PC audio stuttering and system slow down.

[MDLackey]

I am running Windows 7, and lately whenever a webpage is loading or there high internet traffic access, whatever video i am watching at the time would slow down and the audio would stutter. The system also slows down to the point where my mouse cursor would be moving slow as well.

I have an Intel I5 with 16gig ram, with a new 650 watt power supply and a new Geforce 760 TI. I have been optimizing and defragging the hdd like crazy with no solution.

[dalesys]

...webpage is loading or there is high internet traffic...

J'Accuse!

If the stream is at xxx kbps and your internet connection is (at the moment) less...

Try DSL Reports speed test...

[MDLackey]

Oops...forgot to be more clear. The issue is with offline viewing ie: watching offline movies in my HDD. Not streaming videos.

[Geek King]

I'm running with the assumption that you've tried rebooting and updating your media player.

There's a couple of things you can check real quick:

1) Unplug the internet connection -- Something maybe trying to download an update, or you may even have a spyware infestation. Maybe something else. Unplugging the connection will stop things from using it and eating up cycles. I can also tell you where to start looking to fix the problem if this makes it go away.

2) Check Task Manager for runaway programs -- if you know how, look for something running in Task Manager using a lot of the processor besides System Idle Process. If you see something, Google "<process name> using up system resources" for a good chance at finding solutions.

3) Make your media player run as a higher priority -- This might help keep other programs from interfering with your off-line movies running.

[Chromatix]

I have a sneaky suspicion that your machine is overheating, and slowing itself down to prevent permanent damage. Take the covers off and make sure the fans are plugged in, not jammed, and not clogged.

[Ted_The_IT_Guy]

1. Check that all fans are working/not clogged or impeded, could be overheating.
2. Check and see if there is an update for the software you are using to view your videos. Go to the company's website, or Windows Update if you are playing things through Windows Media Player.
3. Ensure that your Java and Flash applications are up to date. Out of date stuff can cause slowdown.
4. Make sure your drivers for everything are updated - this includes motherboard drivers, as it could be a bandwidth (inside your computer) saturation issue.
5. When is the last time you completely turned off, or restarted the machine? Windows is like a teenager with a messy room, and the more that it is on without a reboot, the more crap gets strewn about the floor. Restarting the machine is like mom coming in with a couple of trashbags whiel the kid is at school, or out with friends.
6. Run malware/spyware/virus scans. You could have an infestation.
7. If you do anything with bittorrent, or torrenting in general (hey, I'm not judging or advocating), it could be saturating both your computer's internal bandwidth and your network bandwidth.
8. Is the video file in question residing on the same hard drive as your operating system? I know a lot of people only run with one hard drive, but then again you have people like me who have a hard drive for my apps/OS (Gotta love SSDs), and then 8TB of video file goodness spread across 4 2TB drives as well.

[MDLackey]

I have cleaned out the fans and dusted the system. Actually found out my power supply died after restarting, bought a new one. I have 2 in-flowing fans with a enclosed Corsar liquid cooling fan out-flowing, so overheating is not an issue.

This issue is relatively new, i have ran every scan i have and updated everything i can. I use XBMC, but the same issue occurs if I change to VLC. I do use BT, but like i said, the issue is new and never had an effect before. The movies are on a separate hard drive.

I am currently leaning toward a software issue. But have also noticed the quad core I5 chip i have seem to have Core 1 running high when these issues come up.

[MDLackey]

If I reboot the system, the issue won't appear until about 1-2 hours in. So I'm stumped.

[It's me]

Sounds like a memory leak.
More stuff to try:
--Turn hardware acceleration off/on
--Make sure you have the most recent drivers for your video card
--If you have the most recent driver version: try the generic version for the card (from the card manufacturer,not the PC vendor); try older versions of the driver.
--Update you CODECs

[MDLackey]

Sounds like a memory leak.
More stuff to try:
--Turn hardware acceleration off/on
--Make sure you have the most recent drivers for your video card
--If you have the most recent driver version: try the generic version for the card (from the card manufacturer,not the PC vendor); try older versions of the driver.
--Update you CODECs

Cool..I'll try that tonight and see if there's any improvement

[Geek King]

If I reboot the system, the issue won't appear until about 1-2 hours in. So I'm stumped.

Yeah, that sounds like a memory leak, or possibly a slow heat buildup issue.

One quick question: Have you tried a different media player? Maybe try your files on a different player to see if maybe the player itself is the issue. Bad patches/updates happen sometimes.

[MDLackey]

Yeah, that sounds like a memory leak, or possibly a slow heat buildup issue.

One quick question: Have you tried a different media player? Maybe try your files on a different player to see if maybe the player itself is the issue. Bad patches/updates happen sometimes.

Yea. I have tried with VLC, Windows Media Player too. Still the same. I updated some drivers but still has the same issue..tho slightly less. It's confounding and just plain odd.

[MDLackey]

Hmmm...since the issue comes up whenever my internet activity kicks up...i think it may have something to do with a new driver update my system did on the ethernet card....time to go hunting.

[It's me]

Another thought.... might be malware. A deep scan with Malwarebytes might turn something up, and is worth running periodically anyway.

[TheSHAD0W]

Hmmm...since the issue comes up whenever my internet activity kicks up...i think it may have something to do with a new driver update my system did on the ethernet card....time to go hunting.

I'm actually having a similar problem, though it tends to kick in only when the machine has been on for a while. I suspect it's a combination of memory management and interrupt conflict problems. A different driver ought to fix it, but I haven't been able to find any better drivers.