Stuttering issue in games, possibly monitor problem

[KnightofBane]

Hey dudes.

got a small tech problem and hoping you guys know what the problem is. ever since I built my computer last year I've noticed a lot of my games stutter when my character is moving. I've noticed this in Sleeping Dogs and Path of Exile most notably, but other games like The Witcher 2 and Chivalry: Medieval Warfare as well. the screen seems to stutter for a millisecond every 2 or so seconds, or sometimes every second. occasionally it'll just stop completely (as in it won't stutter at all). my FPS is staying a constant 60 though. no dips in FPS at all. it's like the game jumps or something.

anyone have a clue what it is? it's a minor visual complaint, but it's pretty irritating.

also my specs:

8GB RAM
2GB 6950
i5 2500k factory settings

EDIT: okay so I've noticed this issue does not happen in windowed mode. I'm trying to go fullscreen on my 2nd monitor to see if it's monitor related, but having a little trouble.

EDIT 2: tried recording in Fraps to show people. seems to completely or almost fix the stuttering while recording so I'm guessing it's not my monitor

here's the video showing off a little bit of it.

the beginning is where it's mostly at and the big stutter at 0:14~ is just an FPS drop, but the rest is the stuttering issue I'm getting

 

[Tmagic650]

What is the make and model of the power supply?

 

[KnightofBane]

OCZ Technology - OCZGXS700 (700W)

 

[Tmagic650]

What hard drive(s) do you have installed? Have you checked the boot drive for errors, if it is not an SSD drive?

 

[KnightofBane]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

this is my main HDD. I have one from my old computer that acts as a backup for all my essentials such as music. that would be this one:

http://www.sears.com/western-digita...al-caviar-750gb-7200rpm-sata/p-SPM6326418108P

however my games only run off the Seagate HDD.

I have not checked the boot drive for errors. how would one go about that?

 

[Tmagic650]

Go to computer, right-click on the C drive. Select properties, tools, check now. Put a check mark in both boxes to set a disk check on the next boot up. What antivirus program do you have installed?

 

[KnightofBane]

Ran it. didn't see anything standing out as bad, but perhaps I missed something. is there a place the results are saved or something?

 

[Tmagic650]

No need to find the file. It would have automatically "fixed" any problems. What antivirus are you using? Download and run this temp file cleaner:
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/files/file/187-tfc-temp-file-cleaner-by-oldtimer/

 

[KnightofBane]

I am using norton 360. never had any kind of malware etc. at least out of what N360 can detect.

ran the temp file cleaner as well.

 

[Tmagic650]

Remove Norton 360 temporarily and see if this "cures" the game stuttering

 

[KnightofBane]

Uninstalled. still the same issue

 

[Tmagic650]

Then try another power supply...

 

[KnightofBane]

I think buying a new power supply is a bit hasty. I mean if it's clear cut that it's my PSU I don't mind shelling out the money for one, but without the solution being clear I'd rather do a bit more process-of-elimination before I start buying new parts. I appreciate your help, though.

 

[Tmagic650]

How old is this hardware? Is the video card clean and free of dust?

 

[KnightofBane]

All of this hardware is a year old, give or take a week. and yes it is I cleaned my entire PC when I checked my PSU.

one thing I noticed is when vsync is off the stuttering stops. however I get screen tearing so that's a whole other problem.

 

[Shiney]

Check the hdd for activity when the stuttering occurs. Sounds like the data is not getting through quick enough hence the stutter.

 

[Jad Chaar]

This isnt a software or HDD issue in my opinion, it is a driver issue, I remember reading back in the release notes of a AMD driver that it fixed stuttering in many games. Download the 12.10 driver:
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/radeonaiw_vista64.aspx