Can a low watt psu cause stuttering?

[pocketgaming12]

My specs:
OS: Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i5-7400
GPU: Strix Radeon RX 470 4GB
RAM: DDR4 8GB 2666MHz HyperX Fury KIN
SSD: Transcend 220S 120GB 2.5" and a 3TB hard drive (TOSHIBA)
Motherboard: STRIX B250G GAMING
So i can say that I have a pretty decent pc but i have a huge problem. So i get like 160fps in fortnite and 80fps in gta V online but there is stutter and freezing occurring still.
The psu that i have is 300w and my retailer is telling me that it can't be the psu but i think it really is the psu because 300w is really too low. Also i noticed that my cpu when i'm in these games is always 100% and it happens more in online games, but still some games dont show any stutter.

 

[gasaraki]

300W is low but shouldn't cause stuttering. Your computer would just crash if the PSU can't provide enough power.

 

[shrapnel_indie]

While a PSU with too low of power (not rated for it, rated for it but can't deliver, can't deliver cleanly, etc) will cause issues, they're usually crashes or damaged parts. While your PSU could definitely be upgraded to 450-650W of a good brand and model of PSU, it isn't the issue here.

Stuttering on the other hand is usually limited to CPU and/or GPU issues such as bad drivers, details set too high, low clocks, etc.

The CPU is just adequate, The RX-470 is a little weaker, but capable GPU if you don't push it too hard.


What is your current playing resolution and (generalized) settings in these games?
When was the last time you updated drivers?
What temps are you seeing on these parts?

 

[pocketgaming12]

While a PSU with too low of power (not rated for it, rated for it but can't deliver, can't deliver cleanly, etc) will cause issues, they're usually crashes or damaged parts. While your PSU could definitely be upgraded to 450-650W of a good brand and model of PSU, it isn't the issue here.

Stuttering on the other hand is usually limited to CPU and/or GPU issues such as bad drivers, details set too high, low clocks, etc.

The CPU is just adequate, The RX-470 is a little weaker, but capable GPU if you don't push it too hard.


What is your current playing resolution and (generalized) settings in these games?
When was the last time you updated drivers?
What temps are you seeing on these parts?

I play on 1920x1080
I updated my gpu drivers a few days ago
The cpu is about 60 and the graphics card 70-80 while playing

 

[Solandri]

RAM: DDR4 8GB 2666MHz HyperX Fury KIN
SSD: Transcend 220S 120GB 2.5" and a 3TB hard drive (TOSHIBA)

If you tried to save space on the SSD by moving the pagefile to the HDD, don't do that. Put the pagefile backon the SSD. Delete the pagefile from the HDD. If free space on the SSD is a problem, either get a bigger SSD or more RAM.

Windows seems to consider pagefile accesses the highest priority. If it's located on a HDD, Windows will freeze everything (even the mouse cursor) while it waits for the drive to respond. Mechanical HDDs don't always respond quickly, and the end result is stuttering.

You can also try dropping texture quality down one notch. 4GB VRAM should be enough, but it's possible you're running out - I'm not up to date on how much VRAM those two games need. When a GPU runs out of VRAM, it dumps unused textures to make room. The game then has to load new textures from disk. Given your SSD is only 120 GB, you probably have the games installed on your HDD. So every time the game needs a texture that's not in VRAM, it has to read it off the HDD. Each higher notch in texture quality requires 4x as much VRAM. So dropping it one notch is a quick and dirty way to drastically reduce the VRAM usage.

 

[pocketgaming12]

RAM: DDR4 8GB 2666MHz HyperX Fury KIN
SSD: Transcend 220S 120GB 2.5" and a 3TB hard drive (TOSHIBA)

If you tried to save space on the SSD by moving the pagefile to the HDD, don't do that. Put the pagefile backon the SSD. Delete the pagefile from the HDD. If free space on the SSD is a problem, either get a bigger SSD or more RAM.

Windows seems to consider pagefile accesses the highest priority. If it's located on a HDD, Windows will freeze everything (even the mouse cursor) while it waits for the drive to respond. Mechanical HDDs don't always respond quickly, and the end result is stuttering.


You can also try dropping texture quality down one notch. 4GB VRAM should be enough, but it's possible you're running out - I'm not up to date on how much VRAM those two games need. When a GPU runs out of VRAM, it dumps unused textures to make room. The game then has to load new textures from disk. Given your SSD is only 120 GB, you probably have the games installed on your HDD. So every time the game needs a texture that's not in VRAM, it has to read it off the HDD. Each higher notch in texture quality requires 4x as much VRAM. So dropping it one notch is a quick and dirty way to drastically reduce the VRAM usage.

