Whether you are a casual, novice gamer, or a professional one, you have faced game stuttering at least once in your playtime. And it’s not like it happens in low-end PCs; game stuttering can happen in high-end PCs with powerful graphics cards, processors, and even on systems with tons of RAM and the latest gaming hardware.
Reasons for game stuttering and their fixes
Have a closer look at these computer stuttering issues in games, along with methods on how to fix the problems. They are common reasons found in most PCs and can be fixed in no time.
Let’s take a look:
Low Amount Of RAM & VRAM Available
A low amount of RAM or VRAM may be the reason behind your computer stuttering in games.
AS STATED BY THE DEVELOPERS, all PC games have minimum system requirements to run the game properly without much compromise in graphics. You can find RAM on your motherboard as the system memory whereas VRAM is the video memory that comes with a graphics card. These two things play a significant part in running games smoothly on your system. A modern-day AAA game requires at least 16GB of RAM and 4GB VRAM for a proper 1080p gaming experience.
Issues With The Video Driver
The general rule is to install the latest graphics driver with the latest games. But it is not a hard-and-fast rule that a new driver is the better one. Sometimes, old drivers tend to be more stable and efficient for your game. And not all drivers are compatible with your graphics card. This means that you need to test your recent video drivers to check which suits your gaming needs.
To install video drivers (old or new), you should first use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to remove current video drivers. DDU is a simple tool that completely wipes out older video drivers and their registries and associated files.
Issues With The Audio Driver
It is a rare occurrence, but it does sometimes happen that your audio drivers cause audio stuttering. These audio stuttering include audio skipping, audio lag, audio playback freezing, or audio slurring. Most of us remember to update our video drivers with each new game but neglect our audio drivers. If you are facing audio stuttering, then updating your audio drivers might be the fix.
But sometimes, an integrated sound card is not supported by the latest operating systems like Windows 10. If you have the same issue, you can get a new motherboard or buy a dedicated sound card that is fully compatible with the latest Windows OS.
CPU/GPU overclock instability
Overclocking your CPU/GPU is one of the biggest reasons why stuttering in games happens. Usually, it occurs because the overclock is unstable, but it can also happen when the overclock is stable within other applications or benchmarks.
You can resolve this issue by simply disabling the overclock of your CPU/GPU and running it on stock frequencies alone. If you want, you can try and downclock your CPU/GPU for further tests since many users have reported success in this method.
Windows updates
You won’t believe it, but Windows updates can cause computer stuttering and ruin your gaming session. The problem is profound with Windows 10 since it keeps receiving frequent updates and installations. Some users have observed that their computer or game would stutter with the latest updates while performing well before the update.
The only solution is that you be selective and careful about the updates. You can check out the gaming or tech forums for reviews about the latest updates before clicking “Install.” If you observe that a particular update has received negative reviews on tech blogs, you can skip installing them or roll back to the previous version. You can even disable Windows updates altogether, but you need to be careful since it raises security concerns. To learn about identity thefts in gaming arenas, click here.
CPU Overheating
When your CPU overheats, it slows down all processes and works on lower frequencies to bring down the temperature. This process slows down your game, especially if you’re playing a heavily dependent game on your CPU. The most common reason for a CPU overheat is a low-grade stock CPU cooler. Invest in a good after-market CPU cooler along with excellent thermal paste to reduce CPU temperature. Further, you can improve the airflow in your CPU case, making a massive difference.
These were some prominent reasons for game stuttering, which generally occur in all gaming PCs. All you have to do is keep in mind your CPU and game specifications. The other way is to make hardware updates to your system. Take your pick!