Veilguard stuttering

Here's the report text from LatencyMon. I experienced three stuttering episodes while playing Veilguard while it was recording.

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CONCLUSION
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Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or pops. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. Also one or more ISR routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates. 
LatencyMon has been analyzing your system for  0:17:05  (h:mm:ss) on all processors.

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SYSTEM INFORMATION
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Computer name:                                        DURANDAL
OS version:                                           Windows 11, 10.0, version 2009, build: 26200 (x64)
Hardware:                                             X570GT, BIOSTAR Group
BIOS:                                                 5.17
CPU:                                                  AuthenticAMD AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core Processor 
Logical processors:                                   16
Processor groups:                                     1
Processor group size:                                 16
RAM:                                                  32708 MB total

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CPU SPEED
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Reported CPU speed (WMI):                             360 MHz
Reported CPU speed (registry):                        3593 MHz

Note: reported execution times may be calculated based on a fixed reported CPU speed. Disable variable speed settings like Intel Speed Step and AMD Cool N Quiet in the BIOS setup for more accurate results.

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MEASURED INTERRUPT TO USER PROCESS LATENCIES
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The interrupt to process latency reflects the measured interval that a usermode process needed to respond to a hardware request from the moment the interrupt service routine started execution. This includes the scheduling and execution of a DPC routine, the signaling of an event and the waking up of a usermode thread from an idle wait state in response to that event.

Highest measured interrupt to process latency (µs):   1694.20
Average measured interrupt to process latency (µs):   15.262029

Highest measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs):       1606.80
Average measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs):       7.123501

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 REPORTED ISRs
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Interrupt service routines are routines installed by the OS and device drivers that execute in response to a hardware interrupt signal.

Highest ISR routine execution time (µs):              1123.404397
Driver with highest ISR routine execution time:       Wdf01000.sys - Kernel Mode Driver Framework Runtime, Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total ISR routine time (%):          0.003120
Driver with highest ISR total time:                   Wdf01000.sys - Kernel Mode Driver Framework Runtime, Microsoft Corporation

Total time spent in ISRs (%)                          0.003596

ISR count (execution time <250 µs):                   154717
ISR count (execution time 250-500 µs):                0
ISR count (execution time 500-1000 µs):               7
ISR count (execution time 1000-2000 µs):              1
ISR count (execution time 2000-4000 µs):              0
ISR count (execution time >=4000 µs):                 0

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REPORTED DPCs
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DPC routines are part of the interrupt servicing dispatch mechanism and disable the possibility for a process to utilize the CPU while it is interrupted until the DPC has finished execution.

Highest DPC routine execution time (µs):              3362.047314
Driver with highest DPC routine execution time:       Wdf01000.sys - Kernel Mode Driver Framework Runtime, Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total DPC routine time (%):          0.079746
Driver with highest DPC total execution time:         dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation

Total time spent in DPCs (%)                          0.190857

DPC count (execution time <250 µs):                   2045568
DPC count (execution time 250-500 µs):                0
DPC count (execution time 500-10000 µs):              6893
DPC count (execution time 1000-2000 µs):              288
DPC count (execution time 2000-4000 µs):              12
DPC count (execution time >=4000 µs):                 0

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 REPORTED HARD PAGEFAULTS
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Hard pagefaults are events that get triggered by making use of virtual memory that is not resident in RAM but backed by a memory mapped file on disk. The process of resolving the hard pagefault requires reading in the memory from disk while the process is interrupted and blocked from execution.

NOTE: some processes were hit by hard pagefaults. If these were programs producing audio, they are likely to interrupt the audio stream resulting in dropouts, clicks and pops. Check the Processes tab to see which programs were hit.

Process with highest pagefault count:                 msedge.exe

Total number of hard pagefaults                       32781
Hard pagefault count of hardest hit process:          18702
Number of processes hit:                              85

