You're having trouble with a fairly recent setup. I'm here to help you out.
You're having trouble with a fairly recent setup. I'm here to help you out.
Hey there! I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my gameplay lately. I’ve been experiencing random freezes in two games—Hunt Showdown and Doom 2016—that used to run smoothly. When I check the in-game performance stats, it looks like the CPU is the main problem, especially the "max" frame timing. Sometimes the numbers get so detailed they almost hide everything else.
These freezes usually last just a second or two and happen without warning. They don’t mess up anything outside the game, and once they pass, things work fine until the next one—whether it’s after a few seconds or a few minutes.
I’ve tried adjusting every graphics setting and resolution, but nothing seems to fix the issue. I’ve also tested all the hardware components, reinstalled Windows, disabled cores, changed BIOS settings, tweaked voltage, adjusted over/underclocking, and even changed power plans. Still nothing works.
Interestingly, other games like Control with ray tracing at max settings (4K internal rendering) run perfectly, lasting over 40 hours without any problems—just a minor overclock I applied earlier that was quickly fixed by lowering it to 15MHz.
I’m really tired trying to solve this, and I hope it’s something simple I missed. If you have any ideas or tips, I’d really appreciate it!
The temperatures are definitely high. Ryzen processors can sometimes lead to unpredictable frame rates. Have you checked your CPU and GPU usage using MSI Afterburner and seen those stats displayed during gameplay? Also, are you enabling XMP profiles for your RAM at the maximum speed of 3600? Running an Intelligent Standby List Cleaner while playing might help keep your RAM performance smooth during intense data transfers. AMD has a reputation for tricky CPU decisions, like mixing floating module virtual cores with physical cores in Bulldozer. It seems they’re now tying CPU speed to RAM speed, which adds unnecessary delay.
The temperature drop was quite significant. Ryzen processors often lead to unpredictable frame rates. Have you checked your CPU and GPU usage using MSI Afterburner and seen those stats displayed during gameplay? Also, are you enabling XMP profiles for your RAM at the maximum speed of 3600? Running an Intelligent Standby List Cleaner while gaming could help maintain optimal RAM performance during heavy data transfers.
AMD is known for its unpredictable CPU choices. They made a mistake with Bulldozer by mixing floating module virtual cores with physical cores, and now they’re sticking to forcing a CPU to match RAM speed. This creates unnecessary delays, which is why I’ve been leaning toward Intel lately. When I set up a gaming rig, I focus on performance for games rather than streaming or multitasking.
Thanks for your response! I plan to give Afterburner another shot since the RAM issue remains unchanged whether it's enabled or disabled. I've also experimented with underclocking/overclocking and adjusting voltages, but nothing seems to help.
I tried ISLC too, but no improvement. It looks like the high frame time spikes are mostly seen in the "Max CPU" metrics, so I'm starting to suspect the problem might be there. Earlier, there were no issues with games like Beatsaber, but now they start showing up in less demanding titles like Beatsaber again. This makes me wonder if the 3600 is failing.
What's puzzling is that it runs perfectly on Control at full settings, yet games like Doom show these spikes consistently. I've always used Intel, which has been reliable for me over the past ten years. Now I'm starting to regret switching to AMD.
My Ryzen 3800x has always run smoothly without any freezing or strange behavior. I’ve experienced game crashes suddenly, especially with CoD MW, but those usually got fixed after updating the motherboard chipset drivers. You might want to give that a try too.
You could also check if you've updated the GPU drivers recently. If only certain games are affected, it’s more likely a software issue rather than a hardware problem.
Hey GarrettL,
I refreshed the MoBo drivers a few months back, but I'm planning to do another check to see if there are any newer versions available. The Windows Game Mode was already disabled, so I don’t think that affected things much. I also have the newest GPU driver installed, but I might try going back to an older one just to compare.
As I mentioned before, the biggest clue pointing to a CPU issue is how the "Max CPU Frametime" keeps jumping up rapidly during freezes in Doom 2016.
I think these kinds of issues tend to pop up more often with Ryzens compared to what I've seen. At least it seems like optimizing games for it is way more challenging than what Intel is delivering right now. Sure, it's still a much better design than Bulldozer, but it's definitely quite sensitive.
This isn't accurate at all. The forum has a big community of AMD users, and the problem the person is facing is quite uncommon. There would likely be many discussions about similar issues, along with hardware reviews highlighting these concerns.
It's also worth noting that this is my very first build using AMD since the Athlon era.
Both Intel and AMD produce reliable CPU options.
If you have any proof of such problems, feel free to share the links.
I just noticed what I've observed without needing to jump into a technical argument. It doesn't affect how I see the situation.
The information provided here isn't enough to pinpoint the issue clearly, which is why I don’t think much of your argument. Stuttering can come from various sources, but those long pauses lasting a few seconds to a couple of seconds are typically linked to serious frame drops—something Ryzens are known for. Also, the person who started the thread mentioned they’re experiencing problems with Max CPU Frametime more than once. That gives us a bit more concrete ground to work from instead of just guessing.