Problems with random freeze/lag for 1-3 seconds

[Thomas Kristoffersen]

Hello all

This is my first post and I'm kind of having an issue which has been going on for a good while now.

The problem is that now matter which game I'm playing I get this annoying freeze/lag that lasts for about 1-3 seconds, and then poof, it works again for another 5-10 minutes without problem (time from freeze to freeze can vary some). (This seems to happen once in a while if I'm watching stuff on youtube as well. Not tried other streaming sites. Watching videos normally on my computer from VLC is working fine.

I have tried absolutly everything to solve this problem.

- Reinstalled to a clean windows 8.1 from which I had Windows 7 before. Had the problem before and I have it now.
.- Updated all my drivers as well as my GPU (Got a GeForce GTX 780M).
- Switched from balanced to "High performance" under "power plan"

That's basically it. I don't have any other suggestions right now since I really don't want to start lurking inside the laptop (open it etc) but I'm pretty sure it's not any software related.

It's extremely hard to play for example LoL, HotS or WoW when this is happening all the time.. I really don't know what to do.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: This video pretty much sums up my problem. It's not my computer but it is about just like this:

https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Iq7g-bJC8

 

[Thomas Kristoffersen]

Trying to bump this.

 

[jubatuss]

I had a similar problem (playing a game, suddenly the game stops/pauses/freezes for about 1-2 seconds and then continued without a problem). This occured few times during about 30min session. If you think you have the same problem, here was my solution:

My RAM timings were off in my BIOS. First of all, you should check if you have only one type of RAM in your computer. If you have different models or manufacturers, you most likely have this problem. Check the ram model number from the ram stick and google the timings for that model. You should look for 4 numbers (example: 9-9-9-24).

My case was this: I had 2 different ram modules with different set of timings. Other one had 9-9-9-24 and the other had 9-9-9-27. My bios was set to 9-9-9-25. I never even had touched those settings. I removed the 4gb ram module and left the 8gb one inside. Then I adjusted the timings to recommended in bios. Problem solved.

If you have the same case: 1. Check the needed RAM timings. 2. Shut down computer, boot it up again and press the needed key to open bios. 3. Go to AI Tweaker, scroll down to "Dram timings" or something similar. Check that the 4 numbers match with the ones you found from google. If they dont, just change them.

 

[Thomas Kristoffersen]

The RAM comes from the same company that made them, and they are identical RAM pieces as well. Doesn't find anything strange about the RAM in general either.

But I noticed something when I was playing earlier. Sometimes during the lag that I'm experiencing, and when I'm on skype, it even kicks me out of the game and have to reconnect agin, and I get disconnected from skype as well.. Could It be my internet that is doing this?

Or could it be a combination of both the RAM and the internet or something else?

I'm clueless.

 

[jubatuss]

It can be internet connection as well. Because you did clean install, it shouldn't be software problem. So either internet or hardware. You told that you have replaced all drivers, did you include new lan and audio drivers? People have experienced problems with both of those while they have been out-of-date. Even if your audio seems fine, bad drivers can cause stuttering in games.

"The bad internet" theory seems a little out of place. You mentioned the problem occurs during youtube video playback. Even if your internet shut down during the playback, youtube should play the video to the point it already has loaded without problems.

What I would suggest: update LAN + Audio drivers (if you have not installed chipset drivers, those aswell). If there is still a problem, do the diagnostic/defragmentation to your hard-drive. HDD's can cause this sort of problems also. If the problem still occurs, just do a quick check of the ram timings in bios and compare them to the suggested ones if they match. It is worth doing since I had exactly same sounding problem and that one fixed it. I had never even adjusted the timings before and somehow they were off.