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 PER CPU DATA
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CPU 0 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       97.871121
CPU 0 ISR highest execution time (µs):                1123.404397
CPU 0 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.589556
CPU 0 ISR count:                                      154692
CPU 0 DPC highest execution time (µs):                3362.047314
CPU 0 DPC total execution time (s):                   28.465549
CPU 0 DPC count:                                      1757835
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CPU 1 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       7.975039
CPU 1 ISR highest execution time (µs):                19.067075
CPU 1 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.000214
CPU 1 ISR count:                                      20
CPU 1 DPC highest execution time (µs):                1906.967993
CPU 1 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.299878
CPU 1 DPC count:                                      34438
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CPU 2 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       7.268104
CPU 2 ISR highest execution time (µs):                13.396048
CPU 2 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.000129
CPU 2 ISR count:                                      13
CPU 2 DPC highest execution time (µs):                1129.16560
CPU 2 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.224246
CPU 2 DPC count:                                      29020
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CPU 3 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       6.892675
CPU 3 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 3 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 3 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 3 DPC highest execution time (µs):                621.839132
CPU 3 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.192428
CPU 3 DPC count:                                      25126
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CPU 4 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       7.763560
CPU 4 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 4 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 4 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 4 DPC highest execution time (µs):                430.316727
CPU 4 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.113228
CPU 4 DPC count:                                      19067
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CPU 5 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       6.977061
CPU 5 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 5 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 5 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 5 DPC highest execution time (µs):                172.495408
CPU 5 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.102879
CPU 5 DPC count:                                      14677
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CPU 6 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       6.710203
CPU 6 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 6 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 6 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 6 DPC highest execution time (µs):                427.260785
CPU 6 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.114498
CPU 6 DPC count:                                      13939
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CPU 7 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       6.689234
CPU 7 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 7 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 7 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 7 DPC highest execution time (µs):                389.958252
CPU 7 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.096845
CPU 7 DPC count:                                      14239
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CPU 8 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       7.740436
CPU 8 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 8 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 8 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 8 DPC highest execution time (µs):                363.055942
CPU 8 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.226515
CPU 8 DPC count:                                      22581
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CPU 9 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       7.034226
CPU 9 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 9 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 9 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 9 DPC highest execution time (µs):                772.191483
CPU 9 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.119210
CPU 9 DPC count:                                      15867
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CPU 10 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       6.511692
CPU 10 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 10 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 10 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 10 DPC highest execution time (µs):                431.639299
CPU 10 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.162020
CPU 10 DPC count:                                      12677
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CPU 11 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       6.389351
CPU 11 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 11 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 11 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 11 DPC highest execution time (µs):                505.312552
CPU 11 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.112651
CPU 11 DPC count:                                      11793
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CPU 12 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       5.816898
CPU 12 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 12 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 12 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 12 DPC highest execution time (µs):                762.542722
CPU 12 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.198771
CPU 12 DPC count:                                      24844
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CPU 13 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       5.917774
CPU 13 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 13 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 13 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 13 DPC highest execution time (µs):                552.333983
CPU 13 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.218232
CPU 13 DPC count:                                      23655
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CPU 14 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       8.617437
CPU 14 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 14 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 14 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 14 DPC highest execution time (µs):                709.529641
CPU 14 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.153398
CPU 14 DPC count:                                      14900
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CPU 15 Interrupt cycle time (s):                       8.773097
CPU 15 ISR highest execution time (µs):                0.0
CPU 15 ISR total execution time (s):                   0.0
CPU 15 ISR count:                                      0
CPU 15 DPC highest execution time (µs):                1427.465628
CPU 15 DPC total execution time (s):                   0.504571
CPU 15 DPC count:                                      18103
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I've also tried doing a clean boot in Windows. That didn't work either. So it's not some other process. It's the game itself.

The only other game I've ever experienced stuttering with was Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - and that was after hundreds of hours playing it just fine. Beat the game and was just running around doing post-game stuff. I think it started stuttering after a DirectX update. But every other game I've got on this PC runs just fine.

pukunui81​ 

There are 0x141 VIDEO_ENGINE_TIMEOUT_DETECTED  LiveKernelEvent errors in your DxDiag. 
This means that one of the video engines, most likely the graphics driver, stopped responding within a time frame determined by the OS. If this occurs, the OS terminates the driver and resets the GPU to prevent the system from becoming unresponsive or crashing. 

1.  Follow this manual to the letter to clean uninstall all NVIDIA graphic driver components.
   IMPORTANT: if you use a Pin to log into Windows 11 don't use DDU in safe mode!
   Use it in your normal Windows session.
2. Install the graphics driver > Go online.
3. Test.

Thanks. I did try that previously, and it didn't work, but I'll give it another go.

holger1405​ Unfortunately, that didn't work. Here's a new dx diag file for reference.

pukunui81​ 

1. Hit Windows key and X.
2. Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command prompt (Administrator),” or "Windows Terminal (Administrator)", whichever option is offered.
3. Inside PowerShell, CMD or Terminal enter: (You can copy and paste the following cursive text.) DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Checkhealth
4. Press ENTER.
5. If errors are found, notify us. If no errors were found repeat steps 1 & 2.
6. Inside PowerShell, CMD or Terminal enter: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
7. Press ENTER.
8. The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here.
9. After it reaches 100% repeat steps 1 & 2.
10. Inside PowerShell, CMD or Terminal enter: sfc /scannow
11. Press ENTER.
12. Post the message you receive at the end of the processes here.

holger1405​ Thanks for getting back to me.

1) Check Health: No errors.

2) Restore health: Took a long time but it eventually completed.
"The restore operation completed successfully. The operation completed successfully."

3) Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.

FYI: I've just tried two other potential fixes: 
- ticking "Run as administrator" in the game exe file's Compatibility tab
- ticking "Run this program in compatibility mode" (Windows 7)

Neither of those worked either. Trying out the DPI settings. (I think I tried those before but am trying them again.) EDIT: These didn't help either.

pukunui81​ 

it sounds like a Shader Cache issue. 
Make sure your driver cache settings are at standard settings.
Also delete the Shader Cache folder of the game.

1. Press the Windows key and R at the same time.
2. Copy and paste "%LOCALAPPDATA%\BioWare\Dragon Age The Veilguard" (without the quotes.) into the new Window > Press ENTER.
3. Delete the "Cache" folder. 
4. Restart the PC. 
5. Test.

holger1405​ I've deleted the shader cache folder numerous times. I've also set the shader cache size to "unlimited" via the Nvidia Control Panel global settings. Neither of those things helped.

I need to do more testing (that is, playing the game), but I think *fingers crossed* that I have found a solution with help from Google's AI Mode! Since my BIOS is a bit rudimentary and doesn't appear to allow me to underclock or undervolt easily, AI Mode suggested I do this instead:

• Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Edit Plan Settings
• Changed Advanced Power Settings
• Expand Processor Power Management
• Set Minimum Processor State to 80%
• Set Maximum Processor State to 95%

According to AI Mode, this works as a "soft" underclock. This *appears* to have fixed it, as I've just played for over an hour without any stuttering, but we'll see ...