Graphics stuttering on Windows 10

[tinpanalley]

I wonder if it's worth checking the driver date of the audio driver.

Process Explorer will show RAM usage (both physical and logical representations). If RAM usage is hitting say 75% of the total then that's worth looking into IMO.

The audio driver seems fine. I'll look at Process Explorer more clearly to see if I can find where the RAM usage is shown. What SHOULD it be at running a game? Roughly?

 

[Oyeve]

Over never used a fan utility, can you recommend one? And if the fan isn't spinning properly, is there a fix for that? It would suck if the gpu couldn't be used only because of a mechanical problem.

I use MSI Afterburner. Works on pretty much any mobo/card combo.

 

[tinpanalley]

I use MSI Afterburner. Works on pretty much any mobo/card combo.

Ok, already have it. So I tell it to crank the fan to 100 and then what?

 

[Oyeve]

Ok, already have it. So I tell it to crank the fan to 100 and then what?

You should hear the fans spinning like mad. Check the temp and run a game and see whats what.

 

[tinpanalley]

Process Explorer will show RAM usage (both physical and logical representations). If RAM usage is hitting say 75% of the total then that's worth looking into IMO.

RAM usage, if I'm reading the program correctly (I sincerely am not sure) is at about 68%. Sorry, it's just that nothing in the program says "current RAM usage" so I can't be sure.

One thing I CAN say, is that I cracked open the computer to check the fans and they all spin fine but everything in my tower was filthy with dust. All the fans ans parts of the mobo had dust caked on. I think I accidentally forgot to clean it last time I intended to. Now, that would probably have caused the fans to spin louder if anything and that isn't what was happening. So other than a much needed cleanup being taken care of, I don't think that's gonna solve my problem.

I also ran MSI Afterburner and cranked the fan to 100. Don't know what that accomplished but I did it.

 

[Ketchup]

The fans themselves can be replaced, but let's see if that is the problem first. Did you notice a sound increase when you cranked the fans to 100%? Caked on dust can cause a lot of extra heat, depending on how much.

 

[tinpanalley]

This is completely shocking to me but giving my computer a full clean and removing all the aforementioned caked on dust has actually made the game work again, not to mention a couple of other things that were clearly lagging that I hadn't noticed. I'm a bit dumbfounded and also feeling dumb that I didn't know the dirty fans could make such a difference.

 

[Oyeve]

This is completely shocking to me but giving my computer a full clean and removing all the aforementioned caked on dust has actually made the game work again, not to mention a couple of other things that were clearly lagging that I hadn't noticed. I'm a bit dumbfounded and also feeling dumb that I didn't know the dirty fans could make such a difference.

Yup. An overheating card will cause throttling.

 

[VirtualLarry]

This is completely shocking to me but giving my computer a full clean and removing all the aforementioned caked on dust has actually made the game work again, not to mention a couple of other things that were clearly lagging that I hadn't noticed. I'm a bit dumbfounded and also feeling dumb that I didn't know the dirty fans could make such a difference.

This is surprising to many people. To some of us with experience with these things, not so much.

I had a client with a PC that was even actually shutting down, due to the fact that it hadn't been cleaned in approx. five years. It was only a browser box, but it was in a SFF case, with limited airflow, and those Intel heatsinks can clog up pretty easily once you get a good layer of dust on them. Even if the fan does keep spinning.

 

[mikeymikec]

I didn't honestly expect that to be the solution since the OP said that other more demanding games ran without issue

OP, when you say 'caked on' dust, did it come away in a wispy fashion (ie. the slightest of encouragement with a vacuum cleaner pulled it away), or was it more 'cakey' than that? If the latter, are there any furry pets in your house and/or does anyone smoke, or is the computer near a highly humid environment like the bathroom or kitchen?

Usually for caked-on dust I need to brush the fans out because the crud is stuck to the heatsinks.

 

[tinpanalley]

OP, when you say 'caked on' dust, did it come away in a wispy fashion (ie. the slightest of encouragement with a vacuum cleaner pulled it away), or was it more 'cakey' than that?

When I say caked on, I mean not a powdery dust that flies into the air when you simply pass your hand over it. I mean a dust that clearly is very dense and made of finer particles than that such that it creates a sort of thin woven wool of dust that needs to be lifted. Not scraped, it wasn't that bad or that humid, but certainly needed the power of my vacuum and my computer cleaning attachments.

 

[mikeymikec]

Well, something is making the dust that way, and I've listed the sources I'm used to seeing, though I live in a country with a pretty mild climate (UK).

 

[VirtualLarry]

Speaking of cleaning PCs with vacuum cleaners, would a Dirt Devil 7.2V unit, with the Crevice Tool extended, be acceptable for cleaning out PC heatsinks? Or do you think that it would generate too much static? It's battery-operated.

 

[tinpanalley]

Speaking of cleaning PCs with vacuum cleaners, would a Dirt Devil 7.2V unit, with the Crevice Tool extended, be acceptable for cleaning out PC heatsinks? Or do you think that it would generate too much static? It's battery-operated.

Probably. I use an attachment accessory that limits the suction power to avoid the static issues.

 

[Ketchup]

I have never had a vac alone, even strong units with good attachments, get a computer to what I would consider clean. I use my air compressor, or a can or compressed air if I am away. If the unit cannot be taken outside, use the vacuum to collect the dust that that was freed by the compressed air.

I am glad to hear that your unit is running well again

 

[mikeymikec]

I've once seen an air compressor make short work of something a vacuum cleaner had difficulty with (Intel Sandy Bridge stock heatsink on an i7), but generally I use a vacuum cleaner, taking care not to touch PCB / components.

 

[tinpanalley]

I'm not crazy about compressed air for various reason. The first is the waste issue for how long a can lasts, to me that makes it a very wasteful product which I don't like using. Secondly, there is just as much damage that can accidentally be done by freezing your mobo components, having to use the can at the right angle, etc. This vacuum attachment set works just right for me.