Inconsistent Micro Stutter issues

Question

Ever since acquiring a new headset to use with my laptop (an MSI Vector GP76 12UGS)
I've had infrequent, but very irritating micro stutters while gaming. They are less common when running the headphone jack through a USB port via soundcard, though the only sound card I have makes any microphone audio from myself incredibly quiet and almost inaudible.

I am at a genuine loss at this point on what to do save for a full system wipe.

The stutters are brief, usually around half a second, and accompanied by a buzz noise that ranges in volume depending on how long the stutter lasts for (the longer the stutter the louder the noise).

Device specs are as follows:

CPU: Core i7-12700H 6+8Core

Memory: 16.0 GB DDR4

GPU 0: Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics

GPU 1: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU

Answer 1

Hi T. Stewart,

Since the stutter is accompanied by a brief buzzing sound and appears less frequently when using a USB sound card, the issue may be related to the audio device, audio drivers, or audio processing rather than the game's graphics performance alone.

A few quick steps that may help:

1. Open Settings > System > Sound, select your headset, and turn Audio Enhancements Off. Audio enhancements can sometimes introduce crackling, distortion, or brief interruptions.
2. In the same sound device settings, try changing the Default Format (for example, 16-bit or 24-bit, 48 kHz) and test again.
3. Reinstall the audio driver from MSI's support page for your GP76 rather than relying only on the current driver installation.
4. If you're using a USB audio adapter or sound card, test a different USB port and check that Windows and optional driver updates are fully installed.

As a diagnostic test, try gaming with a different headset or with audio temporarily disabled. If the stutters disappear, that would help confirm the issue is related to the audio path rather than the GPU or the game itself.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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