Screen tear/stutters/low fps/choppy games...

[anarhistabg]

I have had this computer for a year and a half: Windows 10 , 12700K , 3070. My monitor is Alienware AW2521HFA 240hz (G-sync compatible). On my monitor i have freesync premium ON + G-Sync in Nvidia control panel. Until 2 months ago, everything was going great! I mainly play Apex Legends and Valorant. In these two games I always played with fps unlocked - 300, 400, doesn't matter. ( 300 is max fps in Apex , Valorant doesn't have fps cap at all) I have never, I repeat NEVER, had any problems with screen tearing, stutters, etc. But the last 2 months something happened... I don't know what. The only things that change on the computer are: Windows updates, OBS updates and Nvidia updates.

What is the problem?
For 2 months now I have terrible screen tearing and stutters in games. With exactly the same settings I've been playing on for a year and a half. I tried everything, I reinstalled the games. Nothing helped. I found that I can no longer play with uncapped fps. What I did - locked fps at 240 (monitor hertz) - same problem again. Tried with 237 fps lock - same. I tried with 200 fps lock - screen tearing and stutters again, but much less. I found that if I use v-sync the problem is reduced significantly, but... then I have input lag and the game doesn't feel responsive as it should be. But why? What happened to go from uncapped fps, zero screen tearing and stutters, buttery smooth gameplay, to 200 fps lock, v-sync on, screen tearing and stutters constantly... Another thing we found was that for some reason Windows was parking cores on the CPU. We tweaked some things in the Bios, changed the registries, but still the cores are still parked. I don't know if this has anything to do with the problem, just thought I'd share it with you. Another side of the problem in Valorant: if I play with 220 fps lock, at some point the game starts to run terribly, I have a lot of stutters (feels like 60 fps) when i move the mouse, the fps drops to 200 and doesn't want to move from there. Even when looking at the ground or the sky ( then my fps hits 500+ if I play with uncapped fps). Alt + tab and everything is fine. So until next time... In Rust I observed this. When I log in, the game runs fine, around 170-220 fps, depending on the location. However, over time, fps starts to drop and screen tearing and stutters become more and more. And so until the fps drops to 90-100 and doesn't go up anymore... whether I'm looking at the ground or the sky. It only fixes after restarting the game. If i have OBS open (becouse i stream) , my problems are even bigger and hapen more often! Especially with Apex Legends, the problem with alt+tab it's happening a lot in the first 20-30 minutes, then it's okey... doesn't happen to the end. Everything it's super strange...

Something very interesting:
If I have v-sync on or just locked fps , at some point it just breaks ( or stays the same , example: 225 fps lock ) and the game starts running horribly! I will try to explain it. I guess many of you know how amazing and smooth any game is on a 240hz monitor with 240fps. It was like that until 2 months ago... Let's say I'm playing Apex Legends at 240 fps lock. Everything is going normally ( with screen tearing and stutters from time to time ofcourse). However, at some point something happens, the fps cap breaks and jumps above 240 fps ( goes to 260-270-280 , etc...) Also, the game starts running horribly, like I'm playing on a 60 hertz monitor. It's just unplayable stuttering fiesta... And now the interesting part - when I use alt + tab and then go back to the game = everything is normal. And so until the next time the same thing happens. This happens in Valorant too, so the problem is not Apex...

Everything is perfect?
I have a friend who works with computers. He really understands a lot. We did all possible tests:
GPU: Heaven Benchmark , 3D Mark , Furmark = PERFECT RESULTS
CPU: Intel Extreme Tuning = PERFECT RESULTS
Memory: Intel Extreme Tuning = PERFECT RESULTS

Other things we tried...but doesn't work
Upgrade to Windows 11 , clean install Windows 11 , go back to Windows 10 with clean install , uninstall GPU drivers , uninstall GPU drivers with DDU Uninstaller , trying a couple of Nvidia driver versions (old and new ones) , different GPU - 3060 Ti , different display port cables , Freesync and Gsync OFF , Fixed Refresh Rate in NVIDIA CP , completely remove the second monitor , CapFrameX - frametimes are perfect. , BIOS upgrade to last version and many more things... I don't remember everything...

