUs with high core counts (e.g., 8+ cores, 16+ threads). Windows 10 or 11 sometimes spreads the game’s workload across too many logical cores, causing inefficient thread scheduling, micro stutters, and freezes.
By manually limiting the game to a smaller set of physical cores—ideally the CPU’s best-performing cores—you can significantly reduce these issues.
Step-by-Step: Fixing Freezes/Micro Stutters Using Task Manager
1. Find Your CPU’s Best-Performing Cores (Optional but Recommended)
- Use a tool like AMD Ryzen Master (for AMD CPUs) or Intel XTU (Intel CPUs) to identify your CPU’s best-performing cores:
- These cores are typically marked as “Preferred Cores” or “Fastest Cores” in the software.
- Make a note of these cores (e.g., Core 0, Core 1, Core 2, Core 3).
2. Launch Your Game
- Start the game (e.g., Age of Empires 3) as you normally would.
- Leave the game running in the background.
3. Open Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Alternatively, right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
4. Locate the Game Process
- In Task Manager, click on the Details tab.
- Find the game’s process (e.g., “AoE3.exe”).
5. Set CPU Affinity
- Right-click on the game process (e.g., “AoE3.exe”).
- Select Set affinity from the dropdown menu.
- A window will open showing all CPU cores (e.g., CPU 0, CPU 1, …, CPU 23).
6. Limit the Game to Fewer Cores
- Uncheck all cores except for a few of the best-performing cores.
- Recommended configurations for a 12-core, 24-thread CPU:
- 2 Cores (4 Threads): Check CPU 0 to CPU 3 (first 2 physical cores + threads).
- 4 Cores (8 Threads): Check CPU 2 to CPU 9 (first 4 physical cores + threads, skipping CPU 0 and CPU 1 sometimes can give better performance/FPS).
- Click OK to save.
7. Test Your Game
- Return to the game and test for performance improvements.
- Start with 4 cores and increase to 6 cores if needed to find the optimal configuration.
8. Optional: Automate This Process
- Since Task Manager doesn’t save CPU affinity settings, you can:
- Use Process Lasso to save affinity settings permanently.
- Create a batch file or PowerShell script to launch the game with pre-set core affinity.
Hopefully, this solves your problem and improves the game’s stability. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need help automating the process! 
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I have the problem that my game will start lagging after 1 or 2 matches (so approx. 45min). Up until then it works fine and its solved by restarting…
Is this the type of problem you are referring to here or smth completely different? 
no this is persistent stuttering, the big drops are entirely different debacle
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alongside situations like this
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That sounds like a slightly different issue, but it could still be related to CPU utilization or memory management. The guide I provided mainly addresses micro stutters and freezes caused by inefficient thread scheduling across too many CPU cores/threads. If your game runs smoothly for the first 45 minutes and only starts lagging afterward, it might point to other potential causes like:
- Memory Leaks: The game may be consuming more system RAM over time without properly freeing it. You can monitor this using Task Manager or tools like Process Explorer. If RAM usage climbs steadily, this could explain the lag.
- Thermal Throttling: Your CPU or GPU might be overheating during extended play sessions, which causes them to throttle performance to lower temperatures. Tools like HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner can help you check temperatures.
- Background Processes: Over time, other processes or scheduled tasks (like Windows updates or antivirus scans) might kick in and impact performance.
- VRAM Usage: If you’re playing on higher settings, textures and assets may be exceeding your GPU’s VRAM over time, causing stuttering and lag.
Here’s what I’d recommend trying for your specific issue:
- Monitor your RAM usage, CPU temps, and GPU temps during gameplay. This can help narrow down the root cause.
- Try limiting the game to a smaller set of CPU cores (as outlined in the guide) to rule out thread scheduling as a contributing factor.
- Reduce texture or graphical settings to see if it improves performance.
- Ensure your drivers (GPU, chipset, etc.) and Windows updates are fully up to date.
Let me know what you observe, and we can troubleshoot further!
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Oh thank you, very nice! I will try that in a few days, when im back at my pc.
So far i can tell you that texture/graphic settings didnt change the performance much.
Also i use “throttlestop” to cool down and monitor cpu/gpu temperature - i had massive problems with lag due to thermal throttling before and those are gone now since 2 years
I guess memory leaks are the most probable issue here, since the lags are gone when i restart the game and core temperature didnt even drop significantly in the meantime
But i’ll let u know after i tried your suggestions!
Same issue, been complaining about the bug for over a year. Good job finding a fix!
i5-12600KF, RTX 3060 12GB…SSD
In pitched battles FPS dropping to 8-16 FPS…GPU running at 30%…
Managed to double my frame rate by only using cores, 3, 5, 7, 9 .
Background I have a intel i5-12600KF, with 6 P cores, 4 E cores, 16 threads, running 64 GB of DDR5
With thread utilization being two threads for every P core and 1:1 for E cores.
If one uses all the cores available, you will find only two cores will be used and the rest will be coming in and out of being parked. Resulting in heavy stuttering, this game engine is most likely built around old school duel core CPUs. By splitting core groups it forces better thread utilization workload.
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