Display pausing at regular intervals

[AlexCranswick]

I am having problems with my display freezing every 10 seconds or so.  I have run Task Manager in parallel with the problem and their are no obvious signs of any resource issues, but since the Task Manager display freezes as well, this is obviously not a reliable indicator.

I am running,

Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit) Version (Build) 2004 (10.0.19041.630)
Intel® Core™ i5-6500 CPU @ 3.20GHz
Intel® HD Graphics 530
MOTHERBOARD ASRock Model H170M Pro4S
BIOS Date: 10/14/15 14:48:14 Ver: 05.0000B 
16GB RAM
2 monitors - 1920x1080 (HDMI) and 1920x1200 (DVI)
C drive: 128GB SSD ~80% full
D drive: 2TB - all user files
E drive: 1.5TB - scratch disc
F drive: 3TB - Photo library

 The pausing seems to be dependent on the number of applications and windows open.  The work being done does not seem to be lost, it just takes time for the display to catch up.  So if I am using Photoshop and using the paint brush, the display will freeze and then catch up 3 seconds or so later with the movement during the freeze.  It is similar for typing and the phenomenon appears to be independent of the CPU intensity of the application.  Towards the end of the freeze, windows unrelated to the application I am working in will rewrite.

The PC is about three years old now and did not exhibit this problem when first set up.  It has always been run with two monitors.  Any thoughts on this rather annoying problem would be appreciated.  Recently I have also noticed the odd brief freeze on my laptop, which is a similar configuration (but one screen), although not significant at this point, 

Neither machine is registering any malware or virus issues.

[CelinaFregoso]

According to users, random computer freezing usually appears after Windows 10 update. And the reason might be incompatibility of hardware and drivers. To correct it, just update all device drivers.

1. Click "Start" menu and click "Settings" tab.
2. Click "Update & security".
3. Select Windows Update in the left pane and click "Check for updates"(make sure you have an active Internet connection).

Method 2. Flash Your SSD
If you have Windows 10 installed on your SSD, you might experience random freezing on your computer due to older firmware. To fix it, just install the newest firmware on your SSD.

1. Open your advanced power plan settings.
2. Expand open Hard disk and Turn off hard disk after, SET TO NEVER, and click/tap on OK.

Low disk space on system disk will slow down PC and even cause random Windows 10 freezing issue, so first, please make sure that you have enough free disk space on C drive. If not, you can try to clean up junk files to free up some disk space using Windows 10 disk cleanup. Or trying another better solution - to extend system drive using EaseUS free partition software.

Fix 2. Disconnect All Devices
Disconnect all external USB devices even including the mouse and keyboard from the computer and then boot up to check if they are the causes of random computer freezes.

Fix 3. Check for Faulty Hardware
Damaged hardware is one of the factors that can trigger the computer freezing issue. But if the issue only happens in Windows 10, we can confirm that there is nothing wrong with your hardware.

Fix 4. Uninstall Incompatible Programs
Did you install any new programs before your computer freezing? If yes, it might the problem. Please try to uninstall them to see if it helps.

Fix 5. Scan with SFC to Repair Corrupt System Files
Random hangs & freezes on Windows 10 sometimes happens when system files get corrupted. To test and correct it, run a Command Prompt as administrator, in the black Command Prompt window, type: sfc /scannow. Then press Enter on your keyboard.

[n_scott_pearson]

So this sounds to me like your processor is being throttled. This can be as a result of high temperatures (either in the processor or on the motherboard (in voltage conversion circuitry) or too much power being drawn. In the latter case, many laptops purposefully use this to limit how much power the processor can draw in order to make their batteries last longer (unfortunately, some to it to get away with shipping smaller/cheaper batteries and they pocket the difference). In desktops, I have seen this done to prevent too much power being drawn from a power brick, in order to avoid overheating the brick.

...S

[AlexCranswick]

Thank you for that.  It would certainly seem a possibility that meets the symptoms.  i have just launched a monitor to look at the temperature, fan speeds etc.  So far temp is around 25C, but I have a widely varying fan speed - it just peaked at over 54K rpm which I do not believe, from around 1.5K rpm, so fan might need checking.  Not seeing any problems at present, but then wouldn't expect any at that temperature, if that is the problem.

[AlHill]

54K rpm?

[AlexCranswick]

Quite

[n_scott_pearson]

You might want to run the ThrottleStop tool as well.

...S

[AlexCranswick]

I'll try  throttle stop as well.  Been monitoring over the past few days and noticed there is no problem when the PC is first booted, but the problem manifests when I have more apps running.  However the CPU temperature never seems to rise about 40C and CPU usage (except for the occasional 100% on a significant Photoshop action), RAM usage and other resources are usually 75% or lower with no one app or background process apparently hogging the CPU.

The PC is a standard package from a specialist supplier, but I upped the PSU and cooling capacity and the monitoring seems to confirm that the temperature is staying well within limits.

Drivers are updated regularly, but I haven't looked at the SSD firmware.

[Alberto_Sykes]

AlexCranswick, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support.

I just wanted to check if the problem persists and if you need further assistance on this matter?

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Alberto_Sykes]

Hello AlexCranswick, Since I have not heard back from you, we are closing the case, but if you have any additional questions, please post them on a new thread so we can further assist you with this matter.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel