Unexplainable input lag/delay issue - VALORANT/KVKS/AL/CS2
Posted: 07 Jan 2026, 17:45
I have been in the optimization community for quite some time now, probably 2 to 3 years. I have pretty much tried every custom OS there is, stock and different versions, etc.
I got a custom PC around a year ago with a 9800X3D, ASUS TUF B650 (previously the Gigabyte B650 version, but the PCB phases were horrible and it would also freeze when searching in BIOS), be quiet! 850W Gold, Inno3D 5070, and 2x16 GB G.Skill CL36 6000 MHz (F6-6000J3636F16) Samsung B-die.
Before that, I played on a 144 Hz laptop with an i7-9750H and RTX 2060, 16 GB RAM, mostly competitive games like Valorant (Immortal elo) or CS2. It was not hitting consistent frametimes and it was overheating, etc. Even so, I could still pretty much carry every game and I was consistent.
Two weeks later, I switched to this custom PC and it felt like I was just behind, desynced, input lag, whatever you want to call it. It feels like I am not the one playing the game. I am not even performing close to what I used to be. I am legit just horrible now. It does not matter if it is the same elo or even two below, I cannot kill or react at all.
I thought it could be my network, but even in aim training like Kovaaks or Aimlabs, it does not feel like how it should. I have been at this for a year now trying to figure it out and it is just weird and exhausting. It does not feel instantaneous whenever I am clicking, even in Kovaaks or Aimlabs. Shooting on top of that feels off, as if I am a few ms behind what I am seeing or shooting. It feels smooth unless I am shooting or clicking, but also raw at the same time. It is hard to explain, but it is not something like a ping spike or anything obvious that would hold me back from playing at my peak. I am probably repeating myself by now.
I am just exhausted from spending close to a hundred hours on trial and error, research, and I am close to quitting competitive.
There are some Blur Busters forum posts that explain the issue in a similar way. Not entirely, but close. The site is also full of schizo people. I do believe some of them have actual issues and they come insanely close to what I am dealing with.
viewtopic.php?t=14768
viewtopic.php?t=14992
viewtopic.php?t=15104
viewtopic.php?t=12535
viewtopic.php?t=12438
viewtopic.php?t=14726#p116423
I have spent a lot of money as well, probably too much. I switched motherboards from the Gigabyte B650 Gaming Plus WiFi to the ASUS TUF B650 Plus WiFi. I played on powerline, and I even played on WiFi before. Back then it was mostly fine except for spikes, which are common and I lived with it. I also tested my PC connected directly to the router, but it made no difference in hit registration.
I have swapped monitors three times, from an ASUS 390 Hz IPS to a 360 Hz OLED and then to the XL2566K. I tried different mice. I am currently on the WL Beast X 4K, but I also have a Lamzu Mini, GPX 2, and a few others. It made no difference. I am also using a Wooting 60HE. I've swapped PSU once.
I have tried pretty much everything in the BIOS. CPU overclocking and undervolting, GPU OC and UV, different RAM settings, and I have disabled EXPO.
I am not looking for higher frames or another optimization because I have already gone through them twice. One was from https://framesynclabs.com
and the other from https://x.com/vootmoot
. I bought the highest package from FrameSyncLabs and the second from Voot, who is one of the most popular people in the Valorant community.
My frames are high and consistent. Everything looks good on paper, but it feels like I am playing through mud. I should have been performing way better at the level I was playing on, especially compared to the horrible setup I had before.
I'm now on stock windows (23h2), was previously on 24h2. CMOS reset BIOS as well.
I got a custom PC around a year ago with a 9800X3D, ASUS TUF B650 (previously the Gigabyte B650 version, but the PCB phases were horrible and it would also freeze when searching in BIOS), be quiet! 850W Gold, Inno3D 5070, and 2x16 GB G.Skill CL36 6000 MHz (F6-6000J3636F16) Samsung B-die.
Before that, I played on a 144 Hz laptop with an i7-9750H and RTX 2060, 16 GB RAM, mostly competitive games like Valorant (Immortal elo) or CS2. It was not hitting consistent frametimes and it was overheating, etc. Even so, I could still pretty much carry every game and I was consistent.
Two weeks later, I switched to this custom PC and it felt like I was just behind, desynced, input lag, whatever you want to call it. It feels like I am not the one playing the game. I am not even performing close to what I used to be. I am legit just horrible now. It does not matter if it is the same elo or even two below, I cannot kill or react at all.
I thought it could be my network, but even in aim training like Kovaaks or Aimlabs, it does not feel like how it should. I have been at this for a year now trying to figure it out and it is just weird and exhausting. It does not feel instantaneous whenever I am clicking, even in Kovaaks or Aimlabs. Shooting on top of that feels off, as if I am a few ms behind what I am seeing or shooting. It feels smooth unless I am shooting or clicking, but also raw at the same time. It is hard to explain, but it is not something like a ping spike or anything obvious that would hold me back from playing at my peak. I am probably repeating myself by now.
I am just exhausted from spending close to a hundred hours on trial and error, research, and I am close to quitting competitive.
There are some Blur Busters forum posts that explain the issue in a similar way. Not entirely, but close. The site is also full of schizo people. I do believe some of them have actual issues and they come insanely close to what I am dealing with.
viewtopic.php?t=14768
viewtopic.php?t=14992
viewtopic.php?t=15104
viewtopic.php?t=12535
viewtopic.php?t=12438
viewtopic.php?t=14726#p116423
I have spent a lot of money as well, probably too much. I switched motherboards from the Gigabyte B650 Gaming Plus WiFi to the ASUS TUF B650 Plus WiFi. I played on powerline, and I even played on WiFi before. Back then it was mostly fine except for spikes, which are common and I lived with it. I also tested my PC connected directly to the router, but it made no difference in hit registration.
I have swapped monitors three times, from an ASUS 390 Hz IPS to a 360 Hz OLED and then to the XL2566K. I tried different mice. I am currently on the WL Beast X 4K, but I also have a Lamzu Mini, GPX 2, and a few others. It made no difference. I am also using a Wooting 60HE. I've swapped PSU once.
I have tried pretty much everything in the BIOS. CPU overclocking and undervolting, GPU OC and UV, different RAM settings, and I have disabled EXPO.
I am not looking for higher frames or another optimization because I have already gone through them twice. One was from https://framesynclabs.com
and the other from https://x.com/vootmoot
. I bought the highest package from FrameSyncLabs and the second from Voot, who is one of the most popular people in the Valorant community.
My frames are high and consistent. Everything looks good on paper, but it feels like I am playing through mud. I should have been performing way better at the level I was playing on, especially compared to the horrible setup I had before.
I'm now on stock windows (23h2), was previously on 24h2. CMOS reset BIOS as well.