Massive Lag Spikes Making Most Games Unplayable

[LumaTot]

Sorry for the wall of text, but I feel like it's all necessary to know. TL;DR: Games unplayable, out of ideas to fix it.

I first had the issue while playing Team Fortress 2, around June 23-ish I had started experiencing lag spikes that lasted about 3-7 seconds and occurred once every 10 seconds or so. Each time it happened, I saw this in the console repeated around 30 times:

[SteamNetworkingSockets] WARNING: SteamNetworkingSockets lock held for [x] ms. (Performance warning.) ServiceThread
This is usually a symptom of a general performance problem such as thread starvation.

Initially, I asked on the TF2 discussion page about this, and the only response I got was basically "wait for it to be fixed". Looking around online, I saw mostly the same thing. Something around the lines of "it's a problem with the server, there's nothing you can do but wait" was all I could find.

But not too long after, I learned this issue is pretty much global. Almost every game has these spikes, and since most of them are singleplayer games, there is no way it's a problem with a server. The thing is, I have been using my current PC to play these games for over 2 years now and have never had this happen to me. I don't recall doing anything to the computer in the time I last played a game before and after the issue started, which was only around 14 hours or so.

It only got worse, some games I tried just brute forcing my way through the lag, which worked for some, but others crashed the game, or worse, blue screened my PC. About the only games that didn't have the problem were games that ran at less than 720p.

Since then, I have tried everything I could think of. I had triple checked for updates to all of my drivers, nothing wrong with them. I had verified the integrity of all of my games files, which also did nothing. I tried turning down graphics settings on the affected games to the absolute lowest, did absolutely nothing. I eventually just backed up most of my files and factory reset the entire PC, and after a night of redownloading everything, it still lagged to the point where I couldn't play.

And now, after doing the first three options after the reset, I'm out of ideas. I have no clue what to do.

[FROYO Rando Blueberry King Jesus]

Originally posted by LumaTot:

Sorry for the wall of text, but I feel like it's all necessary to know. TL;DR: Games unplayable, out of ideas to fix it.

I first had the issue while playing Team Fortress 2, around June 23-ish I had started experiencing lag spikes that lasted about 3-7 seconds and occurred once every 10 seconds or so. Each time it happened, I saw this in the console repeated around 30 times:

[SteamNetworkingSockets] WARNING: SteamNetworkingSockets lock held for [x] ms. (Performance warning.) ServiceThread
This is usually a symptom of a general performance problem such as thread starvation.

Initially, I asked on the TF2 discussion page about this, and the only response I got was basically "wait for it to be fixed". Looking around online, I saw mostly the same thing. Something around the lines of "it's a problem with the server, there's nothing you can do but wait" was all I could find.

But not too long after, I learned this issue is pretty much global. Almost every game has these spikes, and since most of them are singleplayer games, there is no way it's a problem with a server. The thing is, I have been using my current PC to play these games for over 2 years now and have never had this happen to me. I don't recall doing anything to the computer in the time I last played a game before and after the issue started, which was only around 14 hours or so.

It only got worse, some games I tried just brute forcing my way through the lag, which worked for some, but others crashed the game, or worse, blue screened my PC. About the only games that didn't have the problem were games that ran at less than 720p.

Since then, I have tried everything I could think of. I had triple checked for updates to all of my drivers, nothing wrong with them. I had verified the integrity of all of my games files, which also did nothing. I tried turning down graphics settings on the affected games to the absolute lowest, did absolutely nothing. I eventually just backed up most of my files and factory reset the entire PC, and after a night of redownloading everything, it still lagged to the point where I couldn't play.

And now, after doing the first three options after the reset, I'm out of ideas. I have no clue what to do.

So is this only a tf2 issue? Are the other games you played also source engine games?

[LumaTot]

I mentioned it's happening to almost everything, and TF2 was the first thing it happened on. Most of them aren't using Source. Weirdly, one of the games where the lag is worst on isn't even 3D.

[Iceira]

possible you are laptop owner and in balance mode try play a 3D game with lack of Resource's

"[SteamNetworkingSockets] WARNING: SteamNetworkingSockets lock held for [x] ms. (Performance warning.)" <---- not sure what that is and where you got the info from but it try to tell you something ( almost so bad that server might kick you for it out of sync into game server, i cant say if this is game that do it or your end. ) or local isp with network traffic issue even that can happend.

[LumaTot]

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

possible you are laptop owner and in balance mode try play a 3D game with lack of Resource's

I'm not sure what you mean? Yes, I am the PC owner. Can you give an example of a 3D game without using much resources?

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

not sure what that is and where you got the info from

I got the error from the developer console on Team Fortress 2. My best guess as to why I'm getting this specific error is it just needs an error for downtime between frames and just used that.

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

almost so bad that server might kick you for it out of sync into game server, i cant say if this is game that do it or your end. ) or local isp with network traffic issue even that can happend.

I'm almost certain it has nothing to do with the server, TF2 isn't the only game it's happening on and it's mostly client side.

