Hey everyone! A few months ago, I built a new PC, and since then, I've been running into frequent frame time spikes and stutters in every game I try. For instance, while gaming, my FPS can drop from around 140 to 136, and I see a significant frame time spike in MSI Afterburner. This issue happens even in games that are easy to run, like Minecraft, Halo 3, and Valheim, which makes gaming really frustrating for me. I end up avoiding a lot of games even though my PC is pretty powerful. This problem seems to occur multiple times a minute, and I've noticed that my 1% lows are typically between 60%-70% of the average FPS across most games, especially worse in Minecraft.
Here are my specs: 9700x, 4070, B650 Tomahawk motherboard, Asus TUF 850-watt PSU, and 32GB of RAM.
I'm speculating a few things—first, my motherboard has some coil whine, but it goes away when I stress test the CPU. Also, I've noticed that when I first turn on my PC, the GPU fans run at 100% until Windows loads; my old setup didn't do this. Could these issues possibly hint at a problem with the motherboard?
Furthermore, when I download games on Steam, my PC slows down a bit; is this expected behavior for a CPU like the 9700x? Also, could overtightening the CPU cooler lead to these frame time spikes? I think I didn't overtighten it, but I've read AM5 CPUs are sensitive to pressure. Should I consider remounting it or even trying a different CPU for testing?
Lastly, my PSU makes a click sound when powered on and off. Could this indicate a faulty PSU, or is that normal? Other than those clicks, it seems to be working fine. I've tried capping the FPS, doing a fresh install of Windows 11, switching RAM, and disabling power monitoring in Afterburner, but none of that seems to help. Any insights or help would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
It sounds like you’re running into a mix of issues, but the symptoms you describe could suggest something about the motherboard or potentially the power supply. If the coil whine is loud or concerning, you might want to consider reaching out to the manufacturer. Also, don't hesitate to remount your CPU cooler—just make sure it's snug without overdoing it!
First off, have you checked your temps under load? High temperatures can definitely cause performance issues. When I played Battlefront 2, my GPU hit about 70°C while my CPU was between 75-83°C. So it's worth monitoring those. Also, have you updated your graphics drivers? That can sometimes help with stuttering problems too.
The click sound from your PSU is pretty common and usually not something to worry about. As for the cooler mounting, I think your issue is likely less about that and more about the drivers or settings. Make sure you’ve got everything fully updated and try disabling any unnecessary background processes while gaming.
Yeah, I keep my temps in check too. It’s crucial for stable performance. And good call on the drivers—many people overlook that!