# Stuttering in BFBC2 with GPU-Z running



## Icarus (Jan 11, 2015)

I've noticed in BFBC2 that if I have GPU-Z running it will stutter video and sound (whole system) like mad at times (down to 1-2fps, sound sounds like a Transformers movie!), and pegs the Video Engine Load at 99% and keeps the core and memory clocks maxed as well, PerfCap Reason stays at VRel. If I shut GPU-Z off even while playing it seems like the stuttering goes away (but the maxed eng load etc will stay if they have already gone high.) With my older cards it would freeze the whole system and I'd have to do a hard reset (great for corrupting my raid array!), but with the Gigabyte 970's I have now at least it only stutters badly the video/sound.

Also, if I leave the game with the video engine load maxed at 99% and open a video etc I get a blue screen for the nVidia driver. I tried an older version (though I forgot which) of GPU-Z and the newest 0.8.0 and it does it. Stayed with newest due to having new cards/compatibility. Same with NVidia drivers.

It does this with both my old i5 750/8GB ram (OC'd to 4.2Ghz) system and this new i7 4790k/32GB ram (stock) system (both win7pro 64bit.) Changing resolutions, cables, monitors, video cards (10 cards! mostly 970's, a 980, a 740 and 2 780Ti's, though a couple did go back for other reasons/fans/coil whine, + does it stock and OC'd on a couple I tired), SLI and singles do it, different drivers, settings in game etc make it take less/longer to happen but it still does. GPU-Z seems to be the thing making the most difference, as if I turn that off I can play all night (like I did tonight, lol) without a stutter that I noticed, but turning it back on like I did a half hour ago it started it again after a short bit badly again...

Any ideas how to fix it would be great please.
Thxs


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## Icarus (Jan 14, 2015)

Is this not the spot to get support for GPU-Z?


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## rtwjunkie (Jan 14, 2015)

Icarus said:


> Is this not the spot to get support for GPU-Z?


 
It is, but @W1zzard is the man for that.  He may be very busy.


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## Icarus (Jan 14, 2015)

Ok, thanks, hopefully he sees this soon then


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## EarthDog (Jan 14, 2015)

In the meantime, use something else like MSI AB to monitor things... It can do what GPUz can and more.


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## Icarus (Jan 14, 2015)

I do use it, but don't like the layout etc as much. GPU-Z is much easier to read/use imo.


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## BarbaricSoul (Jan 14, 2015)

I'm not experiencing this with my 780ti and GPUZ 0.8.0


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## Icarus (Jan 14, 2015)

I had two Zotac 780Ti's and it did it with each or both in this game


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## W1zzard (Jan 14, 2015)

Have you tried turning off all the sensors ? and then reenabling them one by one to check if one of them causes the issue?

Do you have any other monitoring programs running?

Are you on the latest version? A few versions back I added some improvements to sensor graph drawing when there is a lot of sensor history


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## Icarus (Jan 14, 2015)

I have tried it with and without MSI AB and Core Temp, but it still does it.

It ususally does it about 15 minutes into play or so, then randomly every few minutes or up another 10-15 and keeps doing it. Different maps, servers etc don't seem to make a difference.

Sorry missed the part on the "turning off all the sensors" part. What exactly do you mean by this?
I have tried an older version (I don't remember which, it is on my other computer.) and the 0.8.0 here.

oh, I see what you mean about the sensors, sorry I had forgotten about that feature. No I have not tried that.


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## W1zzard (Jan 14, 2015)

click the little down arrow after the sensor name, there should be an option to disable it


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## Icarus (Jan 14, 2015)

It would be hard to test that as it doesn't always do it at set times or in any particular spot. I can try and see what happens though.


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## W1zzard (Jan 14, 2015)

Turn them all off first, to check if it even is the sensors, then incrementally turn off large groups and work your way down from that


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## Icarus (Jan 14, 2015)

Ok, I will try that today and let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the help and the great program


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## Icarus (Jan 16, 2015)

Sorry, was going to try to get to this, but been pretty busy. I'll try it out this weekend.


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## Icarus (Jan 20, 2015)

It still does it with all sensors disabled and GPU-Z running. Takes longer/less frequent I think, but still does it.


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## Icarus (Jan 23, 2015)

Should I upgrade to 0.8.1 or see what happens here?
Thxs


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## THE_EGG (Jan 23, 2015)

:/ I'll check this out with BFBC2 when I get home from work and see if I experience the same thing (I have the same video card setup). I found having GPU-Z would have the exact same behaviour in I think it was GTAIV. Also BF4 would crash at start up if GPU-Z was open (I haven't tried the new version yet mind you). The BF4 + GPU-Z issue also occurred with MSI AB.

A fix I found for these issues was if you start the game first and play for a minute or two, then proceed to open GPU-Z with the game running. This solved the above problems for me. I'll post back when I try it out at home though with BFBC2.


