Question Computer feels 'off', subtle input lag in keyboard and mouse (games and windows)

[fatehasfans]

I've had a problem with my newly built PC for around 2 years+ now. The computer just feels 'off', as though there is some kind of very subtle bottlenecking occurring. Also, I'm getting input lag on mouse and keyboard (i.e. there will be the occasional no click registration on mouse or keyboard but there may also be double clicks or keypresses and the mouse feels very off - like floaty/heavy/inconsistent). Everything else on the computer is fine, the machine loads up quickly, I can play games and watch films (though I notice a bit of stuttering on the films) but I will get very subtle stuttering in all games (and desktop) but apart from that no issues, audio is fine as is the running of normal programs. I mean if you weren't a gamer and didn't know any different you'd think there was nothing wrong but once you start playing games it becomes a bit more noticeable, it becomes very hard to aim precisely (with floaty mouse --> mouse feels like I'm dragging it across glass, fluctuating constantly between heavy to light movements, so it feels more heavy and sluggish than it should be - not light, crisp and responsive like normal along with bouts of micro-stuttering (esp when panning camera) and the occasional micro-snapping of animations where it looks as though the animations 'snap' to catchup to the action (particularly in sport, football etc, games) etc - now I want to again point out that this is very subtle so if, like I said, you weren't a gamer and just swooshed the mouse about you'd think there were no problems but when you start having to aim precisely it becomes a real problem. I also find that I'm having to click things (in games and desktop) a lot more than normal. Ex. if I move between web pages and try to click on a search box or a tab (or anything selectable) I might have to do that two to three times for it to register or I when I click the item (search box etc) and I go to type nothing happens and I have to click the box again. It's as though the computer is slightly behind on what I'm doing, so if I alt-tab or something and click Google search box nothing happens until I click a few times, same in games so it's a global problem. Another thing is that there may be subtle double/triple clicks or button presses (if I'm using a game controller) so instead of the button getting pressed once a double press will occur ... it's not hardware because (as below) I have swapped everything and it still happens. My computer is quite powerful so I think my machine almost smooths over the problems but unfortunately it's not enough and it's game breaking

My specs:
- PSU = Corsair 1600i
- Mobo = MEG X570S Ace Max
- Memory = 32GB G.Skill Trident Z Royal Elite DDR4-3600MHz
- GFX = RX6900XT
- HDD = Samsung SSD
- Water cooled

I've listed some of what I've tried below..

- Reinstalled windows
- Deleted mouse files
- Tested new hardware (tested everything one by one) - except Ram (though I did buy 2x16GB sticks of same ram and nothing changed so I sent them back but I haven't tried different speed ram)
- Went through everything in bios - including flash etc etc
- Updated all drivers and even tried rolling back to previous drivers and older
- Mouse accel input code etc (accel 0/1 nonsense) + removed mouse drivers
- Tried new wall sockets + grounding
- Tested all Nvidia GFX settings - screen res, fixed Frame rate etc ..you name it I tried it
- Hpet timing and all that other fluff
- New keyboard and mouse (though that sort of falls under hardware)
- Windows optimization
- Checked performance, load, monitoring, heat, latency -- everything checks out fine

Problem still persists.

Now the thing is, trying the above things, particularly the bios and nvidia settings, do change the feel of the computer and the feel how games play (limiting frame-rates, v-sync, g-sync, reduce input lag option, etc etc) but the problem is it's only masking the issue because although the game changes slightly in some way the main problem is still underneath which is frustrating because you can achieve smoother outcomes but the input lag (keyboard and mouse and floaty mouse feel) the subtle stuttering/bottlenecking will still very much be there.

If anyone knows a solution or anything that helped please let me know because I want to take a hammer to my PC and I'm extremely depressed after spending a lot of money on creating this monster setup and its not even playable. Oh I also tried installing windows 7, same problem.

P.S. What makes it more frustrating is that to the naked eye everything appears fine, when my friend comes over he thinks nothing is wrong, but he's not a gamer. I also took it to get looked at by a computer shop but again they weren't gamers and they told me everything was fine, and that's the thing everything does seem fine (applications open as they should, videos play, music plays, everything works as normal) but when you move the mouse quickly and try to be precise it feels floaty and in games there feels like a micro-bottlenecking happening somewhere. Losing my mind here

P.P.S. This problem has persisted through several complete builds.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Nien]

DPC latency checker, LatencyMon and WhySoSlow might help. Also test without any input or other usb devises like bluetooth or controller dongles, usb hubs etc. attached, except for mouse and keyboard.

 

[Mister Ente]

Hi there, I registered to this website only to make this comment to you. This might sound like a dumb suggestion, but sometimes we overcomplicate things that we overlook the easiest solutions.

It sounds like a monitor issue to me. Like the PC being fine, maybe it's the screen itself or a connection issue. I had a similar issue until I notices a couple of minutes (or hours?) later that I forgot to return the monitor to "game mode". Also older TVs may not even a have a gaming mode, and just a high lag. Maybe it's malfunctioning? I don't know, you have to try things out. Lucky solving!