Experiencing stuttering during gameplay when loading new sections
Experiencing stuttering during gameplay when loading new sections
Hi everyone, I recently purchased my first gaming laptop – the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro equipped with an RTX 3070, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, and 16 GB of RAM. Although I’m managing to keep solid frame rates in most titles (using MSI Afterburner with RTSS to stabilize performance), I still experience minor stutters in several games. These interruptions seem linked to areas where the game loads new assets or textures, such as during transitions in Shadow of the Tomb Raider when hidden loading screens appear. I can often trigger these stutters by navigating to specific sections in a game where new textures are being loaded. The issues tend to appear only in those moments and show up as noticeable frame rate drops. I’m curious if anyone has insights into this – is this a typical PC gaming challenge? I understand shader compilation problems, but this one doesn’t seem to resolve with repeated attempts. On the other hand, I see users with RTX 3000 graphics complaining about similar problems. Maybe I’m just looking for solutions to see if there’s a way to fix this or if it’s just part of the experience. I’ve already tried uninstalling and reinstalling drivers, as usual. Thanks!
Starting with the game's optimization level plays a key role. Loading and unloading happen smoothly when resources are available, but if performance drops sharply, the CPU is likely the issue. If the CPU struggles to process assets or logic during real-time gameplay, it forces the game to slow down even if FPS appears stable. GPU or storage problems can also occur, especially when too many objects are rendered or the HDD is slow. However, these aspects have generally been improved, which is why early Cyberpunk 2077 versions displayed unexpectedly low resolutions. CPU performance remains crucial, as it dictates how efficiently scripts execute one after another. Unless the engine's core compilation methods are flawed, consistent lag should be resolved by ensuring a fast CPU.
You seem to think this CPU might struggle with smooth performance at 60 fps, especially when loading new content, even in less demanding games. It’s interesting you noticed similar issues on your older laptop compared to a newer one, despite not playing many games there. On the PS5, you didn’t see the same problems either. Using MSI Afterburner helped identify spikes linked to lower GPU and frame buffer activity, suggesting the CPU could be the main culprit. Regarding upgrades, a RAM or SSD change might help, though your laptop already has an SSD. Upgrading the CPU itself isn’t straightforward. I’ve attached a sample spike with reduced GPU usage to provide more context. From the data, it looks like the CPU performance is likely the issue.
Welcome! I’ll make sure to note your mention of @Leonel_15. Your setup seems solid—just remember to pay attention to RAM. The CPU and GPU rely on RAM for quick access, avoiding delays from slower storage. Insufficient RAM can lead to performance drops as the system swaps data back and forth. You mentioned 8GB, which might work for some games but 12GB is better for smoother performance.
Microstutters will make it hard to pinpoint the issue since anything could be the cause. I was planning to confirm the correct RAM speeds, but 'H' sounds like a laptop CPU, suggesting everything should already be configured properly. If most games function normally except this one, it might indicate a problem with just that game's settings. It could be as basic as a single configuration change.
Remove the GPU driver from ddu and inatall, ensuring it's outdated (3-4 months old).