I tried to put on very low but the stuttering is same as in ultra....
I will try to remove my ssd and install a fresh windows on my hdd then...

 

[Solandri]

I will try to remove my ssd and install a fresh windows on my hdd then...

You got that backwards. SSD = good. HDD = bad. Try to use the HDD as little as possible while gaming.

 

[pocketgaming12]

I will try to remove my ssd and install a fresh windows on my hdd then...

You got that backwards. SSD = good. HDD = bad. Try to use the HDD as little as possible while gaming.

Well but i dont have sufficient space on the ssd for gaming... Should i then just remove it and use the HDD if it causes problems?
I didnt toouch the pagefile it is there how it was it never had any problems.

 

[shrapnel_indie]

I will try to remove my ssd and install a fresh windows on my hdd then...

You got that backwards. SSD = good. HDD = bad. Try to use the HDD as little as possible while gaming.

Well but i dont have sufficient space on the ssd for gaming... Should i then just remove it and use the HDD if it causes problems?
I didnt toouch the pagefile it is there how it was it never had any problems.

If it's HDD access causing the issue, which is a possibility too, moving away from the SSD won't help... although you could do that and use the SSD for the page file, and maybe the game(s) if they aren't tool large. (I haven't looked at how much space they require.) That is the only work-around I can think of right off hand until you get a larger SSD (I don't recommend less than 240GB... and if you can swing the cash, there are some cheap 512GB and 1TB SSDs out there that will work as a boot drive and for a small handful of games and apps (@w/ 240-512GB SSD).

From what you've shown, drivers aren't the issue, temps are good, and settings make little difference. So, RAM is probably your largest issue though I would recommend a SSD upgrade too, especially if you load alot of stuff on startup or while running/playing games. While 8GB is still the bare minimum, 16GB is the sweet spot for RAM with modern games.


OVERALL though, The most important upgrade for the health of your PC is the PSU, followed up by RAM then SSD capacity... in that order.


(Revision of another posting: SSD = [strike]Good[/strike]Best and fast, HDD = [strike]Bad[/strike]Okay to good, but slow

 

[pocketgaming12]

I will try to remove my ssd and install a fresh windows on my hdd then...

You got that backwards. SSD = good. HDD = bad. Try to use the HDD as little as possible while gaming.

Well but i dont have sufficient space on the ssd for gaming... Should i then just remove it and use the HDD if it causes problems?
I didnt toouch the pagefile it is there how it was it never had any problems.

If it's HDD access causing the issue, which is a possibility too, moving away from the SSD won't help... although you could do that and use the SSD for the page file, and maybe the game(s) if they aren't tool large. (I haven't looked at how much space they require.) That is the only work-around I can think of right off hand until you get a larger SSD (I don't recommend less than 240GB... and if you can swing the cash, there are some cheap 512GB and 1TB SSDs out there that will work as a boot drive and for a small handful of games and apps (@w/ 240-512GB SSD).

From what you've shown, drivers aren't the issue, temps are good, and settings make little difference. So, RAM is probably your largest issue though I would recommend a SSD upgrade too, especially if you load alot of stuff on startup or while running/playing games. While 8GB is still the bare minimum, 16GB is the sweet spot for RAM with modern games.


OVERALL though, The most important upgrade for the health of your PC is the PSU, followed up by RAM then SSD capacity... in that order.


(Revision of another posting: SSD = [strike]Good[/strike]Best and fast, HDD = [strike]Bad[/strike]Okay to good, but slow

So from all of this being said, isn't the best solution to buy 8 gigs more of RAM? If im not wrong the page file is being used when I don't have enough ram so if i have enough ram it won't cause any issues right?

 

[shrapnel_indie]

I will try to remove my ssd and install a fresh windows on my hdd then...

You got that backwards. SSD = good. HDD = bad. Try to use the HDD as little as possible while gaming.

Well but i dont have sufficient space on the ssd for gaming... Should i then just remove it and use the HDD if it causes problems?
I didnt toouch the pagefile it is there how it was it never had any problems.

If it's HDD access causing the issue, which is a possibility too, moving away from the SSD won't help... although you could do that and use the SSD for the page file, and maybe the game(s) if they aren't tool large. (I haven't looked at how much space they require.) That is the only work-around I can think of right off hand until you get a larger SSD (I don't recommend less than 240GB... and if you can swing the cash, there are some cheap 512GB and 1TB SSDs out there that will work as a boot drive and for a small handful of games and apps (@w/ 240-512GB SSD).

