Windows updates are meant to fix problems, not cause them, but PC gamers are experiencing stuttering and frame rate issues after installing the April update for Windows 10.
As PCGamer reports, multiple reports are appearing of random stutters, unstable frame rates, and V-Sync being broken when enabled in games. The common factor seems to be the April update for Windows 10, and more specifically the installation of a cumulative patch as part of the update.
On Windows 10 version 2004 (20H1), the cumulative patch is known as KB5001330, where as on Windows 10 versions 1930 and 1909, the cumulative patch is known as KB5001337. It’s also not a new problem, with a preview of the update causing similar problems for those who installed it earlier this month and even Nvidia suggested rolling back the cumulative patch to solve the issues.
In a post on Reddit, user m4ddan confirmed uninstalling the patch works, explaining, “Microsoft forced the april update, but it has the same issues, we had experienced with the previous optional update. Random stutter, unstable fps , vsync seems broken sometimes, if i screen share on discord my fps in games become very unstable with vsync enabled. Uninstalling it makes everything back to normal.”
Responses in that thread confirmed the stuttering and frame rate issues occur even if you’re using an RTX 3070 graphics card, clearly pointing to a Windows rather than performance problem.
If you are currently experiencing these issues, it’s possible to uninstall the update by navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and selecting “View update history.” From there, and depending on your version of Windows 10, look for either KB5001330 or KB5001337 and hit Uninstall. Alternatively, if it’s something you can live with, hopefully Microsoft will provide a fix soon so no uninstall is necessary.
