CPU Spike, GPU Drop - Stuttering

Sir Rift · April 2, 2022

Hi folks! Sorry my first post is asking for help... I just don't know where else to turn!

I essentially bought a new PC and kept a handful of old parts. Since then I've been getting a stuttering effect anywhere from every 1.5 minutes, to multiple times within 30 seconds. The CPU spikes then GPU drops, and then it levels out.

I'm exclusively playing Heroes of the Storm so the computer shouldn't break a sweat since my old PC didn't either on max settings. Happens in Warzone on basically lowest settings possible. Stutter lasts from .5 - 2 seconds long. Screen and audio are briefly frozen in the game then catch up with itself, but I can still hear friends in discord uninterrupted from what I can tell. I'm not sure if stutter is the correct term but thats how it feels. PC specs below:

i3-12100F

Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4

G.Skill 2x8 DDR4-3200

EX920 1TB nvme (Windows and games on this)

1TB 7200 HDD

XFX RX 6600 XT QICK

EVGA 650 Gold

TP-Link TX50E (I use ethernet. This is for Bluetooth)

Things I've tried:

1) Updated BIOS

2) Wiped nvme and reinstalled Windows

3) Tried 4 different sets of RAM. Set XMP accordingly

4) Tried with a 1070, 6600, and 6600 xt

5) Pulled CMOS to reset and re-update BIOS

6) Set Windows power options to High Performance

7) Turned V-Sync off and on

8) CPU temps are in the 60s.

9) Updated ethernet drivers and pulled TP-Link TX50E from the mobo (just in case)

10) Turned off windows wallpaper slideshow (set to 10 mins anyway, timing doesn't align with issue)

11) DDU old drivers and reinstalled Radeon drivers

12) Disabled XBOX game bar

13) Disabled Game DVR in registry (turned back on after unsuccessful)

14) Changed M.2 slots for nvme.

15) Task mgr doesn't show anything particularly CPU bound during stutters. Maybe 3% on Desktop Window Manager from what I saw.

16) Manually checked watts of all parts. ~375w. Should still be lots of headroom left.

17) Repasted CPU with Artic MX-4

18) Manually added 20gb of virtual memory

Benchmarks don't seem to cause the stutter. I tried Cinebench, Heaven, and both at the same time but no stutters! I thought maybe it was storage or network related but I'm not sure how those could produce a CPU spike.

The GPU probably isn't getting instructions which may explain that drop, so I'm guessing the CPU spike is what I need to look into. Occasionally I've seen a CPU drop and then spike, GPU behavior is the same.

Other symptoms:

I've also noticed that the CPU hits like 100% just booting up the PC or opening stuff like google chrome or internet edge for a few choppy seconds before chilling at like 10%-19%. Even switching between discord servers/channels can jump the CPU to 45% (from 19% watching someone stream in discord - a 26% jump). Seems like a miniscule task for that much CPU effort.

Any ideas? Thank you so much in advance!