Question How do I fix my frame drops/stutters and also improve performance ?

[LEGENDKMS7]

This is my brand new PC
CASE - Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
CPU COOLING - Lian Li Galahad II LCD 360 AIO
FANS - Lian Li Uni Fan SL120 V2
MOTHERBOARD - ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 FORMULA
GPU - ASUS ROG STRIX 4090 OC BLACK
CPU - Intel Core i9-14900K
POWER SUPPLY - Dark Power Pro 13 1600W
RAM - CORSAIR Dominator Titanium RGB DDR5 RAM 24x4 7200MHz CL36 (Using 6000MHz)
SSD - Crucial T700 4TB Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD x3
OS - Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
Monitor - LG 27'' UltraGear OLED Gaming Monitor QHD 240Hz 27GR95QE-B
Mouse - Razer Viper Mini Signature Edition
Keyboard - Wooting 60HE

Every time I game, I get random frame drops and stutters. My PC would drop to 1-5fps and freeze for 1-10 seconds before running normally again. I thought it might be my increased polling, so I lowered it to standard, but I am still experiencing issues. I want to increase my polling rate, but I would rather have a perfectly running PC over polling.

I am running Overwatch, Apex Legends, CS2, Valorant, and COD.

Everything is up to date. I updated my bios and ran stress tests. I ran Cinebench for 2 hours, and The highest temp was 101, the minimum was 36, and the average was 74. My temps look fine, and my resources stay below or around 50%. I tried undervolting, thinking that might help, but it gave me too many issues, so I put everything back to default. Can someone please help me fix this issue? I also want to increase my performance if possible.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

Have you tried setting the Windows power setting to High performance? Also, in Nvidia control panel set the power management to Prefer maximum performance. See if this helps at all. With a set up like you have something isn't right with that low of fps.

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

Have you tried setting the Windows power setting to High performance? Also, in Nvidia control panel set the power management to Prefer maximum performance. See if this helps at all. With a set up like you have something isn't right with that low of fps.

I already have it enabled. I also changed my Nvidia settings to prefer performance.

 

[PersianR6]

Use latencyMon app and check to see if theres any driver is interrupting your game-CPU communication, if you see high latency spikes, there's tons of videos on youtube how to fix DPC latency, I can't gather them all here but some of good channels are Savitarax- Neofirox - Xilly

Remember, lower the latency, lower drops and smoother gameplay

 

[TerryLaze]

I ran Cinebench for 2 hours, and The highest temp was 101, the minimum was 36, and the average was 74.

That doesn't mean anything, you have to look at clocks in conjunction with the temps.
100 is the max which means that it could reduce clocks at that point which would show up as slow downs.
The default settings of your nobo could be overclocking the CPU, if you want smoother games you should make sure that the settings are within intel specs so you don't get wild swings in clocks.

Also what does that mean? Do you have 4 ram modules of 24Gb each?!?!
Also also the 14900k is only rated for "Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s " and not for 7200 so if your mobo uses xmp or something on the ram that could also cause issues.
RAM - CORSAIR Dominator Titanium RGB DDR5 RAM 24x4 7200MHz CL36 (Using 6000MHz)

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

Use latencyMon app and check to see if theres any driver is interrupting your game-CPU communication, if you see high latency spikes, there's tons of videos on youtube how to fix DPC latency, I can't gather them all here but some of good channels are Savitarax- Neofirox - Xilly

Remember, lower the latency, lower drops and smoother gameplay

I just ran it, and everything looks fine. I'll try playing a game or two to see if the issues show on latencymon.

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

That doesn't mean anything, you have to look at clocks in conjunction with the temps.
100 is the max which means that it could reduce clocks at that point which would show up as slow downs.
The default settings of your nobo could be overclocking the CPU, if you want smoother games you should make sure that the settings are within intel specs so you don't get wild swings in clocks.

Also what does that mean? Do you have 4 ram modules of 24Gb each?!?!
Also also the 14900k is only rated for "Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s " and not for 7200 so if your mobo uses xmp or something on the ram that could also cause issues.
RAM - CORSAIR Dominator Titanium RGB DDR5 RAM 24x4 7200MHz CL36 (Using 6000MHz)

This is what latencymon showed me -
"Conclusion: Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or pops. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates. "

I also changed the processor performance time check interval to 5000 millisecond from 15.

