3 BIOS Settings That Could Stop Your PC Games From Stuttering
Reading Time: 4 minutesIs your PC stuttering? Entering the BIOS and tweaking these settings could be the solution.
A beautiful environment or fast-paced action scene in a video game can be ruined by a poorly-timed stutter. Even if you troubleshoot your hardware to the ends of the earth, you may still find yourself pulling your hair out.
That being said, sometimes stuttering can be fixed in your PC’s BIOS. Let’s find out how.
What Is the BIOS?
The basic input/output system (BIOS) is a program that your PC runs when it is powered on. It performs a variety of functions to ensure that your PC works the way it’s supposed to, which we discuss in our explanation of the BIOS. It is important to note that the BIOS resides on a physical chip on your motherboard. This is referred to as a ROM chip or BIOS chip.
Most modern BIOS also allow you to fine-tune some of your PC settings. This includes overclocking, power management, fan management, and more. While some of these settings can help you prevent stuttering, others can actually cause stuttering if you aren’t careful!
Before moving on, learn how to enter the BIOS of your Windows PC if you’re not familiar yet.
1. Extreme Memory Profiling
Extreme Memory Profiling, better known as XMP, allows you to overclock your random access memory (RAM) if you have an Intel CPU. If you are unfamiliar with RAM, this is the component in your computer that is responsible for storing information that needs to be used quickly. We go into more detail in our explanation of why you need XMP to run RAM at full speed.
We used Corsair’s Vengeance RGB Pro RAM with an Intel i9 9900k CPU as a reference. As seen in the image above, when XMP is disabled, the RAM is only running at 2133MHz instead of its rated frequency of 3600MHz. This is because the motherboard is running the RAM at the default frequency of its generation.
In this case, Corsair’s Vengeance RGB Pro RAM is generation DDR4, which has a default frequency of 2133 MHz. When we enabled XMP, the frequency jumped dramatically. This is because XMP loads profiles that are saved on your RAM. These profiles control a variety of RAM settings including frequency and timings, allowing the RAM to run at its rated frequency.
If you are experiencing stuttering in your games, it could very well be because your RAM is not running at its rated frequency. To fix this, try enabling XMP in your BIOS and see if your stuttering persists. It should be noted that AMD has its own XMP alternative that functions the same. On ASUS motherboards, this setting is called Direct Overclock Profile (DOCP).
2. RAM Timings
RAM timings are given in a series of numbers and vary from one RAM to another. These numbers indicate the number of clock cycles it takes the RAM to perform an operation. In relation to gaming, your RAM retrieves the game data it needs from your HDD or SSD and pulls from it when needed. The tighter your timings, the faster your RAM can do this.
However, when RAM timings are set incorrectly it can result in system instability. For example, the default timings for Corsair’s Vengeance RGB Pro RAM are 18-22-22-42. The ASUS PRIME Z390-A Pro motherboard we used for this example set the RAM timings to 22-15-15-36.
These timings are significantly tighter than the RAM’s rated timings. The result was a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) shortly after loading into Windows 11. That being said, incorrect timings don’t always cause a PC to crash. If your RAM timings are just barely too tight, you will run into less noticeable issues like stuttering.
The opposite is also true. If your RAM timings are too loose, this can cause stuttering since your RAM now requires more clock cycles to complete an operation. So what’s the solution? In most cases, XMP will load a RAM’s rated timings. If this doesn’t fix your stuttering, you will have to manually adjust your RAM timings.
These can usually be found on the box your RAM came in. Alternatively, we recommend installing CPU-Z, which will show you exactly what timings your RAM is currently using.
3. Trusted Platform Module
If you are still experiencing stuttering in games, your computer’s Trusted Platform Module (TPM) may be the culprit. TPM is a physical chip on your PC’s motherboard that provides extra security: if it detects unauthorized activity, it simply won’t boot.
However, not every PC comes with a TPM installed. To get around this, Intel and AMD developed Platform Trust Technology (PTT) and Firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM), respectively. These platforms perform the same tasks as a TPM without requiring additional PC hardware.
While both solutions function similarly, fTPM has been known to cause stuttering on AM4 Ryzen systems. AMD’s fTPM is stored in the motherboard’s BIOS chip. According to AMD and numerous user accounts, memory transactions between the fTPM and BIOS chip were causing stutters and lag on Windows 10 and Windows 11 Ryzen systems.
AMD has since issued a fix for this issue that requires you to update your BIOS. It is important to note that stutters caused my fTPM also interfere with audio. If you own a Ryzen system and are experiencing similar symptoms, try updating your BIOS. If the issue persists, AMD’s suggested workaround involves disabling fTPM in your BIOS.
You Have Options for Fixing PC Game Stutters
XMP, RAM timings, and TPM are certainly important BIOS settings to consider when trying to fix stuttering in your games. They play an important part in deciding how your PC interacts with its hardware and vice versa. However, they aren’t the only potential fixes out there! Keep digging and you just may find your solution.