Taleworlds themselves have identified "memory leaks" as being issues, so...maybe. However, if so, players should (most likely) not be experiencing any form of
stutter from the get-go. Memory leaks, by their nature, will compound based on the number of times an asset is loaded / reloaded. So, over longer playtimes, the memory leak will get worse and worse, exhibiting performance degradation over time.
Of course, it's possible that the coding error could be so bad that the leak will compound multiple times in just matter of a few thousand milliseconds...but look at the game. I doubt Taleworlds would make a mistake that ridiculous.
More like as not, the stuttering is an issue with one of the following:
- GPU driver / firmware vs. GPU architecture. It is NOT a good idea to constantly update your drivers. (For example, I'm using a GTX 980 ti, Windows 7, and Nvidia Reference 385.69. [That's Sept. 21, 2017. No performance issues at all with any games.]) Only upgrade your drivers when there is a specific need to. If you upgrade and the issue is not rectified -- just immediately roll back. If your PC is not experiencing a problem, change nothing.)
- Hyperthreading issues. Many recent games, especially those built on Unity, seem to be having severe performance issues with anything over 4 cores. Hyperthreading / multicore tech is still not widely used in gaming -- at least not effectively. Some games will take advantage, but most games will either ignore it, or develop issues when there are too many cores active at once. Especially Ryzen chipsets seem to make many system configs very grumpy.
- Windows 10 security. Windows, in general, is not adverse...but neither conducive...to gaming. If running higher levels of Windows security, and installing games on protected directories, performance issues will likely follow. Installing to root directories and disabling Windows "security features" can definitely improve the gaming experience.
- Max-FPS / Power-User conflict. It's a simple fact: not all games are made to be run at MAxXx FPS, with G-Sync / FreeSync ULTRA performance. If one tries to do so, one may be severely disappointed with the results. Best bet in the actual reality of the modern gaming arena is to try to get consistent performance at 60 FPS, then 120 FPS. If you can't maintain a steady 120 FPS, drop back to 60. Then tweak from there. People who expect to take an EA game, unlock FPS, activate G-Sync / FreeSync, then experience silky smooth gameplay are off-base. Save that for AAA release shooters and action game. (And sometimes, not even then.) Hardware has definitely gotten ahead of software.