 

[TerryLaze]

This is what latencymon showed me -
"Conclusion: Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or pops. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates. "

I also changed the processor performance time check interval to 5000 millisecond from 15.

So it confirms that the issue could be related to throttling...
Have you done the things I suggested?

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

That doesn't mean anything, you have to look at clocks in conjunction with the temps.
100 is the max which means that it could reduce clocks at that point which would show up as slow downs.
The default settings of your nobo could be overclocking the CPU, if you want smoother games you should make sure that the settings are within intel specs so you don't get wild swings in clocks.

Also what does that mean? Do you have 4 ram modules of 24Gb each?!?!
Also also the 14900k is only rated for "Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s " and not for 7200 so if your mobo uses xmp or something on the ram that could also cause issues.
RAM - CORSAIR Dominator Titanium RGB DDR5 RAM 24x4 7200MHz CL36 (Using 6000MHz)

How do I know what to change that is within the intel specs? I want better performance, but I do want smoother games. Yes, each RAM stick is 24 GB. I did not realize that I would change it to 5600.

I forgot to post this.
·Highest reported ISR routine execution time (µs): 126.948227 (Wdf01000.sys - Kernel Mode Driver Framework Runtime, Microsoft Corporation)
·Highest reported DPC routine execution time (µs): 14200.734233 (ndis.sys - Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS), Microsoft Corporation)


Update 1 - I am still getting this message.
"Conclusion: Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or pops. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. At least one detected problem appears to be network related. In case you are using a WLAN adapter, try disabling it to get better results. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates. "

I also changed my RAM speed to 5600. I am not sure what to do. I don't know what audio/network settings to change.

Update 2 - I did not know there was a bios update a week ago. I just updated it that. Everything in the bios went back to default. I only changed the DRAM frequency to 5600, Asus MCE disabled, and enabled Intel dynamic tuning.

 

[PersianR6]

How do I know what to change that is within the intel specs? I want better performance, but I do want smoother games. Yes, each RAM stick is 24 GB. I did not realize that I will change it to 5600.

I forgot to post this.
·Highest reported ISR routine execution time (µs): 126.948227 (Wdf01000.sys - Kernel Mode Driver Framework Runtime, Microsoft Corporation)
·Highest reported DPC routine execution time (µs): 14200.734233 (ndis.sys - Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS), Microsoft Corporation)


Edit 1 - I am still getting this message.
"Conclusion: Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or pops. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. At least one detected problem appears to be network related. In case you are using a WLAN adapter, try disabling it to get better results. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates. "

I also changed my RAM speed to 5600. I am not sure what to do. I uninstalled Realtek audio, thinking that might be the issue, but I still have problems. I don't know what audio/network settings to change.

Ok it may be your network adaptors that causes this issue. do this optimization to reduce network card interrupts:

*BEFORE EVERYTHING CREATE A SYSTEM RESTORE POINT*

1: open Run by pressing Windowskey+R and type ncpa.cpl
In here disable as many network adaptors as you can, it might be vpns, your WiFi card, your main Lan interface , just make sure to leave just ONE that you use

2: right click on the adaptor that you left open and click properties, uncheck everything except ipv4 and QoS packet scheduler (if u couldn't connect to internet afterwards just check them back)

3: (this step only works with LAN inerface, your WiFi may not have these options) - in properties tab, click configure, go to advanced tab and do the following:
Recieve buffers: set to 1024 (go lower if u can't go higher)
Interrupt Moderation: off
Jumbo Packet: off
Speed and duplex: Max

4: open regedit and follow the steps:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile]
set "NetworkThrottlingIndex"=dword:ffffffff
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile]
set "SystemResponsiveness"=dword:00000000

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\AFD\Parameters
create FastSendDatagramThreshold, type REG_DWORD, value set to 64K

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
set or create MaxNumRssCpus =set it to 4

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NDIS\Parameters
create or set RssBaseCpu to 9 (it's going to set activity of rss on core 9 of your CPU because it gets so heavy on core 0 by default)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\kernel
set or createThreadDpcEnable =set it to 0