[Iceira]

If laptop, use power scematic and set it to Full performance. ( to many laptop owner play in balance mode and sometimes its not enough or system over time get heavier ) and Laptop is know for throttle its cpu cycle, most desktop pc dont do that.


google winsock reset, it might help

still think that a vital information happend at your end

[SteamNetworkingSockets] WARNING: SteamNetworkingSockets lock held for [x] ms. (Performance warning.) ServiceThread

same as not working as its need is. ( other task like app close them spotify and whatever app.
cant say what it is but you pc seem to struggle with it. )

try safe boot mode maybe ( steam call it interference issue, i will try locate link
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/70D4-67C8-784D-692A

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/5B03-A517-D747-9421

[Iceira]

its simple play a single play game like skyrim then its all your pc only as test with the issue, and cant be a network issue then its not online game.

even fallout4, point is more a network problem or not or own pc issue.

or is it your network into steam server and isp in the middle here.

and also have way more then 50gb free on system disk, many forget even system make temp file swapfile and so on. ( system need work space )

[XTS (Away)]

Using beta version of steam? If so try to turn it off.

[LumaTot]

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

If laptop, use power scematic and set it to Full performance. ( to many laptop owner play in balance mode and sometimes its not enough or system over time get heavier ) and Laptop is know for throttle its cpu cycle, most desktop pc dont do that.


google winsock reset, it might help

still think that a vital information happend at your end

[SteamNetworkingSockets] WARNING: SteamNetworkingSockets lock held for [x] ms. (Performance warning.) ServiceThread

same as not working as its need is. ( other task like app close them spotify and whatever app.
cant say what it is but you pc seem to struggle with it. )

try safe boot mode maybe ( steam call it interference issue, i will try locate link
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/70D4-67C8-784D-692A

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/5B03-A517-D747-9421

Yes, I'm using a laptop, and my battery setting is, and has always been at best performance.

I can connect to the internet just fine, my problem is lag spikes within the games themselves. I don't see what resetting winsock will do for me when it's not a problem with connecting to any servers.

I almost never have anything open besides Steam when playing a game, and when I tested which games had the issue and which didn't, I had nothing else open.

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

its simple play a single play game like skyrim then its all your pc only as test with the issue, and cant be a network issue then its not online game.

even fallout4, point is more a network problem or not or own pc issue.

or is it your network into steam server and isp in the middle here.

and also have way more then 50gb free on system disk, many forget even system make temp file swapfile and so on. ( system need work space )

Most of the games I'm lagging in are singleplayer, some of which, to my knowledge, don't connect to the internet at all.

I have about 460gb free on my disk. What exactly do you mean with that last sentence?

[LumaTot]

Originally posted by XTS:

Using beta version of steam? If so try to turn it off.

No, my Steam client isn't on a beta.

[Joke]

If it's only Steam games that are affected, try deleting the web cache and download cache in steam. I agree it doesn't seem like it could have any impact on your problem, but someone reported that this helped them before.

Try starting windows in "Safe mode", and then try your games. If that solved your problem, then investigate what programs you might have running in the background.

[Iceira]

the diffrence is you try to narrow it down, and now we dont have to focus on network issue then you lag in a single player game.

and i can actual say contact game support for every game.
but is laptop even update with Drivers, most are today they have a auto update tool app to its Brand name support , yuo might also want to contact that support.

work space is just a system make temp files and its seen before then it dont have it, can cause odd issue with performance.

check MS VC+++ files own support page and see if that is the clue here.
make freah GPU driver installed in advance mod and then checkbox is there make clean install
assume its a Nvidia card , but DDU then its AMD drivers.

technicaly we are done its game dves or support of each game that should look at it, but we have seen before game devs , dont help with Drivers or security thats is seen as user own choise or know how to deal with own pc update.

feel free to go safe boot mode, also a good way to try idenbtify interference.


other off topic chack own system, ( google it )
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

even chkdsk ( thats check disk right click harddrive, properties )

other is game files clear download cache ( steam settings )
and valdate game intergrity of files ( on each game )


and sense game dont crash other then laggy i doubt you have error codes with whats wrong.

[Iceira]

update netcard driver ( NIC )
[SteamNetworkingSockets] WARNING: SteamNetworkingSockets lock held for [x] ms. (Performance warning.) ServiceThread

i and other can only suggest you to do something about it. ask that game support or game forum other might know what that is.

[Satoru]

Post yoru system specs from Steam-Help-System information

If I see "Killer Network Interface" then I know what your problem is

[LumaTot]

Originally posted by Satoru:

Post yoru system specs from Steam-Help-System information

If I see "Killer Network Interface" then I know what your problem is

Is there a certain section it's found in? Should I just paste one section or the entire page?

[XTS (Away)]

Too bad it wasn't beta bc that could fix it so fast. I'm sorry it wasn't helpful. I presume you've checked everything for updates. I have a laptop but mine is alienware and I have to go to dell to get some of my updates. I also had a bios update recently, among other updates. This seems pretty complicated and I really hope that you get it figured out soon. I know how aggravating it can be. ♥ Wishing you the best