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## Icarus (Jan 23, 2015)

I don't seem to have the same trouble with GTAIV (Steam) but I did just install it last week and not played it much. I'll try to play it a bit tonight and see if it does it too. Thanks


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## THE_EGG (Jan 23, 2015)

Icarus said:


> I don't seem to have the same trouble with GTAIV (Steam) but I did just install it last week and not played it much. I'll try to play it a bit tonight and see if it does it too. Thanks


I played a couple of rounds of BFBC2 online and I didn't experience any lag I'm afraid. I had GPU-Z 0.8.0 on in the background. Just as a note, I'm running driver set 347.09.


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## Icarus (Jan 23, 2015)

It usually takes 15 min+ of playing with maxed settings, longer if lower res or settings. I'm running 347.09 as well now, its lil better but still does it.


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## vega22 (Jan 23, 2015)

i think this is another case for the 970 sli issues pile tbh dude :/


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## Icarus (Jan 23, 2015)

marsey99 said:


> i think this is another case for the 970 sli issues pile tbh dude :/


It does it with just single cards too, and a couple 780Tis single/sli and even a 740 I tried.


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## vega22 (Jan 23, 2015)

dam, throws that theory out the window.

have you tried older drivers too?


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## Icarus (Jan 23, 2015)

I have tried all the drivers that came out since the 970/980 (as this I was the reason I upgraded originally) as the older ones don't work with them. I did try pre 970 ones with the 780Ti's and it still did it though.


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## Icarus (Jan 28, 2015)

This def seems to be caused/conflict with GPU-Z and the game.  Afraid to try 0.8.1 as I've blue screened the computer enough with 0.8.0 to corrupt my raid array enough as is


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## Icarus (Mar 2, 2015)

No more info or help?


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## dempsey (Mar 5, 2015)

I apologize on forehand if I am completely off base.

I do X-Plane 10.32 (64bits) flight simulation. Since the last NVidia driver updates I and other simmers, experienced stuttering, and only found a fix for it about a week ago. Give it a try, it works for me.

NVidia Control Panel --> 3D Settings --> Manage 3D Settings --> Program Settings --> select program/game --> Threaded Optimization is most likely AUTO, set it to OFF

I am using:
Graphics card: Asus ENGTX570 (NVidia GTX 570, 1 GB)
NVidia driver: 347.52
OS: Windows 7 Pro x64 (up-to-date)


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## natr0n (Mar 5, 2015)

If gpuz gives you so much trouble try afterburner.

Forgot to add: BFBC2 is very sensitive with some gpu software and cause your stutter issue.

Afterburner is the only gpu software I know of to resolve this issue this with bc2.


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## Asylum (Mar 5, 2015)

I play bfbc2 a lot and found that the newer drivers cause many issues with the game.

The game flickers and shutters at random times and seems to get worst the longer you play.

With older cards you can clean install pre 334.xx drivers to fix the problem (332.21 seems to be the best set)

All the newer cards (GTX 980-970) wont let you go back that far and the only way you can fix the issue is to set Direct X to version 9.

Direct X 11 gives random flickering, Direct X 10 gives total black screen but, Direct X 9 has fixed my issues on my GTX 980.

A lot of guys in my clan had the same issue on their GTX 580's and 680's until they went to the 332.21 driver.

Don't know if this is your issue but, may have something to do with it.


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## Icarus (Mar 5, 2015)

DX9 didn't work for me, only not using GPU-Z helped the most.


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## Icarus (Mar 10, 2015)

I've not heard from EA or Nvidia since *last Dec*! I wish they would help, but obviously they don't want to. I've put in new tickets, emails and phoned, and nothing. Guess they don't want my business, nor want me to recommend them to my friends, family, and customers. They will feel it more with our wallets then our words I guess...


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## Icarus (Apr 21, 2015)

Well, EA has washed their hands of it and say they have zero idea why it's doing this and offered me a bunch of games instead. 

*Still no word from Nvidia since last year!!! *

It is much better without GPU-Z so I've uninstalled it for now. I use AB but don't like it's layout as GPU-Z is nice and easy to read... :/


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## rtwjunkie (Apr 21, 2015)

Sorry to hear it's still not actually resolved.  As to EA, that's no surprise.  They regularly abandon games at a much quicker rate than other publishers.  Heck, if their employees didn't open up Origin everyday they would forget about half the games they released.


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## W1zzard (May 5, 2015)

Maybe it's BFBC2 anti-cheat detection. I remember vaguely that BFBC2 will scan the address space of all loaded programs. GPU-Z loads the hardware registers into its address space. Scanning that could cause stuttering or crashes. I have no suggestion how to fix this, without rewriting most of GPU-Z


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## Icarus (May 5, 2015)

W1zzard said:


> Maybe it's BFBC2 anti-cheat detection. I remember vaguely that BFBC2 will scan the address space of all loaded programs. GPU-Z loads the hardware registers into its address space. Scanning that could cause stuttering or crashes. I have no suggestion how to fix this, without rewriting most of GPU-Z


 Why haven't I run into issues in the past then with my old video cards? I was thinking drivers not liking GPU-Z, as they seem to be the only constant between the two system I've tested. When I play BFBC2 and others I just don't run GPU-Z now (sry W1zz!) I do like it much better than AB etc though as its so nice to read...