5: open CMD as admin and enter:

netsh int tcp global rss = enabled
netsh int ipv4 set dynamicport tcp start=1025 num=64511
netsh int ipv4 set dynamicport udp start=1025 num=64511

Restart your system and test again to see improvements
if you encountered any problem go ahead and use a system restore point

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

Are you using any kind of game boost app, or a cpu control app? Have you tried just using two sticks of ram at 7200mts just to see if things smooth out? I know using four sticks of ram can cause issues. Make sure your cpu is using both Performance and Ecores while gaming. Going into device manager and manually checking each item for a driver update is a troubleshooting step.

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

Ok it may be your network adaptors that causes this issue. do this optimization to reduce network card interrupts:

*BEFORE EVERYTHING CREATE A SYSTEM RESTORE POINT*

1: open Run by pressing Windowskey+R and type ncpa.cpl
In here disable as many network adaptors as you can, it might be vpns, your WiFi card, your main Lan interface , just make sure to leave just ONE that you use

2: right click on the adaptor that you left open and click properties, uncheck everything except ipv4 and QoS packet scheduler (if u couldn't connect to internet afterwards just check them back)

3: (this step only works with LAN inerface, your WiFi may not have these options) - in properties tab, click configure, go to advanced tab and do the following:
Recieve buffers: set to 1024 (go lower if u can't go higher)
Interrupt Moderation: off
Jumbo Packet: off
Speed and duplex: Max

4: open regedit and follow the steps:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile]
set "NetworkThrottlingIndex"=dword:ffffffff
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile]
set "SystemResponsiveness"=dword:00000000

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\AFD\Parameters
create FastSendDatagramThreshold, type REG_DWORD, value set to 64K

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
set or create MaxNumRssCpus =set it to 4

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NDIS\Parameters
create or set RssBaseCpu to 9 (it's going to set activity of rss on core 9 of your CPU because it gets so heavy on core 0 by default)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\kernel
set or createThreadDpcEnable =set it to 0

5: open CMD as admin and enter:

netsh int tcp global rss = enabled
netsh int ipv4 set dynamicport tcp start=1025 num=64511
netsh int ipv4 set dynamicport udp start=1025 num=64511

Restart your system and test again to see improvements
if you encountered any problem go ahead and use a system restore point

netsh int tcp global rss = enabled

The only problem I had was cmd could not find that command—everything else I pretty much did everything you instructed.

Edit 1 - I could not fully complete so I used the restore point.

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

Are you using any kind of game boost app, or a cpu control app? Have you tried just using two sticks of ram at 7200mts just to see if things smooth out? I know using four sticks of ram can cause issues. Make sure your cpu is using both Performance and Ecores while gaming. Going into device manager and manually checking each item for a driver update is a troubleshooting step.

No, I haven't. 4 sticks shouldn't be an issue. By default, it should use both performance scores. I'll manually check each driver later today and let you know if I encounter any problems.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

No, I haven't. 4 sticks shouldn't be an issue. By default, it should use both performance scores. I'll manually check each driver later today and let you know if I encounter any problems.

One other thing does the fps drop and freezing happen in non online games?

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

One other thing does the fps drop and freezing happen in non online games?

No, just when I am playing games. I went through everything on my device manager, and it is all up to date.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

Are you using Wi-Fi or Ethernet? Have you tried using a different refresh rate while playing online?

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

Are you using Wi-Fi or Ethernet? Have you tried using a different refresh rate while playing online?

Ethernet, of course. I disabled wi-fi. My PC can exceed 400 frames on Overwatch, but I cap it at 240 since that is my monitor refresh rate. I can tell that the issue is related to my network, audio, and CPU. I ran latencymon, and still get the same conclusion after updating my bios, changing the DRAM frequency to 5600, Asus MCE disabled, and enabling Intel dynamic tuning. The one thing bugging me is the pops when using my headphones. I still get stutters when gaming, and I don't know how to fix my network or what to change to improve it. I need to fix all these issues, but I'm unsure where to begin. I looked up buffer underruns, and one post said to set a custom virtual memory limit, but it is a temporary fix to upgrade my PC. What is there to upgrade? I have most of the top-of-the-line parts in my rig but "still need to upgrade." Network-wise, there are so many different guides that that say will improve my latency but I am not sure which is the right one for me. I already tried some, which caused me issues, so I had to use a restore point multiple times. I am unsure where to begin on power management and why my CPU is throttling when I am not overclocking.


