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High latency, audio and frame stuttering, screen freezes, audio devices resetting randomly.

Benjamin Laudenbach 0 Reputation points
2026-05-30T11:38:56.66+00:00

My pc has been having high latency for days now. I have tried troubleshooting it in many ways. Heres a list of what Ive done so far: (All of which have changed nothing, or almost nothing)

  • Reinstalled all drivers multiple times, and one after another to see if a specific one was causing it, including DDU for clean install, specifically left out NVIDIA audio drivers in case that was it (All drivers as in GPU, Audio, Chipset, Networking
  • Changed power settings to be optimal for performance, in case the CPUs were being parked too aggressively (High performance, and all the common extra options like disabling USB selective suspend setting, disabling link state power management, disabling hybrid sleep mode, setting wireless adapter settings to max performance
  • Changed GPU related settings like disabling Hardware Accelerated Graphics Scheduling, NVIDIA settings like capping the framerate to slightly above my monitors' max, changed low latency to ultra among other settings meant to improve performance and reduce latency
  • Changed USB ports and only used necessary devices for piloting the computer
  • Exchanged the Wifi Card
  • Exchanged the GPU (and drivers)
  • Reinstalled windows on a different Drive to see if the drive was faulty
  • Downgraded to windows 10 from 11 to see if a recent update caused this
  • Ran MemTest86 to see if RAM was faulty (it wasnt)
  • Ran my PC without any GPU and only integrated graphics
  • Ran my PC with only one monitor
  • Plugged my audio device directly into the PC instead of an interface
  • Changed BIOS settings to disable global C-States for the CPU, turned off XMP1 to see if the RAM was struggling
  • Updated the BIOS
  • Checked CrystalDiskInfo, nvme is at 97% (good), older SSD is at 90% (good), HDD is good.

Im pretty sure I did more than this, but I cant recall because it was so much. Ill probably remember once you give me advice I may have already tried.

After disabling Fast Boot, turning the PC off and on again temporarily fixes the latency. As long as I boot up windows and dont do anything, the latency stays very low as its meant to be. Running any game will at first work smoothly, but it looks like that spikes the latency after some time, or immediately. It looks random.

Example: PEAK runs at almost 200FPS on average, with lows of about 160, and highs of up to 500. Once the latency spikes, the average drops to 60-80, with lows as low as 10FPS, and highs of up to 350-500. The lows are common and cause stuttering.

Even after closing the application and all background tasks I can, the system permanently stays in this bad latency state until I shut it down and boot it back up.

Note that the Kernel timer latency is 12ms (12000 microseconds) even when the system is doing literally nothing, even if the DPC and ISR latency are fine for the time being.

Also note that It doesn't have to be a game that causes it. if I boot up discord and or steam, the latency may also spike. The same goes for the browser, too.

I would really appreciate some help, as im starting to run out of options.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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  1. Ivan B 113.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-30T12:42:12.1733333+00:00

    Hi ,

    Search for msinfo32.exe in the search bar, take a screenshot, and post it here so we can see the correct laptop model or desktop configuration.

    If you re-install Windows and the problem persists, it's possibly a hardware issue.

    Thanks

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-30T11:39:32.4133333+00:00

    The symptoms match system-wide latency and glitching typically caused by:

    • Long‑running or storming ISRs/DPCs (often from network, storage, or graphics drivers) causing audio and frame glitches.
    • Audio stack/driver issues (distortion, crackling, device resets) or unsupported audio formats.
    • Power/firmware or hardware stability issues (USB4/PCIe/thermal/CMOS/board problems) that only show under load.