From what you've shown, drivers aren't the issue, temps are good, and settings make little difference. So, RAM is probably your largest issue though I would recommend a SSD upgrade too, especially if you load alot of stuff on startup or while running/playing games. While 8GB is still the bare minimum, 16GB is the sweet spot for RAM with modern games.


OVERALL though, The most important upgrade for the health of your PC is the PSU, followed up by RAM then SSD capacity... in that order.


(Revision of another posting: SSD = [strike]Good[/strike] Best and fast, HDD = [strike]Bad[/strike] Okay to good, but slow)

So from all of this being said, isn't the best solution to buy 8 gigs more of RAM? If im not wrong the page file is being used when I don't have enough ram so if i have enough ram it won't cause any issues right?

Yes, get more RAM. I would still strongly suggest upgrading the PSU too. Now on getting more RAM, you might be able to just buy another 8GB and get away with it as for the most part RAM will play nice, but for those few instances where it doesn't, it's better to buy 16GB of RAM and sell off the original 8GB if you no longer have need of it.

 

[pocketgaming12]

I will try to remove my ssd and install a fresh windows on my hdd then...

You got that backwards. SSD = good. HDD = bad. Try to use the HDD as little as possible while gaming.

Well but i dont have sufficient space on the ssd for gaming... Should i then just remove it and use the HDD if it causes problems?
I didnt toouch the pagefile it is there how it was it never had any problems.

If it's HDD access causing the issue, which is a possibility too, moving away from the SSD won't help... although you could do that and use the SSD for the page file, and maybe the game(s) if they aren't tool large. (I haven't looked at how much space they require.) That is the only work-around I can think of right off hand until you get a larger SSD (I don't recommend less than 240GB... and if you can swing the cash, there are some cheap 512GB and 1TB SSDs out there that will work as a boot drive and for a small handful of games and apps (@w/ 240-512GB SSD).

From what you've shown, drivers aren't the issue, temps are good, and settings make little difference. So, RAM is probably your largest issue though I would recommend a SSD upgrade too, especially if you load alot of stuff on startup or while running/playing games. While 8GB is still the bare minimum, 16GB is the sweet spot for RAM with modern games.


OVERALL though, The most important upgrade for the health of your PC is the PSU, followed up by RAM then SSD capacity... in that order.


(Revision of another posting: SSD = [strike]Good[/strike] Best and fast, HDD = [strike]Bad[/strike] Okay to good, but slow

)

So from all of this being said, isn't the best solution to buy 8 gigs more of RAM? If im not wrong the page file is being used when I don't have enough ram so if i have enough ram it won't cause any issues right?

Yes, get more RAM. I would still strongly suggest upgrading the PSU too. Now on getting more RAM, you might be able to just buy another 8GB and get away with it as for the most part RAM will play nice, but for those few instances where it doesn't, it's better to buy 16GB of RAM and sell off the original 8GB if you no longer have need of it.

I hope it really is the ram... I've been dealing with this problem for quite long now and I am just desperate... Like the fps is good but there is stutter? no sense... I have dual channel on my mobo so wouldnt it be a good idea to buy one more ram stick of 8gb for my pc? What do you think? Andd i really hope this solves the problem... After some time I can get the PSU too.

 

[shrapnel_indie]

I hope it really is the ram... I've been dealing with this problem for quite long now and I am just desperate... Like the fps is good but there is stutter? no sense... I have dual channel on my mobo so wouldn't it be a good idea to buy one more ram stick of 8gb for my pc? What do you think? And i really hope this solves the problem... After some time I can get the PSU too.

Are you not running dual channel now? Are you only using a single stick of RAM? Dual channel will have some improvement... but it's the little nuances in the timing and speed between RAM that sometimes, even if rarely on Intel, causes the issues where you have to play with them a little (or alot) to get them to work, if they will at all. Also, get the RAM at the fastest speed the MoBo will support... since it is locked... that will be DDR4-2400. (if you find faster, cheaper... don't worry about the speed so much)

https://www.asus.com/us/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-STRIX-B250G-GAMING/specifications/

 

[pocketgaming12]

I hope it really is the ram... I've been dealing with this problem for quite long now and I am just desperate... Like the fps is good but there is stutter? no sense... I have dual channel on my mobo so wouldn't it be a good idea to buy one more ram stick of 8gb for my pc? What do you think? And i really hope this solves the problem... After some time I can get the PSU too.