"Conclusion: Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or pops. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. At least one detected problem appears to be network related. In case you are using a WLAN adapter, try disabling it to get better results. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates. "

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

When you did the bios update, did you clear CMOS? If not, you will need to do this, as whatever issues the bios update may have a fix for, isn't active until CMOS is cleared. Normally this is done by shorting 2 pins on your mobo. This could fix your issue.

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

When you did the bios update, did you clear CMOS? If not, you will need to do this, as whatever issues the bios update may have a fix for, isn't active until CMOS is cleared. Normally this is done by shorting 2 pins on your mobo. This could fix your issue.

Yes, I cleared my CMOS but it did not fix my issue

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Yes, I cleared my CMOS but it did not fix my issue

When it cleared, did it then prompt you to go to the bios and reconfigure it? If it just booted without anything, then it's not cleared.

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

When it cleared, did it then prompt you to go to the bios and reconfigure it? If it just booted without anything, then it's not cleared.

Yes, I have cleared CMOS in the past. The only thing I changed again was what I listed above, changing the DRAM frequency to 5600, Asus MCE disabled, and enabling Intel dynamic tuning. This is probably irrelevant, but when launching valorant, it told me I had to enable tpm 2.0. However, I already had it enabled, so I had to go into my bios and disable and reenable it, which was weird when it was already enabled.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Okay. After everything you've tried, there are only two options left. Reinstall windows or return the GPU.

Have you another system you could use to see if it's the same? Otherwise you could bring it to a local store and get them to test it for you.

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

Okay. After everything you've tried, there are only two options left. Reinstall windows or return the GPU.

Have you another system you could use to see if it's the same? Otherwise you could bring it to a local store and get them to test it for you.

The thing is, I reinstalled Windows twice. The first was because it did not install the network driver when installing Windows, so I had to inject it during the format stage of installing Windows the second reinstall. My previous build had no trouble running this GPU, so I don't think it is a GPU problem. When building the PC, I make sure everything is handled delicately. Also, this PC rig was the first time I did not have to cable manage. I only used the required cables, and the fans are connected by one cable for each set. There are four fan sets, each with its own cable, and one controller. I was surprised at how much room I had left when I was finished.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

The thing is, I reinstalled Windows twice. The first was because it did not install the network driver when installing Windows, so I had to inject it during the format stage of installing Windows the second reinstall. My previous build had no trouble running this GPU, so I don't think it is a GPU problem. When building the PC, I make sure everything is handled delicately. Also, this PC rig was the first time I did not have to cable manage. I only used the required cables, and the fans are connected by one cable for each set. There are four fan sets, each with its own cable, and one controller. I was surprised at how much room I had left when I was finished.

Hmmm that kinda leaves the mobo. Is the PCIe socket clean. Maybe give it a squirt of compressed air. It could just be something like that.

Hard to know though. We're limited not being able to have the PC in front of us.

 

[LEGENDKMS7]

Hmmm that kinda leaves the mobo. Is the PCIe socket clean. Maybe give it a squirt of compressed air. It could just be something like that.

Hard to know though. We're limited not being able to have the PC in front of us.

The funny thing is I ordered the same motherboard twice because I thought the mobo was faulty when the network driver was not functioning correctly, but I learned that I had to inject the driver for it to work. I guess this is a new thing with reinstalling Windows. I built another rig right after with a z690 board and had the same issue with the network driver not showing up. Everything ran fine after installing the network driver, and from what I know from that rig, there were no problems. Back to the current problem, The PCIe socket should be clean. I have an electric air blower, and I used it before installing anything, and as soon as everything is in place for one final dust blow. I wish I could say more, but I don't know what to do. This new rig has given me the most trouble out of all the rigs I built in the past. I mostly learn through trial and error, but this is beyond me. I wish there were another post like this where I could get an instant answer to the problem, but this is giving me a headache.