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Subtle micro-stutter, input lag, floaty mouse feel - computer feels off

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fatehasfans

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I've had a problem with my newly built PC for about 2 years+ now. The computer just feels 'off', as though there is some kind of very subtle bottlenecking occurring. Also, I'm getting input lag on mouse and keyboard (i.e. there will be the occasional no click registration on mouse or keyboard but there may also be double clicks or keypresses and the mouse feels very off - like floaty/heavy/inconsistent). Everything else on the computer is fine, the machine loads up quickly, I can play games and watch films (though I notice a bit of stuttering on the films) but I will get very subtle stuttering in all games (and desktop) but apart from that no issues, audio is fine as is the running of normal programs. I mean if you weren't a gamer and didn't know any different you'd think there was nothing wrong but once you start playing games it becomes quite noticeable - hard to aim (with floaty mouse --> mouse feels like I'm dragging it across glass, fluctuating constantly between heavy to light movements, so it feels more heavy and sluggish than it should be - not light, crisp and responsive like normal along with bouts of micro-stuttering (esp when panning camera) and the occasional micro-spastication of animations (particularly in sport games) etc.

My specs:
- PSU = Corsair 1200
- Mobo = MSI Z390 A Pro
- 16GB DDR4 3000mhz (Corsair Vengeance)
- GFX = MSI GTX 1080Ti
- HDD = Samsung SSD
- Water cooled




I've listed some of what I've tried below..

- Reinstalled windows
- Deleted mouse files
- Tested new hardware (tested everything one by one) - except Ram (though I did buy 2x16GB sticks of same ram and nothing changed so I sent them back but I haven't tried different speed ram)
- Went through everything in bios - including flash etc etc
- Updated all drivers and even tried rolling back to previous drivers and older
- Mouse accel input code etc (accel 0/1 nonsense) + removed mouse drivers
- Tried new wall sockets + grounding
- Tested all Nvidia GFX settings - screen res, fixed Frame rate etc ..you name it I tried it
- Hpet timing and all that other fluff
- New keyboard and mouse (though that sort of falls under hardware)
- Windows optimization
- Checked performance, load, monitoring, heat, latency -- everything checks out fine

Problem still persists.

Now the thing is, trying the above things, particularly the bios and nvidia settings, do change the feel of the computer and the feel how games play (limiting frame-rates, v-sync, g-sync, reduce input lag option, etc etc) but the problem is it's only masking the issue because although the game changes slightly in some way the main problem is still underneath which is frustrating because you can achieve smoother outcomes but the input lag (keyboard and mouse and floaty mouse feel) the subtle stuttering/bottleneckning will still very much be there.


If anyone knows a solution or anything that helped please let me know because I want to take a hammer to my PC and I'm extremely depressed after spending a lot of money on creating this monster setup and its not even playable. Oh I also tried installing windows 7, same problem.


P.S. What makes it more frustrating is that to the naked eye everything appears fine, when my friend comes over he thinks nothing is wrong, but he's not a gamer. I also took it to get looked at by a computer shop but again they weren't gamers and they told me everything was fine, and that's the thing everything does seem fine (applications open as they should, videos play, music plays, everything works as normal) but when you move the mouse quickly and try to be precise it feels floaty and in games there feels like a micro-bottlenecking happening somewhere. Losing my mind here :'(


Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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We're to troubleshoot how a PC 'feels' (that others users who used it can't reproduce/feel? Oof.

I see you mention V-sync... if you're using that, it introduces input lag...

Have you tried swapping USB ports for the mouse and keyboard? Use the USB 2.0 ports?
 
We have one certainty here, you suffer a latency hit somewhere.

So yeah... good luck :D
I'd honestly start from scratch if you don't have any lead on where the problem could come from. Bare bones hardware and fresh Windows installation, no additional software. Then start installing drivers and keep on the lookout for latency changes. Build it back up slowly like that until you either find the culprit or it never comes back to begin with.

Prior to that you could try reverting to 'standard' hardware solutions for peripherals, like Earthdog mentioned, the (usually) two 2.0 ports at the top of your I/O panel on the back are a good place to plug mouse/kb first if you haven't already. Display settings: revert to defaults. Check your display cables, maybe replace to test. Check storage access times could be another one, though I doubt this is storage related to be fair.
 
EarthDog said:
We're to troubleshoot how a PC 'feels' (that others users who used it can't reproduce/feel? Oof.

I see you mention V-sync... if you're using that, it introduces input lag...

Have you tried swapping USB ports for the mouse and keyboard? Use the USB 2.0 ports?
Click to expand...
Yes bud, tried various combinations of options in nvidia control panel - v-sync on, off, fast, etc etc --- nothing. It just creates or removes additional stuttering or changes the 'feel' of the game while the original problems persist.