    From the provided material, the most relevant, concrete actions are:

    1. Check for long‑running ISRs/DPCs and kernel threads
      • Long ISRs (>25 µs) and DPCs (>100 µs), or storms, can cause exactly the audio glitches, stutters, and freezes described.
      • These are most often from network, storage, or graphics drivers.
      • Use the Windows Performance Toolkit or HLK streaming/media assessments to identify which driver is misbehaving. The Streaming Media Performance Assessment flags:
        • ISRs/DPCs >1–3 ms as warnings/errors.
        • Kernel worker threads stuck at dispatch level (IRQL 2) for long durations.
      • Once the offending driver is identified, update, roll back, or temporarily disable that device and retest.
    2. Run the dedicated audio latency tests (HLK LatencyTest)
      • Prepare a test folder as described and copy the HLK audio tools/tests:
        • LatencyTest.dll, audiospew.exe, audiostreaming.dll, glitchfreetaeftests.dll, etc., from the HLK controller to the test machine.
      • Open an elevated Command Prompt, navigate to the folder, and run:
        • te.exe latencytest.dll /name:LatencyTest::Vanilla
        • te.exe latencytest.dll /name:LatencyTest::Raw
        • te.exe latencytest.dll /name:LatencyTest::LowPeriod
      • Compare Average/Max/Min delay values between “good” (just booted, no apps) and “bad” (after running a game/Discord/Steam) states. This helps confirm whether the issue is in the audio pipeline or more general system latency.
    3. Address distorted/crackling audio and device resets When the system is in the “bad” state:
      • Turn off audio enhancements:
        • Settings → System → Sound → select the output device → Audio enhancements → turn off.
      • Change the default audio format:
        • Settings → System → Sound → select output device → Advanced → under Default format, try different formats and test.
      • Update or reinstall audio drivers:
        • Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers → right‑click the audio device → Update driver.
        • If issues persist, uninstall the device and reinstall the latest driver from the system or motherboard vendor.
      • Restart audio services:
        • Run services.msc → restart “Windows Audio” and “Windows Audio Endpoint Builder” and test.
    4. Try the generic Windows audio driver and CODEC checks
      • In Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers → right‑click the sound device → Update driver → Browse my computer → Let me pick from a list → choose “High Definition Audio Device” (generic driver) and test.
      • If an “IDT High Definition Audio CODEC” entry exists, manually update it to “High Definition Audio Device” using the same “Let me pick from a list” path.
    5. Verify Windows audio privacy and basic troubleshooting
      • Ensure microphone/audio privacy is not blocking apps:
        • Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone → turn on “Microphone access” and “Let apps access your microphone” and enable for affected apps.
      • Run the built‑in audio troubleshooter (Get Help) and then follow the general steps in the audio troubleshooting guide (driver update, format changes, service restarts) in the problematic state.
    6. Investigate hardware/firmware stability issues The context shows several real‑world cases where similar symptoms were ultimately hardware/firmware related, even after extensive software troubleshooting:
      • GPU/thermal issues triggering watchdog timeouts (LiveKernelEvent 1b8/141):
        • Overheating GPU (e.g., dried thermal paste) caused black screens, fan ramp to 100%, audio continuing briefly, then system hang.
        • Fix was physical: power flush (discharge static), re‑paste GPU, and ensure stable temperatures under load.
      • USB4/Thunderbolt tunneling causing freezes with audio interfaces:
        • Resolved by BIOS changes (disabling IOMMU, forcing PCIe Gen4 instead of Auto) and disabling PCIe Link State Power Management in Windows, plus using an “Ultimate performance” power plan.
      • Sudden audio quality degradation fixed only by resetting CMOS (removing motherboard battery briefly).
      Based on these, additional checks that align with the symptoms:
      • Ensure GPU and chipset temperatures under load are well within spec; if not, inspect cooling and consider re‑pasting.
      • If using USB4/Thunderbolt audio devices, test with:
        • IOMMU disabled and PCIe link speed forced (e.g., Gen4) in BIOS.
        • Windows Power Options → PCI Express → Link State Power Management set to Off.
      • Perform a CMOS reset (per motherboard manual) to clear any unstable firmware configuration that might be affecting latency and power states.
    7. Use Event Viewer and Reliability Monitor
      • Check for LiveKernelEvent codes (e.g., 1b8, 141), display driver resets, USB/PCIe errors, or storage timeouts around the time latency spikes.
      • If such events correlate with the onset of the “bad” state, focus on the corresponding hardware (GPU, USB4/Thunderbolt, storage controller) and its drivers/firmware.

    These steps use the official multimedia performance tools (HLK/WPT) to pinpoint ISR/DPC and audio pipeline issues, then apply targeted driver, audio, and firmware/hardware fixes that match known cases of stuttering, freezes, and audio device resets.

    References:

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