Tough to diagnose game buffering/stuttering problem

[mr_lebowski]

9. Is Red Dead Redemption OL the only game with this issue?

I think I've read it's pretty buggy/crappy network-wise.

Have you tried the simplest things, like running chkdsk and sfc /scannow? Checked the HD's S.M.A.R.T. status? Is anything hogging cycles in task manager?

If you're only having an issue in Chrome not FF or Edge that sorta rules out hardware issues tbh.

Usually when I get fed up with issues like this I just freaking reinstall windows (after making very sure the HD is working okay). Other than laptops I've never bought a PC that I didn't build and install Windows and everything else myself (other than laptops and even those I've reinstalled Windows myself).