Timeline Lag After Certain Number of Elements

Ive had this problem for a while now and I simply can figure out a solution for it. Whenever I drag in more than 6 elements into a single project it just makes all of premiere start lagging to the point where it is unusable. The timeline becomes completely unresponsive, tabs at the top stop working, etc. But if I navigate down to my project tab at the bottom left and delete the 7th element, instantly everything begins to run flawlessly again. Ive tried everyything I can think of from:

• resetting preferences
• complete reinstall
• rolling back to older versions
• purchasing a new m.2
• and a plethra of other common premiere fixes

And still no luck. It happens even in new projects and regardless of the size of the files being used. Ive tried 6 jpegs and 6 10+ Gb mp4s and they all do the same thing when the seventh element is added in. Any help would be greatly appreciated as this problem has very much hindered my ability to make content for the last month or so. Also if any more information is needed please let me know and thank you for your assitance.

• Adobe Premiere Pro version number: v23.4
• Operating system - Windows Version 10.0.19045 Build 19045
  
• System Info:

  • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9700K CPU @ 3.60GHz, 3600 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)

  • Name NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Driver Version 31.0.15.3623 

  • Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3000 (PC4-24000)

  • Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB M.2 (Connected directly to board)
  • Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB M.2 (Connected directly to board)
• Video format: 1080p gameplay recordings. Also occasional pngs and mp3s.