Also, I see the problem with trying to assess a 'my computer feels different' issue so I could record the micro-stuttering etc. but as for the input lag and mouse click issues - I know they're not hardware related because I've tested the hardware elsewhere, and it's the same with the monitor I've a ROG swift with very low latency so it's not the monitor but the problem with looking for latency help online is that the industry seem obsessed with making it solely an issue with the monitor which limits the help because when I type 'input lag' into Google it's all monitor/hardware related and I know this isn't going to help my problem so I feel there is a real lack of alternative solutions out there as the industry focus on the solution being to do with you not having the latest low latency monitor! Or, it's the generic "your mouse/keyboard are to blame" -- again more hardware focus, but personally I feel that given the amount of software we use now (a lot of it I feel unnecessary) there is a much greater potential for conflict and I feel that this not being addressed and the generic responses online becoming all too common to a point where they're outdated and largely useless. This coincides with the serious rise of more and more people like me who suffer with input lag and/or micro-stuttering problems and who, like me, have tried all the 'common' solutions without success, so something is definitely happening. I feel there is something else causing these common problems, something that's not being solved/explored by the usual sources, I mean I think a lot of us are long beyond the "have you tried turning it on and off yet?" or "reinstall your drivers" type solutions. So it would be great to see some alternative approaches.
Some would rightly point out that the common remedies work for a lot of people and fair enough yea they do. By all means reinstalling drivers can work for many just as buying a new mouse might work for others but I think there is a massive increase in the number of people who share my symptoms and yet we cannot find a solution from the offered remedies (the main culprits - reinstall windows, drivers, hardware, Hpet!!!) and for this something needs to be done because it's very tiring having to trawl through xxxx computer websites only to find the same three/four answers constantly being regurgitated. Shouldn't we be beyond this?

Sorry for going off-topic but I think is that there is input lag and micro-stuttering, to help sum up the 'feel', well it's essentially a high-end computer not running smoothly like it should.

P.S. Yes I tried switching USBs, thanks.
 
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EarthDog said:
Hmm...

Run dpc latency checker and see what happens...

Have you tried running something that measures input lag and seeing how far it's off?
Click to expand...
I've looked at that before along with latencymon but couldn't really see anything.

I've pasted the results..

..let me know if you guys see anything wrong. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to computers.

Thanks.
 

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@fatehasfans I know you said you’ve reinstalled all drivers, but the general disposition of your machine really makes me immediately thinknof motherboard chipset drivers not being present. Are those among all the drivers you have installed? The wrong version can also bring this general behavior as well.

Just figured I would toss that out there.
 
I’m gonna say have a look at your USB drivers possible mixed vendors running on standard MS drivers(shouldn’t matter but something to check at least)
 
What CPU do you have?
 
rtwjunkie said:
@fatehasfans I know you said you’ve reinstalled all drivers, but the general disposition of your machine really makes me immediately thinknof motherboard chipset drivers not being present. Are those among all the drivers you have installed? The wrong version can also bring this general behavior as well.

Just figured I would toss that out there.
Click to expand...
You know that's exactly how it feels it's as if the mobo driver isnt installed - if anyone has used their computer without the mobo driver installed they'll know what I'm talking about.

But that's the thing, they are installed (refer to picture of device manager) but I do think it could be something along those lines but everything seems to be there... :banghead:

INSTG8R said:
I’m gonna say have a look at your USB drivers possible mixed vendors running on standard MS drivers(shouldn’t matter but something to check at least)
Click to expand...
Will take a look, thanks.

Grom0X said:
What CPU do you have?
Click to expand...
i9-9900K --- but I had an i7-7820X before but then my friend told me it was that (because apparently the i7-7820X isn't a proper gaming chip) which was causing the problems and he kept imploring me to get a more game-centric chip so I did and guess what? Same problem! Friends :slap: ehh?
 

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fatehasfans said:
I've looked at that before along with latencymon but couldn't really see anything.

I've pasted the results..

..let me know if you guys see anything wrong. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to computers.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
It should hover near 50 us, not 1000us. Don't believe latencymon.
What is your gpu? We've heard Nvidia gpus doing it if all drivers are not set right.
 
fatehasfans said:
I listed in OP, it's MSI GTX 1080Ti
Click to expand...
have you figured out ? i've heard that 10th gen of nvidia cards are haveing latency issues. There's russian thread about this and they sent a link to nvidia driverthat should help. My friend was having floaty mosue issue but it fixed itself. he had 1050ti. i have 1060 ti and i have floaty mouse issue aswell. will try to wodnload this driver
 
OP did you manage to fix the issue?

Having the exact same issue - Feels like I've lost all muscle memory when using my mouse while gaming.

Completely upgraded my whole system and the same thing happens on both systems...Thought it might have been one of the peripherals causing the issue, bought a new monitor, tried 4 new mice, and a new keyboard.

I've had a technician come out to make sure I'm not crazy, and they can feel it too but had absolutely no idea as to what may be causing it -They described it as feeling as if they were drunk.

The microstutters are insanely annoying. It happens during any game I play. If I'm on discord every 20 seconds or so if anyone is speaking, their voice will distort for a fraction of a second before returning to normal.

Scrolling up or down a website, everything jitters and jumps around for a fraction of a second before returning to normal...

