Videos slow down or freeze on the second screen during gameplay in full-screen or windowed fullscreen mode.
Videos slow down or freeze on the second screen during gameplay in full-screen or windowed fullscreen mode.
I think this is the appropriate spot for sharing. Usually I can resolve most issues by searching online, but this one has been tricky. I recently got a high-end PC with an RTX 4090 GPU, an i9 13900KF CPU, a ROG STRIX Z790-H motherboard, and 96 GB DDR5 RAM. I’m able to play games like Cyberpunk at full settings without problems. However, when watching videos or streams on my second monitor while a game runs, I notice significant frame drops—sometimes the video freezes completely even though audio stays clear. Statistics still show low performance (around 10 fps).
I’ve experimented with many fixes: adjusting refresh rates (60/60, 120/120, 60/120), disabling efficiency mode, turning off overlays like Discord or GForce Experience, and toggling hardware acceleration on and off. Updated drivers and checked for bottlenecks, but nothing stands out. The issue persists whether I play in windowed or fullscreen mode, though it’s only noticeable with certain games.
I’ve also tried different titles—Path of Exile, Cyberpunk, Slay the Spire, Genshin Impact—and none behaved differently compared to a standard indie game in Slay in the Spire. I’m open to any advice or additional details you can provide.
Viewed the Performance section in Task Manager. Initially missed the KF CPU. Note: This behavior appears on other machines too—sometimes certain driver updates prevent video playback while gaming or cause one side monitor to go black. Is the second monitor positioned to the left of the main display? Moving it right might help. The monitor on the left has negative pixel coordinates, which can lead to issues; you don’t need to change its position physically—just adjust orientation in Nvidia Control Panel.
have you experimented with this Chrome setting? chrome://flags/#ignore-gpu-blocklist i noticed similar problems, though your YouTube on your PC seems unusual. in Chrome I can't view 4K resolution (my monitor is 4K), but switching to Opera on the same YouTube channel suddenly allows me to see 4K.
It seems to be already in the correct position, though the NVIDIA control panel displayed it on the left instead. Changing it there didn’t seem to make a difference. I shared a screenshot below. The monitor names are similar, but they’re not the same device—my main one is XL2411P and the second is XL2411K. I’ve swapped the primary model without success. It makes me think the issue might have started with the monitor itself rather than the PC. I replaced this monitor just a day before upgrading to the new PC, since my old one kept shutting down intermittently. I’d already ordered it in advance because the previous one was failing randomly. I only used it for a short time with my old setup, but similar problems appeared there too, unlike what I experienced on the new monitor (I can’t recall its exact model). I was using Firefox instead of Chrome, but tried Chrome again with both options enabled, still facing the same problems.
I've observed some issues across various platforms. For instance, when testing Path of Exile, streaming it directly causes significant frame loss—often 100%, leaving only audio. In contrast, watching YouTube videos with minimal action results in far fewer drops, around 5% or less, though still experiencing some stuttering. It seems streaming services are the most problematic, as even complex content can drop 10-15% of frames at times. The YouTube stream also froze completely, suggesting it's not just a Path of Exile issue.
Are you checking if other methods like VRR or G-Sync are used for apps that don’t fill the entire screen? That’s probably why.
To discover if you're using a similar service, look into your system settings or app permissions related to storage synchronization. Check network activity logs or app-specific configurations for indicators of sync behavior. If unsure, consult the device manufacturer's support resources or community forums.