Yes, Denuvo Anti-Tamper technology can cause frame spikes, stuttering, and reduced average frame rates, particularly in CPU-intensive games. Evidence suggests that Denuvo's background checks and encryption processes increase CPU usage, which can lead to inconsistencies in frame times and noticeable stuttering.
Key Impacts of Denuvo on Performance:
- Frame Time Spikes: Benchmarks have shown that Denuvo-protected games can have significantly higher maximum frame times (resulting in stutters) compared to their non-DRM counterparts.
- CPU Overhead: Denuvo operates by running constant checks on game code, which places additional load on the CPU, causing potential performance drops, especially on mid-range hardware.
- Lower Minimum FPS: While average frame rates might only be slightly affected in some games, 1% low and 0.1% low frame rates (minimums) often suffer, resulting in less consistent performance.
- Longer Loading Times: Protected games often exhibit significantly longer loading times, sometimes taking twice as long as unprotected versions.