Weird issue with microstutter

[Wakers]

This may take some explaining:

 

I used to have 2x 1080p monitors running off a 970 through HDMI and DP.

 

I since replaced one of those monitors with a 21:9 2560x1080p.

 

So now I have one ultrawide and one 16:9 running off of a single 970 through HDMI and DP.

 

With this new setup, I have regular occurences of micro-stutter on the ultrawide if both screens are running at 60Hz - it lasts for about 2/3 seconds and it is really annoying.

 

If I run the ultrawide at 59Hz, the microstutter becomes a lot less apparent, but gameplay still is not smooth 100% of the time.  Note that with an FPS counter running, the FPS does not drop during these instances of microstutter.

 

Again, this issue was not present when both monitors were 16:9 @ 1080p.

 

The Ultrawide is currently running at 80Hz, the other 1080p at 60Hz.  Microstutter remains but is not anywhere near as bad as it was.

 

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this?  Please do tell me if the explanation is not clear enough.

[gollum99]

Monitor your vram usage.... check if its going above 3500mb

[Wakers]

Monitor your vram usage.... check if its going above 3500mb

 

Nowhere near.  Even does it if I'm just running Hearthstone on one screen and nothing else.  Plus the FPS reading doesn't drop, which it would if it hit the VRAM bottleneck.

[Wakers]

No one else has any suggestions?

[CalculuS]

Could you check with MSi AB what the frametime graph does when the stutters happen?

[kewiha]

If you are using a Displayport to something adapter, it may be crapping out. Different refresh rates between monitors could be a problem, but I've been running 66Hz and 60Hz on my two DVI montiors fine with a GTX 780. You could try running the ultrawide at 1920x1080@60Hz, and see if that fixes it.

 

Leave openhardwaremonitor or Afterburner running to check everything. CPU, or the various GPU readouts (memory controller %, etc) spiking to 95%+ could cause stutter. Try different games too.

[Wakers]

Could you check with MSi AB what the frametime graph does when the stutters happen?

 

It doesn't do anything different, sadly.

 

@kewiha - not using any adapters.  I've tried putting the ultrawide on HDMI and the 16:9 on display port and it doesn't change anything.  When it happens in hearthstone, there are no spikes in any of the Afterburner readings.  There are spikes in Guild Wars 2, but that's to be expected.  However, the spikes don't coincide with any noticeable stutter.

[CalculuS]

Try v-Sync in hearthstone and Triple buffering in nvidia control panel.

 

One after another, not both at the same time.