[SOLVED] Microstuttering in most games?

[Bruno_27]

Hey guys. I've been an "issue" (I don't even know if it's an issue exactly) with my build that is annoying me. It's not a big deal, it's just a mild nuissance but something I'd love to get rid of. Basically, during gaming and this is mainly when something new appears on screen (sometimes just randomly), it seems like a game (most of them) will freeze for a frame and my fps counter will go from 60 to 59 then to 60 again. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it's rather annoying when I'm playing something and it keeps having these brief freezes every couple of minutes or so, even though they don't disrupt the gameplay. I've updated everything, tried to clean the components the best I could with what I had (mainly a brush) and I have no viruses or malware. I assume it might be a normal thing and I'm just overreacting, just wanted to make sure.
Also, while this happens in most games, it doesn't happen in EVERY single game. In all the Arkham games it happens quite frequently especially when opening doors to new locations, in Hollow Knight it happens when I destroy certain objects, in the Witcher 2 it seems to happen only when something new is loading which isn't that bad and in MGSV it's kind of random. In Alan Wake, Shadow of Mordor, Resident Evil 2, DOOM and Wolfenstein II it doesn't happen at all as far as I've noticed. So, it's kind of all over the place. Thanks.
My specs are 1060 6GB, 16GB RAM, Z370 PC Pro, Intel i5 8400. Windows 10 (not activated).

 

[rgd1101]

have ssd?
what the cpu/gpu temp and usage during the game?
ram/hdd/sdd usage?

 

[Bruno_27]

have ssd?
what the cpu/gpu temp and usage during the game?
ram/hdd/sdd usage?

I do have the OS installed on an SSD, the games are installed on the HDD. The temps are completely normal, GPU is always under 70ºC and CPU is always under 60ºC. I have done memory tests, processor diagnostnics, malware/virus scans, and nothing.

 

[Bruno_27]

So this happens on the Witcher 3 as well. Basically I'm walking through the world and for a fraction of a second the image stutters and the fps counter goes from 60 to 59 back to 60 again. Keep in mind, the games where this happens run FINE if it weren't for this short stutter. It also mostly happens when it seems like it's loading an animation, for example, right before an enemy explodes before dying, it stutters (not every time). Or when it seems like it's loading assets. In Hollow Knight it happens when I sometimes destroy objects. I'm not quite sure what the problem might be. No viruses, no malware, everything up to date.

 

[Bruno_27]

UPDATE:

It seems like this happens a lot when an item prompt appears everytime I can loot something. When the interface with the item I can loot appears on-screen, the frames hitch. This is exactly what happens when loading certain animations and in-world assets. Could anyone guide me to diagnose this issue?

 

[Flayed]

I think I read you can set a max fps in the new nvidia drivers. Set the max fps to 58 fps.

 

[Bruno_27]

I think I read you can set a max fps in the new nvidia drivers. Set the max fps to 58 fps.

Thanks for replying man.

Funny thing is, the framerate hitches either way. So if I set it to 58, it goes to 57. If I turn off vsync and I have 120fps, for example, it'll hitch to 90fps. So no matter what I do, once it's loading some assets/animations, it hitches. I thought it could be an HDD thing, but I don't think it is.

https://imgur.com/hW4rpNH

 

[Flayed]

Your SSD looks fine. You could try uninstalling the graphics driver using DDU and installing the latest one in safe mode.

 

[Bruno_27]

Your SSD looks fine. You could try uninstalling the graphics driver using DDU and installing the latest one in safe mode.

Made no difference...

 

[Bruno_27]

I decided to install these games on my SSD.

Hollow Knight shows no frame drops. The rest of the games (Witcher 2, Witcher 3, Metal Gear Solid V...) do drop to 59fps when it seems like it's loading assets (in the Witcher 3 it's mainly when NPC's appear) but it happens less often. I've meddled with the settings of the games but it makes no difference, it seems like the "problem" is when it's loading stuff.

This isn't really a fix, but it is better.

 

[geofelt]

When a game needs a texture file, it takes longer to load from a HDD than a SSD.
I think you did good installing the game on the ssd.

I5-8400 is a nice processor for what it is.
It will turbo up to 4.3 on one core.
You have a Z370 motherboard that will permit overclocking of a Z suffix processor like a i5-8600K or 9700K that can usually OC to 5.0 on all 6 cores.

Is there a reason why your windows is not activated?
Perhaps that is impacting you.

 

[Bruno_27]

When a game needs a texture file, it takes longer to load from a HDD than a SSD.
I think you did good installing the game on the ssd.

I5-8400 is a nice processor for what it is.
It will turbo up to 4.3 on one core.
You have a Z370 motherboard that will permit overclocking of a Z suffix processor like a i5-8600K or 9700K that can usually OC to 5.0 on all 6 cores.

Is there a reason why your windows is not activated?
Perhaps that is impacting you.

Thanks for the response, man.

Never tried overclocking, kind of afraid of messing with it since I'm not that experienced.

I'm using the official free version of Windows provided by Microsoft (installed by pendrive). I don't really have the money to buy a licenced version and I'm afraid of infecting my PC with virus and malware so using an activator is not really ideal.