Question Stuttering/FPS/Frame time issues during running games

[s3curityfr34k]

Hi!
I've recently been having weird stuttering issues (at least that's how I would describe it) when running games.
It started a few days ago while I was playing GTAV but now seems to happen in every game.
Basically, when I open up a game, it'll take a few minutes and then everything begins to stutter.
It feels to me like most of the frames are perfectly timed, but every half or so second one frame just takes three times as long, after which it skips ahead to the newest one.

According to Nvidias performance overlay the FPS go down slightly from constant 60 to 53-58 with 99% all over the place (I've seen as low as 11)
Latency is a constant 25ms or a constant 91ms or a rather constant 120-130ms (91ms in-game, 120-130ms writing this)

Running the UFO frame time test literally doesn't work. It just tells me the average FPS vary in the low to mid 50s.

The thing is, this issue only persists while I'm running a game but is not in-game only. The stuttering continues outside of games.
It stops about a minute after closing the games.

I've had a look on many similarly described issues and tried some troubleshooting but none seem just like my issue and none of the solutions so far have helped. So here I am.
I can say that temperatures aren't an issue. There is no dust, the PC isn't louder than normal and the temperatures are just as always.

Here are my PC specs if that helps:
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 TI (driver v531.79)
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600X
MB: Asrock B550M Steel Legend
RAM: 16GB Crucial Ballistix RGB running on 3600MT/s (XMP)
OS: Windows 10 Pro build 19045
Monitor is a Samsung SyncMaster B2240 (1920 x 1050, 60hz)

I know the GPU is somewhat low spec and the monitor isn't really the most modern either, but I haven't had this or any issues with it until a few days ago.

I'll be very grateful for even partial answers as I really don't know what to look for anymore. Thanks a lot in advance, cheers!

Update while writing:
It has started again. I have not opened a game but the stuttering is back. I just don't get it..
-> it stopped after a restart, although it was funny that even the windows loading screen was affected..

 

[Metal Messiah.]

What is the exact model number and brand of your power supply unit/PSU ?

 

[Frag Maniac]

As MM stated it's always helpful to mention brand and model of PSU.

Your CPU and GPU are well above recommended spec for GTA V, so as long as there's no issues with them, I'm doubting either are the culprit.

That said, what drive are you using for the game and OS? Also, are the OS, MB chipset, and MB BIOS updated? Lastly, do you have the recommended 15% free space on the drive?

The free space applies to both HDDs and SSDs, and is 15% of actual space, not advertised size. As well, have you tried reinstalling the GPU driver via a clean install? For this it is recommended you use DDU in safe mode, reboot, then install the driver.

You might also want to check for any 3rd party software that might be running in the background hogging resources. This can be done via Task Manager.

You could also run a test on the drive, as most major manufactures that make them also offer free diagnostic tools. However you don't have to use the same brand tool as the drive.

 

[s3curityfr34k]

What is the exact model number and brand of your power supply unit/PSU ?

It is a 750W be quiet! Straight Power 11

 

[s3curityfr34k]

As MM stated it's always helpful to mention brand and model of PSU.

Your CPU and GPU are well above recommended spec for GTA V, so as long as there's no issues with them, I'm doubting either are the culprit.

That said, what drive are you using for the game and OS? Also, are the OS, MB chipset, and MB BIOS updated? Lastly, do you have the recommended 15% free space on the drive?

The free space applies to both HDDs and SSDs, and is 15% of actual space, not advertised size. As well, have you tried reinstalling the GPU driver via a clean install? For this it is recommended you use DDU in safe mode, reboot, then install the driver.

You might also want to check for any 3rd party software that might be running in the background hogging resources. This can be done via Task Manager.

You could also run a test on the drive, as most major manufactures that make them also offer free diagnostic tools. However you don't have to use the same brand tool as the drive.

I have updated to the latest Windows version and the latest stable BIOS version. I will have a look if there are any chipset drivers.
There is more than 15% of space on all my drives.
Taskmanager does not show any irregular activities.
I have not done a GPU driver clean install and will look into it also.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

It is a 750W be quiet! Straight Power 11

That's a good high quality PSU model. I don't see any issues using this to power up your gaming rig.

 

[s3curityfr34k]

Alright
I have done a clean reinstall of the GPU driver, I have installed the newest chipset drivers, I have noticed, that Ryzen Master for some reason doesn't install and I have run Crystal Disk Info.
Crystal Disk Info shows 94%+ on both my boot and games SSDs and shines yellow on the HDD (on which GTA is installed, but again, the issue appears in all games).

It's still there.

Edit a day later:
I've just noticed that GPU utilization is all over the place as well.
While usually (at least when running Forza Horizon 5) it would be pinned to 80%+ depending on the scene, it now jumps between 40% and 70% with occasional hikes to 90%.

 

[s3curityfr34k]

So since there have been no new suggestions I'm just gonna do a new clean Windows install

 

[Frag Maniac]

So since there have been no new suggestions I'm just gonna do a new clean Windows install

It's always advisable to before going to that extent at least try a SFC scan first on the slim chance that system file corruption might be causing it.

