x2 Unit Multiplier Stuttering Issue

Just wondering if the issue I'm having is due to my computer, or if there is some other technical issue I don't know about.

I really enjoy using the x2 unit multiplier, the more men fighting, the more epic the battles seem.

The problem is, at some point in the battle (it usually starts off running just fine), the game will start to chug and units will begin to stutter step and move in slow motion around the battlefield. It's very annoying. It seems like people with less powerful computers can run it with the x2 set up, yet I get problems.

This seems to occur no matter what graphical settings I have, so I'm wondering if it is and issue of CPU bottlenecking.

Here is my basic set up:

Quad Core Intel I7 CPU 920 @ 2.66 GHz
9 Gigs Ram
Nvidia GeForce 560 Ti
750 watt PSU
Latest drivers, etc.

The really frustrating part about this problem is it's been going on for ages and I haven't been able to figure it out till today. And as usual, the problem was really obvious and simple all along.

All this time I had the "Better Renders" mod enabled. Now, I would think the mod would help performance, but perhaps with newer systems running the 2x multiplier it doesn't help. Took the mod out of data, and presto, the stutter is gone. Now I'm running everything on ultra with x2 multiplier and nary a hiccup is to be found. (Not to slight the mod, apparently it does wonders for other people)

This makes me want to really rage out because this problem has been occuring for almost a year for me, I'd play around with the settings for hours trying to get it to work, then I'd get mad, then revert back to regular ultra troop sizes. All this time I stupidly assumed "Well it can't be that mod, it's supposed to improve performance! Obviously that's not it! "


Ugh!