Question Freezes and stutters in games - Advice/help appreciated.

MachoFantastico

Distinguished
Oct 24, 2013
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18,535
Hello folks,

So I need some help, since upgrading my system a good few months back I've been having a constant issue with freezes and stutters in games. Before jumping into the details I will detail my system below:

Windows 10 1909.

MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge Wifi motherboard (Version 7C37v16 Bios).

Nvidia GTX 1070 (Version 441.66).

16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz DDR4 (2x8G sticks).

AMD Ryzen 3600.

Wraith Thermal Solution cooler.

Corsair AX 760 PSU.


The issue
Okay, so a few months back I upgraded some components including the motherboard, RAM and CPU. Since then I've had a niggling issue that's been getting on my nerves without much success of solving. I will detail what I've done to fix this issue later but here is the basics.

When playing any game I suffer odd freezes and stutters at certain intervals. For example I could be happily playing Warhammer: Total War 2 and getting a comfortable 60 frames without moving the camera and suddenly the game will suffer a sudden freeze that lasts less then a second and the framerate will drop to say 30-40 and eventually go back to normal after a second or two. Another example is say Borderlands 3 which can be running fine but as I'm venturing around the map I'll get sudden occasional freezes and stutters or even when killing bad guys the game will freeze for a noticeable millisecond before loot shoots out. I seem to be having this issue in the vast majority of games, Path of Exile is another noticeable one where I'll get the same issues when playing. It can be a smooth 60 until the game will suddenly stutter or freeze, often only lasting less then a second but it is hard not to notice it.

Please not that all these games are installed on a SSD, with the latest Nvidia graphics drivers and AMD chipset drivers installed.

Things I've tried
  • Installing Windows fresh multiple times on different SSD's to see if it was related to Windows 10.
  • Clean installs of the latest Nvidia drivers using DDU in safe mode.
  • Checked RAM and done some memory tests, RAM doesn't seem to be the issue.
  • Overclocked GPU to see if that fixed any issues, it did not.
  • I checked RAM, GPU and cables in the PC to make sure nothing was lose or not seated properly.
  • Been using Intelligent Standby List Cleaner.
  • Tried using alternative anti-virus software, believing Windows Defender might have been causing excessive CPU usage.
  • Done quite a bit of research as well as tried a number of other possible solutions I read about without much luck.

Other notes
I apologise this is such a long read, but I thought it best to get anything of importance out there. I have XMP set as ON for my RAM in the bios options though I haven't been using the Boost Mode (Game Mode) because when I do I seem to suffer more crashes. The 3600 is my first ever AMD CPU and I know they function a little differently to what Intel offers so I haven't really messed with overclocking because from what I can understand the CPU will automatically increase power using Max Boost. I did install Ryzen Master but felt like I didn't know enough to mess around with it. Plus the issues I'm having won't be solved by overclocking, it seemed to be some sort of fundamental component/software issue.

The only thing I've yet to do is check the CPU and cooler itself, tomorrow I might disconnect the cooler to see if there's any issues. Now I own the Hyper 212 Evo from an older build but I think I need a separate bracket to fit these new motherboard.

Finally
Again, sorry this is so long. I would appreciate any help and advice from those a lot more knowledgeable then I. Much appreciate you taking the time to read this, many thanks.
 
I can see from your post you have gone through a lot and tried many things to fix the issue just trying to help. Could you tell me what screen you have make & model and what cable you are using to attach to GPU have you tried different cables I know its a long shot but worth it I think.
 

Starcruiser

Honorable
It's worth having a program that will monitor cpu and gpu temperatures. If either get too high, they will automatically drop the clock speed to save heat. (throttling) In general, you don't want the cpu over 80 C and gpu over 85 C.
AMD gave us a decent stock cooler, but it's not the best still, and there could be other factors.
 

MachoFantastico

Distinguished
Oct 24, 2013
61
4
18,535
Hi folks,

Thanks for the quick replies. My PC is connected to my TV and as been for quite some time now using an HDMI cable. I've tried a few different cables but it doesn't seem to make much difference.
I did check my CPU and cooler thermal paste and if it was sat right on the motherboard and everything seems fine. This evening did some benchmark tests with both Warhammer 2 and Borderlands 3, below are the temps I was getting using afterburner:

Warhammer 2
GPU: 70 - 74 celcius
CPU: 40 - 42 celcius

Borderlands 3
GPU: 70 - 72 celcius
CPU: 40 - 42 celcius

The strangest thing is if I turn every settings to absolute low in Borderlands 3 the stutter/freezing still persists. Haven't tried this in Warhammer II but I imagine it will be the same. Even stranger is just noticed that even when running just Windows (such as typing this out) the computer will freeze for a microsecond and then catch up.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.
 
Feb 5, 2021
1
0
10
Expert Computer Tech Here.

Hey Bro , I had the same Problem. I have a fix that work Great but you mite not like it. Try Disabling all case lighting effects and apps like Chroma. let me kno if that works for you