 

[s3curityfr34k]

It's always advisable to before going to that extent at least try a SFC scan first on the slim chance that system file corruption might be causing it.

Thanks for the suggestion! It did repair two files, but that didn't help either.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Thanks for the suggestion! It did repair two files, but that didn't help either.

I don't recall your replying as to whether you ran a diagnostic on the OS and game install drive/drives?

 

[s3curityfr34k]

I don't recall your replying as to whether you ran a diagnostic on the OS and game install drive/drives?

I checked them with Crystal Disk Info and the OS SSD shows 94%, the game SSD shows 100% and the secondary game HDD just shows "caution"

 

[s3curityfr34k]

Alright. I reinstalled Windows now and this issue is still happening.
What now. Do I just buy a new PC at this point?

 

[Frag Maniac]

Alright. I reinstalled Windows now and this issue is still happening.
What now. Do I just buy a new PC at this point?

That's kind of what I figured would be the case, but no, I have a feeling it's more likely a software than hardware issue.

Any chance you can upload a short video showing the problem? It might help narrow it down.

 

[s3curityfr34k]

Here's a link to the recording:

View: https://youtu.be/4la48vexC1A

Edit:
now that it's on Youtube it's actually a little smoother, but you can still kinda see it

I also had a look at the event viewer but apart from a few certification issues and some software security service turning on and off again every now and then (not any more or less when the stuttering begins) there's nothing.

 

[Frag Maniac]

I really don't see any stuttering there. Are you getting stutter mostly as the camera is panning across screen? If so, it may be due to the display you're using.

Do you by chance have a friend nearby whom has a more modern monitor or TV you can take your PC to and hook it up to see if that's the problem?

 

[s3curityfr34k]

I really don't see any stuttering there. Are you getting stutter mostly as the camera is panning across screen? If so, it may be due to the display you're using.

Do you by chance have a friend nearby whom has a more modern monitor or TV you can take your PC to and hook it up to see if that's the problem?

You can see the stutter somewhat well when I move the mouse around at the end.
I've hooked my TV up to the PC and tested it a bit and it seems fine so far. I've played a few different games and none have the issue.
As soon as I plug my monitor back in it reappears.
So that's cool..

 

[Frag Maniac]

You can see the stutter somewhat well when I move the mouse around at the end.
I've hooked my TV up to the PC and tested it a bit and it seems fine so far. I've played a few different games and none have the issue.
As soon as I plug my monitor back in it reappears.
So that's cool..

That would tend to confirm then that it's the display you're using that's the culprit, not the PC, as I suspected. It's also why I don't see any stuttering at all on my end.

 

[s3curityfr34k]

That would tend to confirm then that it's the display you're using that's the culprit, not the PC, as I suspected. It's also why I don't see any stuttering at all on my end.

Okay. I've watched this video on my phone and on other screens and it is absolutely visible to me.

And still, why is this an issue now, even though it was totally fine just two weeks ago, and why does this only happen while playing games? There's gotta be a better solution than just getting a new monitor

 

[Frag Maniac]

gotta be a better solution than just getting a new monitor

There's gotta be a better solution than just getting a new monitor

Well, since you just above said when you have the PC connected to the TV you don't see it, that tells me it's that you're using an outdated monitor like you said in your first post. Now I have no idea what "other screens" means regarding what else you saw it on, but I certainly wouldn't use a cell phone as a reliable display test.

Then there's the fact that I don't see it at all in your video when looking at it on my Panasonic IPS 1080p TV. I may be 65 but my vision is near 20/20, and only needs assistance at reading distances. I keep my display 5+ feet away, so it does not apply.

 

[s3curityfr34k]

Well, since you just above said when you have the PC connected to the TV you don't see it, that tells me it's that you're using an outdated monitor like you said in your first post. Now I have no idea what "other screens" means regarding what else you saw it on, but I certainly wouldn't use a cell phone as a reliable display test.

Then there's the fact that I don't see it at all in your video when looking at it on my Panasonic IPS 1080p TV. I may be 65 but my vision is near 20/20, and only needs assistance at reading distances. I keep my display 5+ feet away, so it does not apply.

I guess I'm gonna live with it until I can afford a nicer monitor. It's about time anyway.
Still, I did a short slow-motion recording with my phone, maybe that'll help with seeing what I mean.

number 1

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/Y7Ck4Ljl9ss


number 2

View: https://youtu.be/YCpjHAmBfR0

 

[Kairosmic]

Here's a link to the recording:

View: https://youtu.be/4la48vexC1A

Edit:
now that it's on Youtube it's actually a little smoother, but you can still kinda see it

I also had a look at the event viewer but apart from a few certification issues and some software security service turning on and off again every now and then (not any more or less when the stuttering begins) there's nothing.

just reaching out to say you're not alone lol. Im having this same exact issue and am not able to find a solution.