A PC experienced lag when playing every game.
A PC experienced lag when playing every game.
Hey there, I’m trying to figure this out and need some guidance. So far, I’ve tried several solutions but haven’t found a solution and am concerned about possible damage to parts.
Issue: My computer is experiencing stuttering during games, even in less demanding titles like Helldivers and Destiny 2. It was recently upgraded with an ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4090 OC Edition and a 1600W PSU, and has been mostly stable since. The stutter started about a month ago, though the exact timing isn’t clear.
What I’ve noticed: Monitoring tools reveal that when stutter happens, GPU usage drops by roughly 10-25% before returning to normal. There’s also a curious effect where the computer’s RGB lights seem to “stutter” along with it. During stutters, FPS drops by about 7-14 FPS, and the game becomes unresponsive for a few seconds to a couple of seconds depending on how much load is being applied. The stuttering isn’t steady—it happens randomly, without a clear pattern. It can last long intense sessions like Darktide, but not in short bursts in Destiny 2. It doesn’t happen consistently; it pops up when things are under heavy load, no matter which part is being used.
What I’ve tried:
- Restarted the PC multiple times (no improvement).
- Updated all drivers to the latest versions, cleaned old ones.
- Ran Windows 11 and even tried a beta build (still no change).
- Adjusted overclock settings on the TUF Gaming RTX 4090 (some slight improvement in Darktide, but not lasting).
- Changed RAM, enabled/disabled G-Sync and V-sync, tweaked graphics quality.
- Reinstalled Windows and updated BIOS (both helped a bit).
- Replaced the BIOS at the same time as flashing BIOS (still helped a lot).
- Tested overclocking and cooling changes, but results were mixed.
What hasn’t worked: None of the fixes seem to eliminate the issue completely. I’m also unsure if the problem is related to overheating or if it’s purely a graphics bottleneck.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated—thanks!
The RGB seems to be experiencing some issues? It looks like all the RGB components are controlled together. Have you tried disconnecting the RGB controller entirely just to see if it works? This reminds me of a previous issue I faced where a USB-to-USB card reader that connected to a header stopped working completely, causing major problems and taking a long time to fix. I also had a similar problem with RGB software that didn’t behave properly. Before you try unplugging it, make sure to turn off the software completely, restart the machine, and then test again.
The RGB options are limited, coming only from the built-in lights of the MB, RAM, and AIO. I think the AIO's RGB is linked to one controller, whereas the MB and RAM lights use separate connections. I’ll disconnect the AIO’s RGB controller and let me know once I’ve tried it in all my usual games.
Hey, thanks for reaching out. Things were hectic and I wanted to see how things would perform over time. I updated all the RGB software, unplugged my RGB hub, and tried a few other fixes while keeping the computer running. I removed each RAM card, checked them one by one to confirm they worked, and changed their positions. I also flashed the BIOS on my motherboard and adjusted some settings. Notably, the stuttering seemed to *significantly* improve after these steps. At least for a few days, but now it appears to be returning to some level.