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Question FPS drops to below 10 then back to 100+ causing stuttering ?

Jul 3, 2023
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I have been having this issue for about 2 years now and its really annoying. every game i play i and running well over 100 fps and then all of a sudden my fps drops below 10 and my screen freezes for a second. i have updated all my drivers and reset windows multiple times and the problem is still happening.

I bought a new graphics card after about a year and that didn't fix it, i got new ram and new ssd that didn't fix it.
I built a new rig with my little with brother almost the exact same components that I have and I immediately encountered this issue without downloading anything other than Minecraft.
keep in mind I was using my pc for about a year before any of this was happening so I'm really stuck.
could this be anything to do with me downloading the free windows 10 rather then getting the actually version? this is the only thing that both the Pcs have in common prior to use, this is the only thing I can think of.

My specs are
Ryzen 5 3600
Gigabyte3060
Rog b550 gaming f wifi
16gb Corsair Vengeance
Thermal Take 500W
free windows 10 upgraded to windows 11 (same issue with both)
 
It could be related to AMD's issues with trusted platform, as described here.

From that article: "...AMD's fTPM issues impact both Windows 10 and Windows 11 Ryzen systems, with the typical side effect being random stuttering and lagging that lasts one to two seconds."

The fix, also from that article:

Update: Affected PCs will require a motherboard system BIOS (sBIOS) update containing enhanced modules for fTPM interaction with SPIROM. AMD expects that flashable customer sBIOS files to be available starting in early May, 2022. Exact BIOS availability timing for a specific motherboard depends on the testing and integration schedule of your manufacturer. Flashable updates for motherboards will be based on AMD AGESA 1207 (or newer).

Check the BIOS version you are running, if it's older than 2803 you should update to the most recent (3002). Description from ASUS BIOS update 2803 for your motherboard:

ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI) BIOS 2803

Version 2803
20.58 MB 2022/04/29
"1. Update AMD AM4 AGESA V2 PI 1.2.0.7.
2. Fix AMD fTPM issue causes random stuttering.

Before running the USB BIOS Flashback tool, please rename the BIOS file (RB550FGW.CAP) using BIOSRenamer."


PS: Keep in mind changing the TPM software can mess up bitlocked drives. If you have any disk encrypted with bitlocker, it would be best to unencrypt, update, then re-encrypt.
 
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It could be related to AMD's issues with trusted platform, as described here.

From that article: "...AMD's fTPM issues impact both Windows 10 and Windows 11 Ryzen systems, with the typical side effect being random stuttering and lagging that lasts one to two seconds."

The fix, also from that article:

Update: Affected PCs will require a motherboard system BIOS (sBIOS) update containing enhanced modules for fTPM interaction with SPIROM. AMD expects that flashable customer sBIOS files to be available starting in early May, 2022. Exact BIOS availability timing for a specific motherboard depends on the testing and integration schedule of your manufacturer. Flashable updates for motherboards will be based on AMD AGESA 1207 (or newer).

Check the BIOS version you are running, if it's older than 2803 you should update to the most recent (3002). Description from ASUS BIOS update 2803 for your motherboard:

ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI) BIOS 2803

Version 2803
20.58 MB 2022/04/29
"1. Update AMD AM4 AGESA V2 PI 1.2.0.7.
2. Fix AMD fTPM issue causes random stuttering.

Before running the USB BIOS Flashback tool, please rename the BIOS file (RB550FGW.CAP) using BIOSRenamer."


PS: Keep in mind changing the TPM software can mess up bitlocked drives. If you have any disk encrypted with bitlocker, it would be best to unencrypt, update, then re-encrypt.
i updated it and it diddnt fix the problem
 
i updated it and it diddnt fix the problem

In that case we'd need to gather more info. I suggest running Windows Perfmon (run > perfmon) and leave it gathering a few important statistics like:

Processor - CPU % User Time (all instances) - this indicates CPU pressure, high CPU usage.
Physical Disk - Average Disk Queue Length (all instances). This indicates disk pressure, processes are waiting I/O.
Memory - Page Faults / sec - This indicates the system needs to read from disk. Expect a high number, but watch for spikes.

The idea here is to leave it running and, when the issue happens, swap back to perfmon and freeze the measure (ctrl + f). Once that is done, look for any anomalies. Tip: you can use ctrl+h to highlight the selected metric and make it easier to distinguish.

Lastly, you can use GPU-z to do similar diagnostics with the GPU. Launch it and open sensors and leave it running. When there's a hiccup, switch to it and look at the metrics. "PerfCap Reason" can be useful, it tells you what is currently limiting the GPU clock (eg. tempereatures, power). vRef means it's capped because it running at reference voltage, which is usually what you want when it's under load.

Finaly, you can look at Windows Event logs to see if any events pop up during the hiccups. In "Event Viewer", take a look at "Application" and "System". Don't be surprised if there's a bunch of errors there. Look at things that might happen around the time a hiccup occurs.
 
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Where did you get the "free" windows?
It might contain malware.

You can download the legit windows and run it free for 30 days.
After that, it still runs excepting a faint watermark reminder to buy the license.