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Question

Slow responsiveness / temporary freezing

Jan 27, 2015 11:32PM PST

Good day folks,
You can skip down to the actual question if you'd rather not read the wall of text.

PC Specs:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SP1
Intel Core i7 920 2.76GHz (Bloomfield 45nm) [purchased in 2009]
18.0 GB triple channel DDR3 @ 534 Mhz(8-8-8-19) [purchased Mar 2012]
MSI X58A-GD65 (MS-7522) [purchased Mar 2012]
ATI AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series (Sapphire/PCPartner) [purchased Mar 2012]
931 GB Western Digital HDD [purchased Sept 2014]

PC History:
Initial PC purchase from Velocity micro in 2009
Mainboard, RAM, CPU and GPU were replaced in 2012
HDD was replaced in fall of 2014
HDD was formatted with a fresh OS install on Jan 2015

This past summer, I had problems with PC slow down and narrowed it down to a failing HDD. Replaced it and shortly after, noticed pixel glitching in certain video games. I have also had screen freezes in game. Other than those problems, the PC worked great.

Last month(Dec. 2014), my PC began to display signs of slowdown while working with programs on the desktop e.g. opening folders, PDF's, windows media player, and just about everything else(even notepad). I assumed my CPU(i7 950) that I purchased in 2012 was going bad. So, I replaced it with the older i7 920 that I had purchased in 2009, just to see what would happen). I ended up having to reformat and fresh install the OS. After doing so, it seemed to work fine for a couple of weeks but now, performance has again slowed when processing applications on the desktop.

I executed SPECCY to check temps and the CPU idles at around 50c, mobo at 43c, gpu at 37c. Under load(video game)CPU climbs to 60c, mobo stays around 46c, and GPU around 40c. I then downloaded and executed a diagnostics tool from Intel Corp to test my cpu and it passed in all categories. (That makes me question the integrity of the i7 950 that I just pulled.)

I recently had issues with a faulty RAM port on another PC in my home that resulted in BSOD's frequently until I narrowed the problem to the port and stopped using it, SO I don't think my current issue is related to RAM since I have experienced no desktop crashing or BSOD's.

Since I have just recently reformatted, installed and allowed tremendous updates to the OS, I don't think that there is any registry corruption.

I do know the GPU becomes worse with each passing day and I will replace it in a few weeks but I am still able to load and play some graphic intensive games such as Arma 2 and GTA 4. I have noticed that GTA 4 freezes when the game is forced to render quickly(high speed chases in down town) and Arma 2 renders textures in a slow, pop nature now.

Actual Questions and clues:
Will a failing GPU affect routine operations on the desktop to the point of freezing after a single click? For example, right click on the desktop and it takes minutes to open the right click menu?

The mainboard does NOT have integrated GPU, which leads me to associate the slow rendering to the desktop.

Another thing I noticed just this morning, After leaving the PC off all night, it starts and operates pretty good with normal seeming response times. After idling for hours, it seems to respond slower, to the point of freezing and taking minutes to perform a single mouse click.

I have experienced NO PC crashes at all. No error codes, nothing that would indicate OS corruption. No audible sounds from hardware no software viral interference.

Could it be that the mainboard is also failing and showing signs of degradation as it heats up? Or is it the CPU despite the Intel diagnostics check?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Wear&tear
Jan 27, 2015 11:58PM PST

Since, you seem to dealing with an older PC, all components come into play as a cause. They could be a single item or as a combo now appear to make or break the PC. When things like this happen, I tend to totally teardown and clean the PC and rebuild. You seem to re-use old components and may introduce or eliminate one, but as wear&tear comes into play again the faltering PC finds the weakest link. If gaming was a major part of your use, consider that after 2012 continued usage something has to give. Gamers tend wearout their PCs either from heat exhaustion(thermal load) or poor ventilation/air exchange. If you haven't already, replace the thermal compound/paste on the GPU and CPU and use the right amount, a "dab". Google for proper instructions, checkout the Silver Arctic website.

tada -----Willy Happy

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Answer
At that age
Jan 28, 2015 12:28AM PST

It could be time for new parts but the fresh install is usually incomplete. I've found delays caused by missing a driver or not installing Intel's RST. I don't see the full rundown of the work.

At this age it's possible and likely the heatsink compound is dried or cracked. If the machine hasn't had that checked in years we do the work. Clean off the old, apply new to all CPU, GPU an bridge chips and clean as we go.

