Impossible to research; persistent frame stutter/jitter

[TicoEx]

What exactly do you mean here? You turned gsync on and it improved or off and it improved?

Are both Gsync and Vsync in the driver turned off or on? Result for each. Test with G/Vsync on and G/Vsync off and visa versa.

Is your monitor Gsync compatible? Is there a Gsync toggle within the monitor?

What is the refresh rate of the monitor? 60Hz?

VSYNC/GSYNC – Google Drive Here are videos of each setting

[xrobwx71]

It definitely looks like refresh rate issues.

Turn all V/Gsync off in the driver, on the monitor, and in the game setting if applicable.

Then turn the driver G/Vsync on, test.
Turn driver G/Vsync off.

Turn Monitor G/Vsync on test.
Monitor G/Vsync off

Repeat in game settings on/off Matter of fact, check the in-game settings for other causation as well.

[TicoEx]

It definitely looks like refresh rate issues.

Turn all V/Gsync off in the driver, on the monitor, and in the game setting if applicable.

Then turn the driver G/Vsync on, test.
Turn driver G/Vsync off.

Turn Monitor G/Vsync on test.
Monitor G/Vsync off

Repeat in game settings on/off Matter of fact, check the in-game settings for other causation as well.

I know it looks like it, but I don’t think it is. It happened on this monitor, and another. with both GPU and iGPU. It happens outside of games as well. It also happens in Safe Mode.

[TicoEx]

Quick update after some continued experimenting:

-I played Overwatch with a YouTube video playing. Finally saw some frame drops. I usually play OW with YT and have no problem with either (solid 244fps). Does this point to a degeneration?

-The frame pacing issue seems to extend even into the BIOS. Moving the mouse around in there displayed the same sort of behavior (difficult to see due to lower Hz)

-Disabling ASUS CPU configuration and opting for Intel defaults did not affect issue

[TicoEx]

Varying refresh rates is known to cause issues- try with just one monitor and if that doesn’t work continue to my list below:

This is my laundry list, it’s a good starting point for troubleshooting and should get you an idea what’s going on, none of these should impact a warranty claim:

1. Try running the following programs, also try to keep at least 25-30% of your disks as free space.

Run Disk Cleanup (check all the boxes) this will delete things such as your recycling bin, so make sure you don’t have any files you want to keep.

Run Defragment and Optimize Drives, run this on your drives.

These will free up some space, but you may need to relocate/delete files to reach the suggested free space.

1. Disable any overclocking or changes to power/performance settings

Undo any overclocking you may have done (if any)

Settings > System > Power and sleep > Additional power settings
Make sure your power plan is set to balanced, high performance/ultimate performance is only beneficial on gaming laptops where it needs that extra boost.

1. Check for Operating System Corruption

Right click on the Windows logo in the bottom left and select Windows Powershell (Admin)
Run these three commands separately:

sfc /scannow

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

These will take a while to run, do not close out of Powershell while they are running, if one fails then move onto the next and then loop back around.

Note: It doesn’t hurt to make a system backup before you make all these changes, save any important files of folders. While these changes shouldn’t cause any issues, better to be safe than sorry.

1. Unplug unnecessary devices.

If you have a gamepad, extra monitor, external hard drive/flash drive, or anything that is not essential to using the computer plugged in, unplug it.

Once you have completed all of these tasks, restart it (using the restart option in the power menu) and re-test.

I’ve tried these steps as part of my testing already, but I just went ahead and tried them again in your order with a reboot. No luck. The other day, I disconnected all SATA drives and tried too. Same thing.

[Pyro]

There is a new BIOS version, while I doubt it to fix the issue it might be worth doing anyway.

Can you give me a bit more context on when the issue started? Has it been a problem since you got the computer?

Is this a custom build, if so when- if not who built it and when?

Was anything changed before the issue started, when did it start if not immediately?

Does it happen constantly or is there a time it is most common?

[TicoEx]

There is a new BIOS version, while I doubt it to fix the issue it might be worth doing anyway.

Can you give me a bit more context on when the issue started? Has it been a problem since you got the computer?

Is this a custom build, if so when- if not who built it and when?

Was anything changed before the issue started, when did it start if not immediately?

Does it happen constantly or is there a time it is most common?

Thank you for your responses so far.

I tried updating my BIOS. I also reset my CMOS.

It’s really hard to pinpoint exactly when it started, since the symptoms aren’t obvious without investigation. It either started ~1.5mo ago or closer to 3 years ago. Its a computer that I’ve had for many years, but have basically fully renovated in the last couple of years. I noticed this behavior 3 years ago, tried to fix and couldn’t. I then upgraded my CPU+Mobo+RAM+PSU and thought the issue was gone. It’s now appeared again. Honestly, it makes me question if it truly disappeared. Both times, it’s appeared after a move and I’ve considered that I might have jostled or damaged something. ?Would that create the same, hard-to-diagnose behavior each time? The only parts that remain from the first time this issue showed itself are: 2 mechanical hard drives, a SATA SSD, and peripherals iirc.

I built the computer.

Other than the moves, I can’t think of anything that would be different.

It is constant, as far as I can tell. Moving the mouse sometimes feels OK, but an inspection of the behavior using slowmo shows its the same. Scrolling in browser and gaming always feels off.

[TicoEx]

Another update: Booting into a portable, flashdrive version of Ubuntu shows the same behavior.

[georgeks]

This comment “..Both times, it’s appeared after a move and I’ve considered that I might have jostled or damaged something..” forces me to ask a question:

Do you know what BGA failure is?

When I worked with HP, I read a memo suggesting to let a system run, and then try to move it or lift it from a corner (for a laptop). If there was any performance issue, BGA failure was to be suspected.

In your case, as this is a bit old system, this could be the culprit.

[xrobwx71]

I tried updating my BIOS

What does this mean? You tried and it failed to update?
You were successful in updating the BIOS but the issue is still there?

I know we are hitting you with a lot of questions and suggestions but that’s a necessity since we are not sitting in front of the PC.

If we assume and we are wrong in our assumption, then we give incorrect advice. Please help us help you.

[TicoEx]

This comment “..Both times, it’s appeared after a move and I’ve considered that I might have jostled or damaged something..” forces me to ask a question:

Do you know what BGA failure is?

When I worked with HP, I read a memo suggesting to let a system run, and then try to move it or lift it from a corner (for a laptop). If there was any performance issue, BGA failure was to be suspected.

In your case, as this is a bit old system, this could be the culprit.

I had not heard of this. I ran a game with performance monitor on the side. Once the CPU and GPU usage flattened out, I picked up each corner. No change in usage, or framerate

[TicoEx]

What does this mean? You tried and it failed to update?
You were successful in updating the BIOS but the issue is still there?

I know we are hitting you with a lot of questions and suggestions but that’s a necessity since we are not sitting in front of the PC.

If we assume and we are wrong in our assumption, then we give incorrect advice. Please help us help you.

Sorry for the ambiguity. Yes, i mean I updated my BIOS successfully, but it did not correct the issue. I truly appreciate the suggestions. It feels like a luxury having qualified folks willing to work through some steps with me. I’m happy to provide anything you all need to get a better picture

[veeg]

Any updates ?

[veeg]

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