Weird stutter problem on gaming PC

[Andrei_27x]

Hi guys!

I have a really weird problem with my system. I get stutter and microstutter in almost every game, and sometimes the image freezes for about 1 second and then it runs normal.

My specs:
MSI Z170A Gaming M5 Mobo
Intel I7 6700K Skylake 4.00 Ghz
Noctua NH D15S cooler
16 GB Ram, Dual Channel HyperX Fury 8 GB each, 2400 ghz frequency
MSI Geforce GTX 1080 TI Gaming X, 11 GB VRAM
Superflower Leadex Gold 650W PSU

Things I tried:
- At first, my GPU was a MSI GTX 1070 Gaming Z, I thought maybe that was causing the stutter, so I upgraded to the current GPU, didn`t help.
- I upgraded my CPU cooler from a cheaper DeepCool GAMMAX 400 to a Noctua NH D15S. Now the CPU doesn`t go above 72 - 74 Celsius even after 1 hour in Prime95 torture tests. I also monitored the CPU in GTA V, it was at 55 Celsius and 55% usage after almost an hour of gameplay, still the game was microstuttering.
- GPU after almost 1 h gameplay in GTA V stayed at around 55-60 C, in Unigine Heaven the highest temp I got was 83 - 84 C, but that was after 3 benchmarks in a row.
- Inspected the case for dust, not a problem.
- Disabled all background apps in Windows 10.
- Set both CPU and GPU to maximum performance in power options.
- Messed around with Nvidia Control Panel Settings like I saw on some forums.
- Lowered settings in games.
- Tried installing games on SSD to see if the stutter was because of the HDD.

After I tried all of these things, the problem is still there.

At this point, I`m thinking it`s either the PSU (maybe 650W, even if certified Gold, isn`t enough to power this system), the motherboard, or the RAM.

What do you guys think? I would appreciate some advice. Thanks!

 

[jpe1701]

What resolution and refresh rate are you playing at?

 

[Andrei_27x]

1080p and 60 hz.

 

[jpe1701]

Have you tried vsync? That is a lot of gpu power for 1080p. lol.

 

[Andrei_27x]

Yes, I play with vsync on in most games. I was thinking maybe that in itself can be the problem. What do you think?

 

[jpe1701]

Actually it should help but it wouldn't hurt to try. Are your motherboard BIOS up to date?

 

[Andrei_27x]

Bios isn`t up to date, i still have the same version from when I first installed the Mobo. MSI Live update won`t do it automatically anymore and I haven`t tried doing it manually yet. I guess I`m a bit afraid not to screw things up.

 

[jpe1701]

I would give the bios a try. Just download it to a flash drive. as long as power is interrupted you'll be ok. I've had computers that stuttered even in apps and the problems went away with a bios update.

 

[Andrei_27x]

Thanks! I`ll try it in a few days, then I`ll post an update. But what do you mean by ,,as long as the power is interrupted"?

 

[jpe1701]

Sorry meant isn't interrupted.

 

[Andrei_27x]

Just installed the latest BIOS for my MB. Still getting stutter and image freezes. Maybe I could try something else?

Update: I think I might have a possible answer: it could be the monitor that is causing the problem. I have a 1080p, 60 hz monitor, and without vsync my fps in most games goes up and down anywhere between 60 and 130 fps, which causes screen tearing and stutter without vsync. Problem is, if I turn vsync on, I still get stutter and hitching, probably from vsync itself. Maybe my system is a bit too much for 1080p and 60hz. I was thinking about getting a 1440 hz, 2K monitor with Gsync. Can anyone confirm that this would solve the problem? Thanks