If drives or such are suspect we try the HDD maker's non-data-destructive tests.
Bob

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Answer
Thanks
Jan 28, 2015 2:11AM PST

Thanks for our attention guys.
I'm not a professional tech and never considered performing maintenance on the GPU and bridges. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try. Do you mean reapplying arctic silver to these or just a good alcohol cleaner?

I clean my rig regularly of dust and did just replace that CPU with the older one, using arctic silver, but I may have applied it incorrectly. I researched it online and read about a 2 parallel line process. I followed it but the direction i applied was not across the cores. In any case, I would have thought that it would spread enough to cover fine. I'll discover the results once I remove the heatsync again. Thanks for the suggestion to check out the arctic silver site btw, never thought of that.

My plan is to replace the GPU and reseat the heatsync. If that doesn't resolve it, I'll go ahead with the mainboard and CPU replacement. Might do that anyhow since they're 3 years and ticking. I'll keep the thread updated.

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Here's one of the best GPU heatsink pages I've seen.
Jan 28, 2015 2:32AM PST
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Update
Jan 28, 2015 2:04PM PST

Windows had already updated its system. I checked my device manager and found that the new HDD I installed last fall needed a driver update. I updated it and will see what that does. Could an out of date driver for the HDD cause such problems though?

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Microsoft's driver update is too unreliable.
Jan 29, 2015 12:07AM PST

I guess this is good news for repair shop counters. I dropped many hints that drivers and apps are required and your reply tells me I have to be a little more direct. Again, do these the old fashioned way. Again, a clean device manager is not an indication we are done. Example? Intel RST app.
Bob

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Thanks
Jan 28, 2015 9:35PM PST

Since there there are a mixture of components I would do a bios flash of mother board too

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Update
Jan 29, 2015 9:33AM PST

I researched the BIOS flashing and must say that I wouldn't feel very confident tackling that one. I have messed around in the BIOS for simple things like boot order but never for in depth tweaking. Unless that article that I read was making it more complex than it is, it would have to be a last resort for me. After all, I think it only suggested flashing if the system was not booting properly or posting. Mine has had no problem booting, just ******** responsiveness.

I looked up the Intel RST app deal and they suggest that any adjustments to the BIOS be done before execution of that utility. They also recommend the following...

Before installing this application or requesting technical support from Intel, first contact your system manufacturer. They typically provide software which is specifically configured for your system.

I have the drivers disc that accompanied the main board and was going to insert it when I read through the manual and it mentioned a feature to boot the BIOS for optimal performance.

After updating the HDD driver yesterday, it ran okay before shutting it down for the night. When I started it up this evening, every click was excruciatingly long to process. That's when I attempted the reboot BIOS with optimal performance option.

After doing that, the system seems to be responding normally now. SInce the system has been VERY inconsistent with symptoms over the last 4 months, I am still unsure if this last performance boot will have lasting results. I have been restarting, running multiple programs and trying to slow it down but its hanging in there still.

Since I booted with that optimal performance feature, should I still run the Intel rst app? I'm paranoid to mess with it now for fear of breaking it's current state.

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If you decide to flash BIOS
Jan 29, 2015 8:27PM PST

be sure to get the file that can be done directly from the BIOS. I feel more confident doing it that way now than the old way.

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Update
Jan 31, 2015 3:27AM PST

The optimal performance boot, didn't last long. I am not sure what happened.

I have since downloaded the latest MSI live update app and scanned my main board. It supposedly updated the main board chipset as well as a 3.0 usb controller that was missing from my system. The live update also contained an option to update my VGA drivers(even though my VGA is not an MSI product but an ATI). It seemed to update those drivers as well(so it claimed).

I revisited the Intel RST APP site and selected the latest download option(top selection)
I then downloaded the executable and the 64 bit version files. When I double clicked the executable it reported that my platform was not supported and then closed. Am I suppose to move those 2 files to a flash drive and then boot the system up with that drive(kind of like memtest)?

What will these 2 files do? Are they suppose to update my CPU drivers? If so, I have already downloaded an Intel driver utility that supposedly completed that task already. Do I still need to run this RST app? I'm confused.

After the MSI live update, the system seems to respond better, but again, since the symptoms during this whole process have been so inconsistent, time will tell if it remains that way.

I'll keep the thread posted.

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You may have to ask the board maker if this is supported.
Jan 31, 2015 3:31AM PST

There are other odd things that can dog performance such as some USB drive/printer is plugged in. It took a long time to get your system updated and frankly a testament why the PC era is closing. Folk find little free support when something like this happens.

Next time it's running great, clone that drive so you can go back.
Bob