S-s-s-s-stuttering

My computer is only a few months old. 

Recently however I've been getting stutters during movies and other tasks.

I ran some checks and other programs, but it seems whenever the problem gets really bad it affects the entire system for awhile such as a semi-freeze where nothing works but my cursor still moves, then if I reset it has a hard time getting past POST until I cut the power for a bit.

I'm guessing it must be hardware somewhere. The only thing I've noticed as being as looking like it might be the cause is an SATA cable that may have been pinched.  Can anyone confirm that it would cause stuttering?

Update your graphic drivers.

What sort of movie? h264 movie? mp4 of some sort? dvd?

>>1
Your computer is FUBAR.

any and all. Youtube and regular playback.

I only notice it more during a movie because of the audio stutter makes it more apparent than when it happens during another task.

What happens when you game?

So it also happens when you play back an audio file, say mp3?

Hard to say. It's most likely not the SATA cable but you should replace it anyways.

Some stuff you can try: Install the latest graphics and chipset/mainboard drivers. Check for programs that run in the background and might hog resources, causing those stutters.

Install a clean version of Windows on a seperate partition. Check if you have the same problem there but install as little software as possible. If it works fine, gradually install your software and always look out for those stutters to appear. If they suddenly start on the new system as well, you know what program causes them.

Install Linux