Issues with frame timing following RAM upgrade
Issues with frame timing following RAM upgrade
I assembled my computer about a year ago and recently managed to upgrade my RAM from 16GB to 32GB. I did this mainly to avoid frame drops or stuttering in a specific game. Overall, performance seems better now, though the game in question has actually become more problematic—stuttering has increased significantly, making it almost unplayable at times (it's a rhythm game where timing is crucial). With some guidance from r/pcmasterrace, I turned on XMP settings and used MSI Afterburner to get a clearer picture of the issue. It appears the frame timing glitches line up with unusual patterns in the CPU clock graphs, as illustrated in the attached images. The first photo shows normal activity, while the second displays the stuttering effect. The area that looks similar to a missing chunk matches the spot where the timing issues appeared. I suspect this might be related to RAM timing or something similar, but I’m not sure what else to investigate. Anyone have any advice? I really want to enjoy my game without worrying about stuttering again.
Old RAM: Team T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB, DDR4 3200, CL 19, model TLZGD416G3200HC16CDC01
New RAM: Kingston Fury Beast 32GB, DDR4 3200, CL 16, model RFBB14-32C16K2/32
P.S.—this is my first build, so I’m not an expert, but I know a fair amount.
It seems the CPU frequency increases during stuttering, indicating a process is consuming resources then. Keep the Task Manager open if possible, focusing on CPU usage. Check what applications are active at that moment. If the graph shows irregular spikes without multiple threads, the game might not be heavily taxing.
CPU speed adjustments can indicate various issues ranging from game pacing to demanding hardware components. It would be more useful to monitor on-screen metrics like RAM performance, GPU activity, CPU load, temperatures, and clock speeds in real time. Since stuttering persists despite these checks, it’s likely related to insufficient RAM usage—most people don’t run full 16GB unless they have heavy background tasks.