Results from CapFrameX
Rust: https://ibb.co/RTvc6Kh
Apex Legends (normal): https://ibb.co/3R3G6gw ( fps lock )
Apex Legends (problem): https://ibb.co/wLgkxP8 ( Ignore the high spikes, it's an alt tab. Pay attention to this graph, almost half way it's ok (the game runs normally), where the graph changes - that's when the problem occurs. Terrible screen tearing, stuttering and the game runs like 60 fps... until I alt+tab and go back into the game)

Results from latencymon
https://ibb.co/9gg4pxz
https://ibb.co/HX5Rv74
https://ibb.co/DYndk23
https://ibb.co/7GpYQp0
https://ibb.co/0yC8zk7

Conclusion
I'm really quite desperate and don't know what else I can do. If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it!

[Slender]

disable hags

[assombrosso]

Things to try, reset bios, clean n reapply thermal paste n cpu, try different hdmi cable

[Stimpy7314]

I have had this computer for a year and a half: Windows 10 , 12700K , 3070. My monitor is Alienware AW2521HFA 240hz (G-sync compatible). On my monitor i have freesync premium ON + G-Sync in Nvidia control panel. Until 2 months ago, everything was going great! I mainly play Apex Legends and Valorant. In these two games I always played with fps unlocked - 300, 400, doesn't matter. ( 300 is max fps in Apex , Valorant doesn't have fps cap at all) I have never, I repeat NEVER, had any problems with screen tearing, stutters, etc. But the last 2 months something happened... I don't know what. The only things that change on the computer are: Windows updates, OBS updates and Nvidia updates.

What is the problem?
For 2 months now I have terrible screen tearing and stutters in games. With exactly the same settings I've been playing on for a year and a half. I tried everything, I reinstalled the games. Nothing helped. I found that I can no longer play with uncapped fps. What I did - locked fps at 240 (monitor hertz) - same problem again. Tried with 237 fps lock - same. I tried with 200 fps lock - screen tearing and stutters again, but much less. I found that if I use v-sync the problem is reduced significantly, but... then I have input lag and the game doesn't feel responsive as it should be. But why? What happened to go from uncapped fps, zero screen tearing and stutters, buttery smooth gameplay, to 200 fps lock, v-sync on, screen tearing and stutters constantly... Another thing we found was that for some reason Windows was parking cores on the CPU. We tweaked some things in the Bios, changed the registries, but still the cores are still parked. I don't know if this has anything to do with the problem, just thought I'd share it with you. Another side of the problem in Valorant: if I play with 220 fps lock, at some point the game starts to run terribly, I have a lot of stutters (feels like 60 fps) when i move the mouse, the fps drops to 200 and doesn't want to move from there. Even when looking at the ground or the sky ( then my fps hits 500+ if I play with uncapped fps). Alt + tab and everything is fine. So until next time... In Rust I observed this. When I log in, the game runs fine, around 170-220 fps, depending on the location. However, over time, fps starts to drop and screen tearing and stutters become more and more. And so until the fps drops to 90-100 and doesn't go up anymore... whether I'm looking at the ground or the sky. It only fixes after restarting the game. If i have OBS open (becouse i stream) , my problems are even bigger and hapen more often! Especially with Apex Legends, the problem with alt+tab it's happening a lot in the first 20-30 minutes, then it's okey... doesn't happen to the end. Everything it's super strange...

Something very interesting:
If I have v-sync on or just locked fps , at some point it just breaks ( or stays the same , example: 225 fps lock ) and the game starts running horribly! I will try to explain it. I guess many of you know how amazing and smooth any game is on a 240hz monitor with 240fps. It was like that until 2 months ago... Let's say I'm playing Apex Legends at 240 fps lock. Everything is going normally ( with screen tearing and stutters from time to time ofcourse). However, at some point something happens, the fps cap breaks and jumps above 240 fps ( goes to 260-270-280 , etc...) Also, the game starts running horribly, like I'm playing on a 60 hertz monitor. It's just unplayable stuttering fiesta... And now the interesting part - when I use alt + tab and then go back to the game = everything is normal. And so until the next time the same thing happens. This happens in Valorant too, so the problem is not Apex...

Everything is perfect?
I have a friend who works with computers. He really understands a lot. We did all possible tests:
GPU: Heaven Benchmark , 3D Mark , Furmark = PERFECT RESULTS
CPU: Intel Extreme Tuning = PERFECT RESULTS
Memory: Intel Extreme Tuning = PERFECT RESULTS

Other things we tried...but doesn't work
Upgrade to Windows 11 , clean install Windows 11 , go back to Windows 10 with clean install , uninstall GPU drivers , uninstall GPU drivers with DDU Uninstaller , trying a couple of Nvidia driver versions (old and new ones) , different GPU - 3060 Ti , different display port cables , Freesync and Gsync OFF , Fixed Refresh Rate in NVIDIA CP , completely remove the second monitor , CapFrameX - frametimes are perfect. , BIOS upgrade to last version and many more things... I don't remember everything...

Results from CapFrameX
Rust: https://ibb.co/RTvc6Kh
Apex Legends (normal): https://ibb.co/3R3G6gw ( fps lock )
Apex Legends (problem): https://ibb.co/wLgkxP8 ( Ignore the high spikes, it's an alt tab. Pay attention to this graph, almost half way it's ok (the game runs normally), where the graph changes - that's when the problem occurs. Terrible screen tearing, stuttering and the game runs like 60 fps... until I alt+tab and go back into the game)

Results from latencymon
https://ibb.co/9gg4pxz
https://ibb.co/HX5Rv74
https://ibb.co/DYndk23
https://ibb.co/7GpYQp0
https://ibb.co/0yC8zk7

Conclusion
I'm really quite desperate and don't know what else I can do. If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it!

Having issues with apex too, is the only game that feels weird, especially aiming, feels like delayed. playing with this shit feels like a huge disadvantage for me

And not a single fix works, or is temporary

[anarhistabg]

disable hags

I tried HAGS and Game Mode on and off , doesn't change anything...

Things to try, reset bios, clean n reapply thermal paste n cpu, try different hdmi cable

Im using Display Port cable, not HDMI. Already tried another display port cable, same story....

[imprecise]

Things to try, reset bios, clean n reapply thermal paste n cpu, try different hdmi cable

I agree, sounds like a hardware issue caused by inefficient cooling. I would start at GPU thermals since this is a common issue with graphics cards.

[anarhistabg]

Things to try, reset bios, clean n reapply thermal paste n cpu, try different hdmi cable

I agree, sounds like a hardware issue caused by inefficient cooling. I would start at GPU thermals since this is a common issue with graphics cards.

Okay, but... I have absolutely no problem with high temperatures. Both the processor and video card work great. During game + stream, the degrees are between 50 - 75. In addition, the card passes the FurMark test without a problem, and the processor passes the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility.

[TN_fun]

The problem of dirty electricity or RF interference, in general, all this shit. Check the PC elsewhere, if the problem is fixed there, buy another PC on ddr5. I have not yet seen anyone who has had problems similar to yours with ddr5. ddr 5 is better shielded and has ECC error correction

[imprecise]

Things to try, reset bios, clean n reapply thermal paste n cpu, try different hdmi cable

I agree, sounds like a hardware issue caused by inefficient cooling. I would start at GPU thermals since this is a common issue with graphics cards.

Okay, but... I have absolutely no problem with high temperatures. Both the processor and video card work great. During game + stream, the degrees are between 50 - 75. In addition, the card passes the FurMark test without a problem, and the processor passes the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility.

RTX cards have poor cooling design for the video ram and the way the problem is described seems to indicate a hardware issue. It was working normally, then something changed with no software reason and then you completely reinstalled the software with the issue remaining across different OS.

One angle you can look into is benchmarking the 2D graphics performance, it could be a bug that I also experienced and posted about here:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11711

[InputLagger]

Things to try, reset bios, clean n reapply thermal paste n cpu, try different hdmi cable

I agree, sounds like a hardware issue caused by inefficient cooling. I would start at GPU thermals since this is a common issue with graphics cards.

Okay, but... I have absolutely no problem with high temperatures. Both the processor and video card work great. During game + stream, the degrees are between 50 - 75. In addition, the card passes the FurMark test without a problem, and the processor passes the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility.

RTX cards have poor cooling design for the video ram and the way the problem is described seems to indicate a hardware issue. It was working normally, then something changed with no software reason and then you completely reinstalled the software with the issue remaining across different OS.

One angle you can look into is benchmarking the 2D graphics performance, it could be a bug that I also experienced and posted about here:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11711

He can undervolt the gpu for lower temps, or even underclock the card