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Occasional interruptions without clear cause

Occasional interruptions without clear cause

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XxTBretzxX
Member
134
07-11-2022, 09:46 AM
#1
Hello. I've been experiencing some problems lately. There are frequent stutters, not just when playing games but also unexpectedly. It's difficult to describe what's happening. It occurs even while watching YouTube in full resolution. Everything freezes for a couple of seconds or so. The cursor lags, the sound drops, and the video becomes unstable. Initially, I suspected faulty drivers, so I tried different ones, but they didn't help. I switched to Linux and the issue persisted there as well. Eventually, I returned to Windows because of Adobe software. It happens randomly, even when the PC isn't under heavy load. It started during a YouTube session, while playing Max Payne (2001) and Hogwarts Legacy. I can eliminate the GPU since it only became problematic after upgrading my CPU and RAM. Before that, I was using the same graphics card without any issues. The CPU or RAM might be the cause, but how should I test them? What are my next steps? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

System specs:
- Ryzen 5 5500 (upgraded from Ryzen 3 1200)
- Gigabyte B450M (previous model)
- XPG 8x2GB 3200Mhz (previous upgrade)
- Asus Radeon RX 6600 (old)
- Gigabyte 240GB NVMe (old)
- WD Green 240GB SATA SSD (old)
- WD Blue 2TB HDD (old)
X
XxTBretzxX
07-11-2022, 09:46 AM #1

Hello. I've been experiencing some problems lately. There are frequent stutters, not just when playing games but also unexpectedly. It's difficult to describe what's happening. It occurs even while watching YouTube in full resolution. Everything freezes for a couple of seconds or so. The cursor lags, the sound drops, and the video becomes unstable. Initially, I suspected faulty drivers, so I tried different ones, but they didn't help. I switched to Linux and the issue persisted there as well. Eventually, I returned to Windows because of Adobe software. It happens randomly, even when the PC isn't under heavy load. It started during a YouTube session, while playing Max Payne (2001) and Hogwarts Legacy. I can eliminate the GPU since it only became problematic after upgrading my CPU and RAM. Before that, I was using the same graphics card without any issues. The CPU or RAM might be the cause, but how should I test them? What are my next steps? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

System specs:
- Ryzen 5 5500 (upgraded from Ryzen 3 1200)
- Gigabyte B450M (previous model)
- XPG 8x2GB 3200Mhz (previous upgrade)
- Asus Radeon RX 6600 (old)
- Gigabyte 240GB NVMe (old)
- WD Green 240GB SATA SSD (old)
- WD Blue 2TB HDD (old)

H
howitis1
Member
55
07-11-2022, 03:59 PM
#2
I haven't updated the video drivers yet. Could you please share the BIOS version?
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howitis1
07-11-2022, 03:59 PM #2

I haven't updated the video drivers yet. Could you please share the BIOS version?

K
kalleboii
Senior Member
738
07-17-2022, 10:06 PM
#3
It might be a microcode issue. Besides updating the BIOS, I’d attempt a clean installation to check if it resolves the problem. I understand Nix didn’t resolve it, but it could still be worth trying.
K
kalleboii
07-17-2022, 10:06 PM #3

It might be a microcode issue. Besides updating the BIOS, I’d attempt a clean installation to check if it resolves the problem. I understand Nix didn’t resolve it, but it could still be worth trying.

W
WildCandy
Senior Member
675
07-17-2022, 11:48 PM
#4
Have you checked hardware monitors such as HWInfo or the Windows resource monitor? Focus on spikes in CPU, RAM, or HDD usage reaching 100% during stutters—these could trigger temporary freezes or severe performance drops. Another possibility is a faulty network card or Wi-Fi adapter, or outdated drivers. I once had an old Zotac board causing my system to freeze even with mouse input when network activity occurred via its built-in Wi-Fi. After troubleshooting, I disabled the card in BIOS and switched to wired connections; everything functioned much better.
W
WildCandy
07-17-2022, 11:48 PM #4

Have you checked hardware monitors such as HWInfo or the Windows resource monitor? Focus on spikes in CPU, RAM, or HDD usage reaching 100% during stutters—these could trigger temporary freezes or severe performance drops. Another possibility is a faulty network card or Wi-Fi adapter, or outdated drivers. I once had an old Zotac board causing my system to freeze even with mouse input when network activity occurred via its built-in Wi-Fi. After troubleshooting, I disabled the card in BIOS and switched to wired connections; everything functioned much better.

P
Praetheus
Junior Member
48
07-18-2022, 12:57 AM
#5
It was a BIOS problem. I was using a 2021 model. The issue was the fTPM stutter, which didn’t occur with my Ryzen 3 1200 when it was supported. Thank you for bringing this up and @XYZ8858 as well.
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Praetheus
07-18-2022, 12:57 AM #5

It was a BIOS problem. I was using a 2021 model. The issue was the fTPM stutter, which didn’t occur with my Ryzen 3 1200 when it was supported. Thank you for bringing this up and @XYZ8858 as well.