To answer your questions:

1. Yes, clean install on the times that it wasn’t a fresh copy of Windows.

2. I’ve tried a clean boot

3. No overlays open

4. All the PCs are / were Alienware

I’m aware that the 1070 cannot run the game at 60FPS max settings, however there is a HUGE difference between max settings at 30ish FPS with the March 2018 drivers and any driver after that at max settings. With the good drivers from last year it runs smoothly at 30-40FPS max settings with 4K. With any driver after, it stutters and crashes.

As for the 1080ti at max settings in 4K, the old drivers run silky smooth at max settings. Any driver past that date, choppy and stutter but still showing 60FPS, as it’s not an FPS issue. Some of the drivers take a bit of time to show the problem. If I swap to BLM and start nuking away on something, it occurs almost immediately. It’s almost as though it doesn’t like the lighting affects.

Again - old drivers good. New drivers- stutter. If this was an overlay issue or something running in the background issue, it would happen with the old drivers too, but it doesn’t. Just with newer drivers... therefore it’s a programming issue on either SE’s end or Nvidia’s end.

This happens with a fresh install of Windows with nothing but windows and final fantasy installed.

Nvidia has acknowledged the issue and are aware that it exists, and is a driver issue or software issue. The support guys that I have been talking to for months don’t know if it’s a problem with XIV’s coding after March 2018 or with their drivers but they know that it’s nothing in the background of Windows and not a hardware issue. They’ve literally had me test everything from fresh to reinstallations.

A few of my fellow FC members are having the same issue. They have reduced their resolution out of 4K as they don’t have access to the old driver.

Please work with NVidia to get this fixed, it’s so frustrating, and I’m not the only one with the problem. It’s mentioned several times on this support forum, and on nvidia’s support forums. Same issue.

I don’t think there is anything more I can possibly test. Fresh windows, clean install, nothing else running... old drivers work in 4K, new don’t. Not an FPS issue. It’s a stutter issue and a crash issue. It can appear to be running smooth for 10 or 15 minutes and then it just all goes bad.