Are you not running dual channel now? Are you only using a single stick of RAM? Dual channel will have some improvement... but it's the little nuances in the timing and speed between RAM that sometimes, even if rarely on Intel, causes the issues where you have to play with them a little (or alot) to get them to work, if they will at all. Also, get the RAM at the fastest speed the MoBo will support... since it is locked... that will be DDR4-2400. (if you find faster, cheaper... don't worry about the speed so much)

https://www.asus.com/us/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-STRIX-B250G-GAMING/specifications/

I have only one ram stick of 8gigs 2666mhz and i am thinking now about buying one more of the same, but the problem is that is suspicious to me is that on my previous pc rig which was double the time bad, about when gta V just arrived, i had 8gigs there and had no problems with this kind of stuff... so it is strange to me that i could have played before but now cant with a much better system just the same ammount of ram? (that was a ddr3 system this is a ddr4)

 

[shrapnel_indie]

I hope it really is the ram... I've been dealing with this problem for quite long now and I am just desperate... Like the fps is good but there is stutter? no sense... I have dual channel on my mobo so wouldn't it be a good idea to buy one more ram stick of 8gb for my pc? What do you think? And i really hope this solves the problem... After some time I can get the PSU too.

Are you not running dual channel now? Are you only using a single stick of RAM? Dual channel will have some improvement... but it's the little nuances in the timing and speed between RAM that sometimes, even if rarely on Intel, causes the issues where you have to play with them a little (or alot) to get them to work, if they will at all. Also, get the RAM at the fastest speed the MoBo will support... since it is locked... that will be DDR4-2400. (if you find faster, cheaper... don't worry about the speed so much)

https://www.asus.com/us/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-STRIX-B250G-GAMING/specifications/

I have only one ram stick of 8gigs 2666mhz and i am thinking now about buying one more of the same, but the problem is that is suspicious to me is that on my previous pc rig which was double the time bad, about when gta V just arrived, i had 8gigs there and had no problems with this kind of stuff... so it is strange to me that i could have played before but now cant with a much better system just the same ammount of ram? (that was a ddr3 system this is a ddr4)

Before the RAM upgrade (which some games will appreciate), let's revisit the driver situation a second. This microstutering started happening after the driver update or after? If after, get a utility like DDU, clean out all the video drivers (it will force it to the default graphics driver) and THEN install the new drivers. If the issue persists... run DDU again and install the older drivers that were known to work. If the problem goes away with either one... then it was Windows being stupid and confused with drivers... or the new drivers having issues with your card. If it doesn't then go ahead and get the extra RAM (if you do go just for the extra stick... match the speed and timings for best results.)

 

[pocketgaming12]

I did try all of that, i did the srivers and old and new with ddu i installed new windows and then ut the old ones forst but still the same it is just so strange

 

[pocketgaming12]

I hope it really is the ram... I've been dealing with this problem for quite long now and I am just desperate... Like the fps is good but there is stutter? no sense... I have dual channel on my mobo so wouldn't it be a good idea to buy one more ram stick of 8gb for my pc? What do you think? And i really hope this solves the problem... After some time I can get the PSU too.

Are you not running dual channel now? Are you only using a single stick of RAM? Dual channel will have some improvement... but it's the little nuances in the timing and speed between RAM that sometimes, even if rarely on Intel, causes the issues where you have to play with them a little (or alot) to get them to work, if they will at all. Also, get the RAM at the fastest speed the MoBo will support... since it is locked... that will be DDR4-2400. (if you find faster, cheaper... don't worry about the speed so much)

https://www.asus.com/us/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-STRIX-B250G-GAMING/specifications/

I have only one ram stick of 8gigs 2666mhz and i am thinking now about buying one more of the same, but the problem is that is suspicious to me is that on my previous pc rig which was double the time bad, about when gta V just arrived, i had 8gigs there and had no problems with this kind of stuff... so it is strange to me that i could have played before but now cant with a much better system just the same ammount of ram? (that was a ddr3 system this is a ddr4)

Before the RAM upgrade (which some games will appreciate), let's revisit the driver situation a second. This microstutering started happening after the driver update or after? If after, get a utility like DDU, clean out all the video drivers (it will force it to the default graphics driver) and THEN install the new drivers. If the issue persists... run DDU again and install the older drivers that were known to work. If the problem goes away with either one... then it was Windows being stupid and confused with drivers... or the new drivers having issues with your card. If it doesn't then go ahead and get the extra RAM (if you do go just for the extra stick... match the speed and timings for best results.)

Okay a small update, I have a friend that nows a friend who has a shop for pc parts so he will send me one that is same as mine and it will come at Tuesday so i will try the dual channel and see if it will get any better..
Thank you for all the help!