i had the same issue on both gigabyte and asrock mobo. i posted my current specs on previous page
had two different cases (ive been troubleshooting this issue for so long i basically borrowed my gf's entire PC parts to see if anything could fix it, nope, but we both use Ryzen 2600 but recently i upgraded to 5600 to see if it would fix it.... first i thought it was my bad SSD, so i bought a nvme.. didnt fix it.. etc.. ...)
ill take a vid of the forest gameplay show you waht i mean ... either im gonna try LINUX see if anything is different or just try Intel cpu...
Look im not trying to throw oil on this fire, but heres my recommendation:
If possible, please try and try out a different cpu sku/vendor in your local computer store. I recently had a 5600X which I changed to 12400F. On paper, the 5600X is the same as 12400F, if maybe 2-3% faster/slower depending on game. Most local hardware store, will be happy to A/B test on your own personal rig if you call and explain. Obviously this varies from country/region/availability of stores, but most local hardware stores are happy to do this where I live (example Pcdiy in vic). They might charge say 30$ for this, and offer you an hour or twos worth of time to test your own games and rig (they will usually have spare mobos and cpus laying around to test, call and ask)
Now from my anecdotal experience, the 12400F has been a much nicer experience for me. Once again, this might be due to Zen mobo combo/this and that, but in general ive had weird issues on 5600X. The avg fps was the same on the 5600X but I felt more "perceptible" stutters when gaming or emulating. Once again, I did not have 2-3 mobos and cases lying around to test if its my combination of hardware, but alder lake + msi b660 mobo have been flawless for me.
So might be worth checking that out instore before spending more money on anything else. I know it wasnt my monitor since I have a FO48U and 240hz alienware ips monitor, where I made the mistake of buying a high refresh rate panel to test if my oled was the issue with 5600X. Turns out, it was something else, which I never got to the bottom of with the ryzen (im suspecting it was the mobo).
I now also run Linux Garuda and Endevour OS (Arch) alongside Win11 on a seperate ssd, and steam is excellent on Linux. Dare I say, most games actually feel smoother on linux, but you lose 5% perf on average compared to windows. Gaming on windows is still just nicer with afterburner/apps/ease of use and no compat issues but its super easy to use balena etcher to make a live linux usb. I wont even go into what distro to pick, but I highly recommend giving linux a try before you go off testing cpus/gpus. Its actually a great experience on linux these days but still not perfect
Also you can resell the 5600x for excellent returns. So it wont be a bad idea to test in-person before you commit to anything. Curently pc gaming sucks with UE4/UE5 and most engine having shader comp/asset loading stutter. I havent played songs of the forest, but games like RDR2, GTA V, CSGO, Cyberpunk 2077, RE4 Remake (demo), GoW, Spiderman should have minimal to no stutter. Only a once off when loading new maps/assets. Those are good games to test stutter with if you doubt its not the hardware but software, but I recommend test some of these games if youre testing new parts in a store
My advice? - Sounds like a weird hardware issue. Pc gaming can be a great pleasure or immensely frustrating. I hate how modern games stutter and no amount of money can fix it (returnal, calisto, forbroken, hogwarts/literally any new title) but when PC gaming works, god does it work well.
The 2600 wasnt a bad cpu nor is the 5600, so hopefully you find a solution
Best of luck!
