slow screen updates on laptop console (i386)

Hi,

When running FreeBSD-current on an old i386 laptop, the console
screen is intermittently slow to display output. The hesitations
can be several seconds.
Sometimes it shows up when I'm typing such that it takes seconds
for the characters to echo.
I think it is the display/output side, since I've seen it happen when
doing "more <file>", where the screen is stuck half way through
displaying the page for a few seconds.

I don't see any problem when going into the machine remotely and
I don't see the problem on the other laptop I have running FreeBSD/amd64.

It has been happening for a while. It occurs on the oldest kernel
I have lying around (r287930, Sep. 17, 2015).

I've tried the old "sc" driver and it seems to happen less with it,
but it still occurs.

I'll admit I have no idea what drives doing output for the display screen.

Anyone have ideas w.r.t. this?

Thanks in advance, rick