Resolved: Stuttering and freezing issues occur in all games across three versions.
Resolved: Stuttering and freezing issues occur in all games across three versions.
During the initial months of 2018, my personal computer operated exceptionally well. My system consisted of an ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard, an EVGA GTX 1080 FTW graphics card, an i7 6700k processor, 2x 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 memory, a basic older hard disk drive (for the operating system), and a Samsung 850 Pro 512 GB solid-state drive. An EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 power supply completed the setup. Every game consistently achieved 120-144 frames per second without any stuttering, freezing, overheating, or the persistent audio popping/crackling that had plagued me for a year. The experience was smooth and enjoyable.
Approximately one year prior, during the first week of November, problems began to emerge. Specifically, Syndicate’s Victorian London exhibited noticeable stuttering when entering new areas. Selecting enemies in XCOM 2 would trigger momentary freezes lasting half a second, while Warhammer II selections resulted in full-second freezes. These occurrences were incredibly frustrating. I endured these issues for months before deciding to upgrade components that may be aging.
I upgraded to an ASUS Prime Z370 A-II motherboard, an RTX 2080 XC Ultra Gaming graphics card, an i7 8700k processor, 4x 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 memory, a Samsung 850 Pro 512 GB SSD, and a Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB SSD (for the OS). Despite these improvements, the problem persisted. Even better FPS performance didn’t alleviate the issue; clicking on anything—from Windows options to Total War cities/armies or research trees in War Thunder—would cause freezes lasting from half to two seconds. Open-world games like Assassin's Creed occasionally experienced similar freezes in unpredictable locations. The Thames dives in Syndicate consistently triggered a freeze upon initial entry. The only noticeable benefit was improved performance with the new SSD.
This upgrade failed to resolve the problem. Selecting Altdorf only created a minor stutter, not a full second of freezing. I ultimately abandoned my efforts, selling the PC, taking a vacation, purchasing consoles, becoming bored, and then borrowing a friend’s computer before rebuilding my own a week ago with cheaper parts and a sense of shame regarding my previous sale.
My current system includes an ASUS Prime Z370 A-II motherboard, an RTX 2070 Super Black Gaming graphics card, an i7 9700k processor, 2x 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 memory, a Samsung 850 Pro 512 GB SSD, and a Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB SSD (for the OS). The performance is essentially identical to before, but the freezes are now almost always two seconds long. Furthermore, the computer entirely freezes during Steam installation’s “allocating disk space” phase. Only the power supply, the original RAM sticks, and the 850 Pro remain unchanged. I suspect the power supply or RAM may be the source of the issue, though testing new RAM sticks independently didn't fully resolve it. I am at a loss. Despite trying various solutions—including rolling back Windows versions and Nvidia drivers—the problem persists. It feels like a frustrating curse.
Deductive reasoning would say the issue lies with the components you didn't change.
-I don't think it's the psu, because the game/PC isn't completely crashing/shutting down on you.
-I don't think it's the ram. While it's possible to get a defective kit, you've not described any system crashes, or BSODs.
-Have you checked the health of the Samsung drive with their Magician software?
Another possible cause that the 3 builds have in common that hasn't been mentioned: the peripherals, and the 3rd party software that comes with them, as well as the anti-virus/anti-malware programs you may have used.
Deductive reasoning would say the issue lies with the components you didn't change.
-I don't think it's the psu, because the game/PC isn't completely crashing/shutting down on you.
-I don't think it's the ram. While it's possible to get a defective kit, you've not described any system crashes, or BSODs.
-Have you checked the health of the Samsung drive with their Magician software?
Another possible cause that the 3 builds have in common that hasn't been mentioned: the peripherals, and the 3rd party software that comes with them, as well as the anti-virus/anti-malware programs you may have used.