Weird FFXI Stutter Issue

[drwaffles]

Disclaimer: this issue isn't anything to do with QoS packet scheduler or HID Compliant Devices. In fact it's not really like any other stuttering issue I've seen discussed anywhere else, so please don't immediately write this topic off as a repeat of previous threads regarding similar-sounding issues.

I got a new PC a few months ago (Windows 7 64-bit, Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU @2.80GHz, ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series and a wired connection), and up until the last month or so it ran FFXI very well (capped FPS with pretty high settings, normal shadows, etc.). There was an issue where teleport crystals and Confluxes would lag me to the point where my whole PC got bogged down, but that wasn't/isn't a big deal.

Over the course of the past month or so I've noticed that, in certain areas, I start getting what looks like an FPS drop to ~15 FPS that wasn't detected either by Fraps or by Windower's built-in FPS monitor. Long story short, it's gotten worse over time. Now I have this weird stuttery lag constantly almost in my Jeuno MH (seems less pronounced albeit still present in other nations' MH's), and quite frequently when just running around some zones. It doesn't seem to be as straightforward as a certain texture or object being the culprit as it's now possible for me to simply stand still in an open area where I get the stutter, rotate my camera and witness a couple of seconds of stuttering every so often (it's fairly frequent, depending on where I am, but it's not at set intervals). It doesn't happen in every area, but it does seem to happen in at least some Abyssea zones, which is where I spend most of my time. For some reason I seem to get it more often and more heavily in tunnels or close quarters (it's unrelenting in the tunnel leading down to the Hazhalm gate), which I suppose explains why it's so prevalent in my MH. Please note, however, that it does appear to be completely random, and even in my MH it will usually disappear for a few seconds every so often. I also noticed today that the game's music has started to be affected by what I can only assume to be the same problem - it skips slightly every so often, and in the middle of zoning it spazzes out momentarily as if there's been a small freeze mid-zone. Edit: just noticed that whenever I take a screenshot now it also causes the game's music to skip momentarily.

I've searched through a lot of threads and tried a lot of things to help solve the issue, but none have helped one bit. I've tried different drivers, disabling HID devices/QoS, disabling some background programs such as Avira/Windows Firewall, changing FFXI's settings, running the game on just one core, and so on. I've monitored my CPU/GPU temperatures when the stutter occurs but there is no noticeable change, and the overall temperatures are normal. One thought that crossed my mind is that there might be some corrupt files, but it seems unlikely and I'd rather not waste hours reinstalling the game for it to make no difference.

Any advice? As things are right now the game is perfectly playable (although it is a bit of a pain to change jobs in a pseudo-laggy MH), but considering I've been seeing things get gradually worse I'd prefer to search for possible solutions now rather than watch my performance deteriorate over time. Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give, please let me know if you'd like any further information.

Edit: just rolled back my driver which seems to have fixed the bgm-related issue, which is a good thing. Makes me less anxious about the possibility of my system slowly going to shit.

[Mafai]

Do you have a SSD drive? A friend had a similar problem and it turned out his SSD was defective. He RMA'd it and once he popped the replacement in all was good.

[drwaffles]

Pretty sure I don't, and maybe I'm being stupid but I can't seem to find out how to check for sure. Ran msinfo32, looked under components/storage/disks, but can't tell for certain whether it tells me or not. I had this PC built for me rather than building it myself, so I'm not too clued-up on the details. My knowledge of computers isn't particularly extensive.

[Crowort]

What size is your C: drive? SSD cost a lot per GB so if it is anything greater than about 128gb you can be pretty sure it is a normal mechanical drive. A SSD is likely to be 40, 60 or 80GB.

[drwaffles]

931GB so yeah, as I thought, no SSD.

[xopher]

Do you use APRadar?

[xerodok]

ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series

Which card?

[drwaffles]

Do you use APRadar?

Sometimes, but the issue persists regardless of whether I'm running it or not.

Which card?

Um, to the best of my knowledge it's simply 5700; can't seem to find anything to suggest otherwise, although everywhere I check it's referred to as "5700 series" rather than just a number.

[xerodok]

Um, to the best of my knowledge it's simply 5700; can't seem to find anything to suggest otherwise, although everywhere I check it's referred to as "5700 series" rather than just a number.

Open your case and look. '5700 series' is a generic driver.

[sruon]

It's a 5750 iirc

[drwaffles]

Ah, it's fixed! In desperation I tried a few more random old drivers, and miraculously one of them did the trick. Thanks for the responses. Sorry for having y'all read through my wall o' text, but since I'd tried so many different drivers already and none of them had helped alleviate the problem at all I'd all but given up on that being the solution, especially considering I haven't knowingly updated my video card drivers since getting my PC.