Question What could be the cause of a predictable stutter in FPS?

Nov 5, 2024
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The issue: Frames get dropped when performing certain actions. Like the frames just don't load or my monitor isn't receiving them. Audio stays consistent and any movement in game gets registered even during these blips so my screen sort of snaps back to present.

This happens when I do the following:
--When I open a chest or container in GoW Ragnarök, Baldur's Gate 3, Enter the Gungeon, Control, Cyberpunk 2077, Skyrim (modded and un-modded), Fallout 4 (modded and un-modded).
--When I look at the contents of a container without opening it in Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Skyrim, Fallout 4.
--Whenever any enemy dies in Enter the Gungeon.
--In Baldur's Gate 3 when my cursor hovers over an item/container to show the details/contents.

I have nothing running in the background except NVIDIA Control Panel and whatever launcher is necessary to keep the game running. I've tried setting BIOS settings to optimized defaults and to a manual fan curve with XMP enabled. It's in most every game I play and its noticeable enough to bring me here for help.

Any advice would be amazing. Parts list below.

MOBO: Aorus B760 Elite AX
CPU: I7-12700kf Unlocked @4.7ghz
RAM: TeamGroup TCreate DDR5 Expert 6000mhz
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 12GB OC
PSU: Thermaltake Tough Power GX3 850w
Cooling: Thermaltake TH240mm AIO
Monitor: 27in LG 27650-B 144hz monitor
Storage: Samsung P990 Pro 2TB

Bios Version: F11
Windows Version: 22H2
Graphics Driver: Geforce Game Ready Driver 565.90 (happens in every driver version since early June as well as some recommended by NVIDIA customer support for a separate issue that I didn't write down)

All parts are less than 1 year old
 
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PSU: Thermaltake Tough Power GX3 850w
i've never run into this particular GX3 series,
but the GX2 is very low quality and not intended for heavy dedicated GPU usage.

if they are using similar manufacturing then i wouldn't be surprised if this unit just has problems keeping a proper steady stream of power going to the GPU during certain scenarios.
i would definitely try a different reliable unit and see if it makes any difference.

i'd also run tests on the disk the games are installed to check for any errors or reported problems,
run MEMTEST86+ for a couple runs and see if any memory errors are returned,
run DDU from Windows Safe Mode and remove ALL graphics related data then reinstall the latest driver package directly from Nvidia without GeForce Experience,
make sure all latest motherboard & chipset drivers are installed,
check motherboard product support page to ensure F11 is the latest BIOS available,
run DISM & SFC routines to check for possible OS issues...
 
HDD? Most of those things you are doing are actions that wouldn't be permanently loaded into main memory and would need to be read off the HDD. That is going to make you sensitive to HDD access speeds.

Also, how *much* RAM do you have; paging could be coming into effect in certain situations, again making you sensitive to HDD access times.
 
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HDD? Most of those things you are doing are actions that wouldn't be permanently loaded into main memory and would need to be read off the HDD. That is going to make you sensitive to HDD access speeds.

Also, how *much* RAM do you have; paging could be coming into effect in certain situations, again making you sensitive to HDD access times.
I forgot my SSD in my parts list. I'm running with Samsung P990 Pro 2TB. I have a pretty budget PSU I won't lie. This seems like it could be the cause. I'll post an update when I get around to getting a new PSU. Thank you.
 
i've never run into this particular GX3 series,
but the GX2 is very low quality and not intended for heavy dedicated GPU usage.

if they are using similar manufacturing then i wouldn't be surprised if this unit just has problems keeping a proper steady stream of power going to the GPU during certain scenarios.
i would definitely try a different reliable unit and see if it makes any difference.

i'd also run tests on the disk the games are installed to check for any errors or reported problems,
run MEMTEST86+ for a couple runs and see if any memory errors are returned,
run DDU from Windows Safe Mode and remove ALL graphics related data then reinstall the latest driver package directly from Nvidia without GeForce Experience,
make sure all latest motherboard & chipset drivers are installed,
check motherboard product support page to ensure F11 is the latest BIOS available,
run DISM & SFC routines to check for possible OS issues...
Another commenter suggested the same thing may be the issue. While thinking deeper into my symptoms I'm connecting the dots between this issue and a few other small ones I thought weren't a big deal but are very likely also due to a sub-par PSU.

Thank you kindly!
 
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