Question Inconsistent mouse lag for several years even after changing computers, monitors, and peripherals

[ro12dq-e012]

Just like the title says, I've been having these inconsistent mouse lags for about a few years now and I have absolutely no idea the cause of them.

What I mean by mouse lag:

• At random times, the cursor would be sluggish and sometimes less-sluggish.
• Sometimes, the sluggishness gets worse when moving it around very fast in a short amount of time

This happens in games too, so it's very bad when playing games that show the cursor.

It's very difficult to show what I mean as people who I've shown it to can't seem to see it, but I know for a fact that it's there as it just doesn't feel "snappy" as it did way before I had this issue, and it's evident through the incremental sluggishness at random times, which is very noticeable for me.
Sometimes (Not always) when I turn on the PC, the lag wouldn't be as bad, but a few minutes later it'll go back to being sluggish again.

Things I've tried:

• 5+ different mice (Recent one has 8khz polling rate, still not fixed)
• 2 different PCs (First new PC in 2018, second new PC in 2021)
• 3+ different monitors (144hz or more)
• 2+ different keyboards
• Re installation of windows on all PCs
• Re installation of display drivers on all PCs
• Those new PCs in a different place

None of those things worked and at this point I feel like I'm going crazy because I absolutely have no idea what's going on.
It's not like a specific program causing this lag either, because I can have nothing open and still it'd occur.

Two things common in all three PCs is that they all have NVIDIA graphic cards and they use Windows 10. From what I remember, I first started to notice these lags after a failure in installing one of the NVIDIA drivers for the first PC I had, but if this is the case, then surely reinstalling these drivers and also reinstalling windows would've fixed it? And surely the other two new PCs wouldn't have this same issue?

The thing I suspected the most was maybe something wrong with the electricity at my place, and so I've tried different sockets, different extension leads, and even a different place and it's still the exact same issue.

Here are my current specs (2021 PC):

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor 3.80 GHz
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
64.0 GB RAM
CORSAIR 750W RMx power supply

2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD


I really don't know what to do at this point especially since I've looked everywhere and NO ONE seems to have this same issue, and so I was thinking maybe it's Windows 10-specific, somehow.
Any ideas?

 

[ro12dq-e012]

okay, well, that just means its not remembered by windows

replaced the mouse pad?

Did that too several times over the years, still the same.

I suspect it's definitely something NVIDIA related though.

 

[Colif]

Shame your CPU doesn't have integrated graphics or we could test that theory. Unless you have a spare AMD GPU lying around it might be hard to test.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

Is Cortana enabled on your pc? Do you use realtek sound drivers? Try disabling Cortana. If you have realtek go in to task manager and disable realtek hd audio universal in start up. Then restart computer. See if it changes anything.

 

[ro12dq-e012]

Here's a video of this that I recorded just now:

Again, you likely won't notice it, but it's there, it's like

Shame your CPU doesn't have integrated graphics or we could test that theory. Unless you have a spare AMD GPU lying around it might be hard to test.

Yeah that was gonna be my last resort type thing where I try an AMD GPU and see if that fixes anything, which I might do some day.

 

[ro12dq-e012]

Is Cortana enabled on your pc? Do you use realtek sound drivers? Try disabling Cortana. If you have realtek go in to task manager and disable realtek hd audio universal in start up. Then restart computer. See if it changes anything.

I disabled cortana at the start of the installation and I don't think I have Realtek sound drivers.

Also other things like game bar is also disabled.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

Have you tried setting different power settings in windows?

 

[ro12dq-e012]

Have you tried setting different power settings in windows?

Yup. I even tried with the "Fast Startup" thing disabled too.

I'm gonna upload a video now showing this "lag" to try and see if you guys can also notice the lag too which you probably won't but just to demonstrate what I mean, ill show.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

If you use windows tab + I click on devices, mouse, at the bottom it will say- scroll inactive windows when I hover over them-, click this on and off several times and see if it changes anything.

 

[Colif]

could boot from Ubuntu live USB to see if problem is confined to windows, would tell us if its windows to blame
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#1-overview

Could run a clean boot to see if its perhaps a startup application to blame
Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely a startup program. You should, over a number of startups. restart the programs you stopped to isolate the one that is to blame

 

[ro12dq-e012]

If you use windows tab + I click on devices, mouse, at the bottom it will say- scroll inactive windows when I hover over them-, click this on and off several times and see if it changes anything.

