System experiences frequent stutters primarily when using the second display.
System experiences frequent stutters primarily when using the second display.
I’m dealing with a rare problem after a recent hardware and software upgrade. After installing Windows 11 Enterprise IOT LTSC Gen 4 on a new t500 drive, my setup includes a ROG Strix B550 gaming laptop, an Amd Ryzen 7 5800X processor, 32GB of Corsair memory, and a Sapphire Nitro RX7800XT GPU. I’m using a new WD Black SN850X 2TB drive and two monitors—one at 165Hz and the other at 60Hz via HDMI.
The issue is unpredictable: sometimes it disappears completely, other times it shows up but only for short periods. When I launch any game, even after just a few minutes, pressing Alt + Tab or Windows buttons causes background apps (like Discord, Firefox, Task Manager) to move around. The system freezes, stutters, and hiccups while dragging programs. Videos on YouTube play perfectly without any frame issues, which is unusual.
However, when I close all background processes on the main screen, the freezing stops. It seems to work for some games—like Path of Exile—but not others such as Zenless Zone Zero or Star Rail. I’ve tried disabling game-related settings (Game Bar, Game Mode), turning off hardware acceleration, and updating drivers. I also checked for overheating and ran Lasso monitoring. Temperatures are within normal ranges.
I’m stuck and am thinking about reinstalling Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise IOT LTSC instead. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
An alternative would be using Pro instead of LTSC. This seems to suggest Windows isn't detecting the game's reduced focus. I think when this occurs, Process Lasso might show slower performance? Are you using XMP? Is your RAM operating at its maximum speed (preferably 3600)?
Verify if ReBAR is enabled in the BIOS settings. It remains disabled by default on that ROG Strix board.
I truly hope I can avoid having to reinstall Windows, so I'll go through as many troubleshooting steps as possible before doing so. If I have no choice, I'll revert back to Windows 10 in Enterprise IoT LTSC. Regarding your response, first of all, thank you very much—I've really appreciated the help from people here. Second, I can confirm that D.O.C.P is active in the BIOS; I double-checked the packaging for my Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO, and it's clocked at 3200Mhz. Third, Process Lasso doesn't show any signs of system lag when the problem happens. It seems to detect background tasks (like settings, Task Manager, or even a Firefox tab), but the live readout isn't changing at all from 100%, which is quite strange.
Hello! Your response is appreciated. I had turned off 4G decoding due to problems with Warhammer 40K Darktide and then reactivated it for testing, but the issue persisted after a quick test with Zenless zone zero. Thanks for your advice! Also noted that this setting was disabled in my earlier version and didn’t cause the same problem—it might be related to version 11.
The main problem is needing to frequently remove and reinstall my GPU because it fully blocks the SSD, while my CPU lacks integrated graphics. I’d prefer an external drive for easier hotswapping. There was also an issue with Windows system files installing automatically, including a UEFI partition across several drives—swapping between installations might trigger similar problems again. This situation is really annoying. Are there any other steps I should try before giving up?
The only method to ensure Windows installs on just one drive is to delete all other partitions during setup. It may be inconvenient, but this is the only confirmed approach.