Problem with the video playback, unclear cause.
Problem with the video playback, unclear cause.
I recently assembled a new PC after considering it for some time. Once completed, I installed Windows 11 and Firefox, then started watching YouTube videos. During the viewing, I observed that the videos occasionally stuttered—especially during dynamic scenes like camera pans—but they didn’t freeze completely when switching out of fullscreen or replaying them. However, the problem persisted over time even outside fullscreen mode. I researched possible causes by checking online solutions. I attempted several fixes: disabling hardware acceleration, turning off all extensions, adjusting settings in about:config (only increasing the 'MediaSource' buffer size to 150MiB), clearing the browser cache, and setting Firefox to high performance under the Graphics tab in Windows settings. The GPU performed well on other tasks, ran 3DMark and some games at 4K without issues, and YouTube’s Stats for Nerds indicated no dropped frames or buffer problems. At this stage, I’m unsure of the root cause and would appreciate any suggestions.
You haven't referenced this... Have you switched to another browser? This should always be the initial troubleshooting action when testing a browser before proceeding further. Since it doesn’t perform well on Edge or other options, it’s likely the issue lies with your operating system or PC.
Chrome seems to face the same problem, though testing continues. My hardware details are: CPU - AMD 9800X3D, GPU - Gigabyte GAMING 9070 XT OC, 16GB, OC, Memory - Crucial Pro DDR5 6000MHz CL36 (2x 16GB), Motherboard - MSI X870 Tomahawk with Wi-Fi. Updated July 29, 2025 by El Lorax.
I've also looked into Edge, which appears to share the same problem but uses the GPU video codec, unlike the other browsers.
Using only YouTube suggests a possible problem with video codec management. The update was made on July 29, 2025 by El Lorax.