Tried that already, still nothing sadly.

 

[ro12dq-e012]

could boot from Ubuntu live USB to see if problem is confined to windows, would tell us if its windows to blame
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#1-overview

Could run a clean boot to see if its perhaps a startup application to blame
Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely a startup program. You should, over a number of startups. restart the programs you stopped to isolate the one that is to blame

I'll try the clean boot thing today and maybe the ubuntu boot later, I do remember though running Zorin OS a few years ago to try and see if it fixes this lag, although I forgot what the results were so I think it's best I try again soon.

 

[ro12dq-e012]

Here's a video of what I mean:

I don't expect you to notice it, but for me it starts off sluggish already and when I move it around fast enough, it becomes even more sluggish for me.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

Make sure showing pointer trails is unchecked in mouse properties window.

 

[ro12dq-e012]

Make sure showing pointer trails is unchecked in mouse properties window.

It already is, that "trail" is probably caused by the lag itself.
I'll do the clean boot today though as the other user mentioned and update the thread, but yeah, that's been like that for years now with each PC.

 

[ro12dq-e012]

Tried both the windows clean boot and the Ubuntu boot, still no use The cursor still becomes really wonky the more I move it faster.

 

[Fix_my_mouse_pls]

literally just made an new account to say i pretty much have the exact same problem as OP, with the added caveat this occurs across three devices all with integrated intel graphics card, and sure enough all NVIDIA GPU as well. And i do standby the theory that it might be NVIDIA itself involved because once i was able to resolve it temporarily by uninstalled and restalling the gpu driver with DDU, and again by changing the PCIE Slots of the GPU of my most recent RTX 2080 gaming pc. All reverted back to the strange mouse lag/gpu frame skipping upon first restart. I did everything mentioned above with a lot more like using software to delete pci device driver and reinstall using both motherboard site and microsoft sources, and even updating from windows 10 to 11, all to no avail. Have this problem for 3 years now, GG my plat rank on Rainbow Six Siege ;(

 

[ro12dq-e012]

literally just made an new account to say i pretty much have the exact same problem as OP, with the added caveat this occurs across three devices all with integrated intel graphics card, and sure enough all NVIDIA GPU as well. And i do standby the theory that it might be NVIDIA itself involved because once i was able to resolve it temporarily by uninstalled and restalling the gpu driver with DDU, and again by changing the PCIE Slots of the GPU of my most recent RTX 2080 gaming pc. All reverted back to the strange mouse lag/gpu frame skipping upon first restart. I did everything mentioned above with a lot more like using software to delete pci device driver and reinstall using both motherboard site and microsoft sources, and even updating from windows 10 to 11, all to no avail. Have this problem for 3 years now, GG my plat rank on Rainbow Six Siege ;(

Ouch, even with integrated GPU? Damn I might be out of luck then, but you mentioned you temporarily fixed it by reinstalling with DDU, I remember doing this too when it first happened but I can't remember how well I did it, so I might try that again, I'll do that sometime and update the thread, it probably won't matter me replacing my card with an AMD GPU now since the NVIDIA drivers are already there lol, I should've kept the AMD GPU in the order when I bought this new PC then we'd know for sure if the GPU was to blame

 

[ro12dq-e012]

literally just made an new account to say i pretty much have the exact same problem as OP, with the added caveat this occurs across three devices all with integrated intel graphics card, and sure enough all NVIDIA GPU as well. And i do standby the theory that it might be NVIDIA itself involved because once i was able to resolve it temporarily by uninstalled and restalling the gpu driver with DDU, and again by changing the PCIE Slots of the GPU of my most recent RTX 2080 gaming pc. All reverted back to the strange mouse lag/gpu frame skipping upon first restart. I did everything mentioned above with a lot more like using software to delete pci device driver and reinstall using both motherboard site and microsoft sources, and even updating from windows 10 to 11, all to no avail. Have this problem for 3 years now, GG my plat rank on Rainbow Six Siege ;(

I uninstalled with DDU today and reinstalled but I couldn't exactly get it to even be temporarily fixed like yours, I will say one thing though, I do use two local windows accounts where one is an admin and one is standard and I install new apps etc to my non-windows drive, do you have the same/similar thing? If so maybe that might be one of the causes for this lag?