First, let's look at what's running in the background. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) while you play and see if any programs are hogging CPU, memory, or disk usage. Shut down any unnecessary programs that might be stealing resources from your games.
You can also try temporarily disabling non-essential services like Bluetooth to see if they make a difference. On to the graphics card settings. Go into your game's settings and try lowering some graphics options like resolution, anti-aliasing, and shadows. This can lighten the workload on your RX 6650 XT and potentially improve performance. Also, experiment with enabling or disabling VSync in your graphics card control panel (like AMD Radeon Software) or the game's settings.
VSync can prevent screen tearing but may cause some input lag. Since your games are stored on a 1TB external SSD, that's good for loading times, but keep an eye on disk usage during gameplay using Task Manager. If you see spikes in disk usage when the lag hits, it might mean the drive is struggling to keep up. Here are some more advanced checks: Use software like MSI Afterburner to monitor your CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming.
If they get too hot (above 80°C for GPU, 90°C for CPU), your system might be throttling down to avoid overheating, causing the lag. Make sure your PC has good airflow and clean out any dust buildup if needed. If you've overclocked your CPU or GPU, try setting them back to stock speeds to see if overclocking instability is the culprit.
Finally, if you can, try connecting your PC to a different monitor to rule out any monitor issues. The fact that the lag happens across multiple games suggests it's a system-wide problem, not a specific game issue. By checking these areas one by one, we should be able to identify the issue and get you back to enjoying lag-free gaming!