Thoughts?
 
Not sure if process explorer would help?

docs.microsoft.com

Process Explorer - Sysinternals

Find out what files, registry keys and other objects processes have open, which DLLs they have loaded, and more.
docs.microsoft.com
 
Spoon30 said:
OP did you manage to fix the issue?

Having the exact same issue - Feels like I've lost all muscle memory when using my mouse while gaming.

Completely upgraded my whole system and the same thing happens on both systems...Thought it might have been one of the peripherals causing the issue, bought a new monitor, tried 4 new mice, and a new keyboard.

I've had a technician come out to make sure I'm not crazy, and they can feel it too but had absolutely no idea as to what may be causing it -They described it as feeling as if they were drunk.

The microstutters are insanely annoying. It happens during any game I play. If I'm on discord every 20 seconds or so if anyone is speaking, their voice will distort for a fraction of a second before returning to normal.

Scrolling up or down a website, everything jitters and jumps around for a fraction of a second before returning to normal...

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Nvidia driver issue.
Roll back to a previous known working driver or apply the latest hot fix just released.

www.techpowerup.com

NVIDIA Releases GeForce Hotfix Driver Version 460.97

NVIDIA has recently pushed out a small hotfix that address 5 issues with the the latest 460.89 WHQL drivers. The fixes include ensuring apps using NVIDIA Management Library (NVML) can detect GPUs, addressing stuttering issues in Marvel's Avengers, and fixing corrupted display on Lenovo Y740...
www.techpowerup.com www.techpowerup.com
 
Re installed windows, deleted all mouse files? So you didn't do a CLEAN install? Is Windows fully up to date? Why are you using a 1200Watt PSU? Water cooled? LOLZ, I assume its the CPU(assuming you do have one) cause you don't say what you are using here.
 
Sorry I didn't mean to necro the thread - But the problem is insanely infuriating and good to know it's not just limited to me..

I've tried clean windows installs, new mice, new keyboards, new monitors, completely upgrading the whole system (specs below) - Problem exists on both systems..

Intel Core i9 10900K Processor Avenger Edition
Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240R ARGB AIO Cooler
Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Pro AX Motherboard
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Vision OC 10GB
2 x Team T-Force Delta RGB 16GB (2x8GB) 3200MHz CL16 DDR4 Black (32GB Total)

Could this have something to do with power coming into the premises?
Internet speed is extremely fast, could there be something that extends to affecting mouse latency? Is that even possible?


Mouse misses clicks, feels as if at times it moves faster than it's supposed to, and other times slower - Feels extremely shaky and unstable when moving to click, you have to move much slower and overthink the movement to make sure you click on or near the target - Like the OP said, if you weren't a gamer you'd have no idea it exists.

The mouse feels like it gravitates more to the upper left of the screen, I start in the middle of my mousepad and I end up almost running off the side of my mousepad every 30 seconds after readjusting the cursor back to the middle of the screen...

Caring1 said:
Nvidia driver issue.
Roll back to a previous known working driver or apply the latest hot fix just released.

www.techpowerup.com

NVIDIA Releases GeForce Hotfix Driver Version 460.97

NVIDIA has recently pushed out a small hotfix that address 5 issues with the the latest 460.89 WHQL drivers. The fixes include ensuring apps using NVIDIA Management Library (NVML) can detect GPUs, addressing stuttering issues in Marvel's Avengers, and fixing corrupted display on Lenovo Y740...
www.techpowerup.com www.techpowerup.com
Click to expand...

Will try this and report back - Thanks,

460.97 Drivers didn't change anything
 
I would make sure if your screen has a game mode option as that is the smoothest for my LG un730
 
Running an LG 27GL850, have tried in all different modes on both systems
 
thats a nice 144Hz screen. Under game adjust response time should say fast and in windows your refresh rate should be set to 144 and rechecked if in doubt as it likes to chose the higher resolution and scale. i believe a 1.1 ratio with the desktop is best. and under mouse settings turn the mouse acceleration to off
 
Thanks for the reply - Confirming those settings are already being used. Problem doesn't seem to monitor or mouse setting based.

Micro stutter happens also with sound in-game, on-voice apps and listening to music (even music/videos that is saved on the hard drive).
It also seems to heavily affect keybinds that require more than one key and use the mouse at the same time, such as [shift+scroll wheel down/up] or [shift+SideMouseButton]. These binds often don't trigger any response and require multiple times to be pressed.
FPS in-game seems near-normal on both systems, but you can notice when the micro stutter kicks the mouse around that the game does drop FPS at the same before returning to normal FPS (The 3080 system shouldn't have that problem at all, but it does - That system should be waiting for me).
Can notice it even in apps like word when backspacing multiple lines of text too, every 10-12 characters the stutter kick in and slows down the deletion process and then goes back to normal.

At this point I've dropped about 7k AUD on the new system, monitors, keyboards and mice - Only to have the problem continue :ohwell:
 
Can my internet/modem cause mouse/sound input lag? It's the only thing both of my systems have in common, other than the power coming into the house?
 
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