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## W1zzard (May 5, 2015)

It could be that the other cards don't stutter when their mapped registers get scanned.


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## Icarus (May 5, 2015)

I don't know anymore. The two 780ti's I tried etc did it too.

I'm dumping these cards as soon as the new AMD stuff comes out, as NVidia support still hasn't done anything since last December to help! Screw them...


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## Icarus (May 14, 2015)

Ok I am done with Nvidia. They deleted my many tickets without a reply for these stuttering and other many issues after blaming the drivers themselves, but saying nothing more in six months other than they are working on it but nothing, no updates or anything even when I ask/call etc! I can still access my old ones from my 480/8800/etc days and earlier, but all these new ones are deleted! How's that for caring for their customers! They wont see another dime from me or my customers again after this.

two main (among many!) ReferenceNumbers
141029-000344
150320-000034


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## Icarus (Jun 3, 2015)

*I called NVidia yet again a few times in the past couple weeks and past, and got no answer other than they are working on it and to wait. Still zero response from them since last December! Nothing on the tickets I respond to/updated...*


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## EarthDog (Jul 3, 2015)

I thought your many tickets were deleted?

I would imagine they would delete your duplicate tickets and consolidate to one. That makes perfect sense as opposed to wasting more resources to update your spam, doesn't it?

I would also imagine a several year old game isn't on their priority list to resolve quickly. Nor is an issue that has a workaround.

Sorry man, I know it sucks, but, have some perspective on it.


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## MrGenius (Jul 3, 2015)

Perspective indeed. Let's try a new one. Shall we?

I believe it's truly a matter confusing a _need_ with a _compulsion_, or an _obsession_. _Compulsions_ and _obsessions_ are personal problems. To solve those particular types of issues requires working on one's self(be it on your own, or with the help of trained professionals). Making it, _in reality_, neither EA's, Nvidia's,  nor W1zzard's problem to fix.

As for a workaround, you might try working your way around towards getting to the root of the actual problem. Rather than substituting one bad habit for another. Do you really _need_ to run GPU-Z or AB to play BFBC2? The answer is no. No you do not. You may think, or even feel, that you do. But therein lies the cause of this compulsive/obsessive and/or irrational behavior.

Seek help man. You're in pretty deep by the sounds of it. And it will only bury you deeper and deeper until you face it head on. Don't be ashamed or afraid to ask for some help if you can't do it on your own. You can do this.


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## Icarus (Jul 3, 2015)

It is many games I play that stutter in some manner or another, BFBC2 being the worst by far.  I've not been using GPU-z as I mentioned but would like to as it seems to be a good program to monitor. As I also mentioned I tried so many cards as everyone was blaming them to begin with, so I switched them as they asked,  among a tons of other things I have tried, only some of which is listed as it'd be a realllyy long post then...

*NVidia has blamed the drivers/cards* (and newer drivers have been helping somewhat, but the newest have made widely known old problems with the game/black screen come back), but NVidia has not responded to me since Dec of last year, hence my only update since May of this year to show how poor their service is!
It is not spam putting in more tickets to get a response to ones that are outstanding that I have heard nothing on at all since (and its only been three if you really must know!) Yes, they have deleted all my tickets, but say they are still there, but none show on my support page anymore at all and I need to reply to them though the email links?! wtf NVidia? Any other tickets I've put in during the past many years still shows on my support page, why suddenly not these ones?

I came here to seek help as I narrowed it down to GPU-Z as being the worst addition to the stutter, but with idiots like (EarthDog and MrGenius - really?! lol) helping I see I won't get it figured out, thanks for nothing u2...
A sincere thank you to W1zzard for the help though earlier this year, and sorry there are people like above on your forums that don't want to help...


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## Icarus (Jul 23, 2015)

fwiw, 0.8.4 does this as well. I tried it on my old system today just to check and it sure enough, frozen system after playing for 30min or so... 

I'll have to install BFBC2 on my new one with the MSI R9 390 and see if it does it...


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## Icarus (Aug 8, 2015)

I've had to go back to my 970's for now  I had GPU-z installed and found it still does this stuttering with BFBC2.
Short of not using GPU-z again, any ideas that might fix it?
Thanks


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## W1zzard (Aug 8, 2015)

Installing BFBC2 to see if I can replicate


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## Icarus (Aug 8, 2015)

It doesn't do it right away, usually after playing for half hour, checked temps and fine for both cpu and gpu. Gpu-z is a definite add to it for some reason? The game sucks with hacks and cheats now, so I dunno why I care, lol...


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## W1zzard (Aug 9, 2015)

Couldn't replicate it so far, this happens only in MP right?


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## Icarus (Aug 9, 2015)

Yes. The higher the settings the faster it does it.


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## basco (Aug 10, 2015)

i hope maybe there is something in there that can help you:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-2390044/battlefield-fps-drop-stuttering-lag-fix.html

 and another one:
http://www.tweakguides.com/BF2_1.html


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## Icarus (Aug 10, 2015)

Thanks but that's the wrong game basco.


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## Icarus (Sep 15, 2015)

Well, tried new versions, still does it so deleting GPU-Z, thanks anyways...


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