Question Computer begins to lag and stutter and then locks up

Jan 3, 2023
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I've been using my system for quite a long time without any issues.
This problem started coming up in about month ago.

The issue seems to occur on random occasions, I'm mostly doing light UI programming work so it's not the CPU overheating.
The RAM is also never used up 100% so the pagefile/swapfile is mostly never touched unless the program explicitly does that.
I have 2 SATA devices connected, 1st is a 512 GB SSD, the 2nd is a 4TB hard drive which I bought 4 years ago, it's rocking solid... but more about those in a second.

This problem occurs randomly, the system can be idling and it may eventually begin to lag and stutter before hardlocking, the time this occurs is at most random.
I've spent 5 days without encountering this problem and then a couple of minutes ago it happened again in middle of a programming session.


Here are some important notes:
  • I've reinstalled "Windows 10 22H2" 2 days ago, a clean slate. Formatted the system drive, installed all the up-to-date drivers and dependencies such as (DirectX, Visual C runtime, etc)
  • Ocassionally my hard drive would make a clicking noise (completely normal for a 3.5 inch hard-drive) but it will also shutoff for a split second, and then power up again.
(keep in mind that my power options are explicitly set so that the hard drive never sleeps, as I ocassionally access data on it and don't wanna wait for it to spin up again, and this way it lasts longer)
  • Due to my motherboard being quite old, but not that much old (6.5 years) I had problems with the RAM port where one module would not initialize properly but I solved this issue by dusting out the PC case.
  • I should have mentioned this, but I keep my case open, and I mostly do case cleanups every 3 to 4 months by removing everything and dusting it out and properly cleaning it, of course with lots of care and caution.

So I don't what more to write here, my personal thoughts here are:
  • bad SATA connection(s) which is what is causing the hard drive to ocassionaly lose power for a split second and power back on, AND maybe this same issue affects the SSD drive which in turn causes the system to begin lagging and eventually freeze up (which is what happens when you disconnect the system drive)
  • bad PSU, not providing enough power to the SATA connectors and maybe other components
  • bad RAM, as it's DDR3 it's quite old at this point but I've ran the memory diagnostics tool from Windows and using the Linux's memtest equivalent, both passed without problems.
  • bad MOBO? I really hope this isn't the case, but it may be. Why I say this? well, I had issues with the onboard graphics, I upgraded to an i5 chip which has integrated graphics, but the MOBO does not output any video through the dedicated VGA or DVI port, which seem to be interfacing through a single chip on the MOBOs PCB, could this be a sign that the MOBO itself is starting to fail? Possible.
  • bad GPU, because of the aforementioned issue, It may be due to the graphics card. I had to borrow an old GPU from a friend just to be able to use the PC because I don't get any video signal with the onboard graphics, either the problem with CPU (highly unlikely considering the CPU works fine) or its just with the onboard digital-to-analog chip on the MOBO that works with the video stream signal... either way, this GPU is quite old (2012, early 2013) but I have not had any issues with it (no GPU artifacts, it's running 50C at all times which is the normal temperature for this GPU)


That is all from me, I can't recall any more information regarding this issue. I'm thinking on taking out all the components, dusting out the PC again, and connecting everything back together and firmly to ensure all connections are sturdy.. but I don't know if that'll make a difference considering I've just dusted out the PC a couple days ago, which as I mentioned included taking out the parts, and that did not have anything to do with the problem I'm having... I'm having this problem now for a month...

Sorry for such a long post, this issue is starting to drive me nuts. I'm working on a portfolio and I won't be able to continue if this crap continues to occur.
Currently don't have any money as I had to pay for ocassional expenses and therefore won't be able to buy different parts or upgrade to a completely new machine for about 2 months, will have to cut down on food also in order to save up for a new machine.

Either way any feedback on this is highly appreciated.

Thanks to everybody in advance!
 
Jan 3, 2023
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While cleaning my PC, I removed the CMOS battery. Once I connected everything back I reconfigured my BIOS as it was before. Pointing this out so that people don't think it's related.
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Welcome to the forums and a Happy New Year, newcomer!

RAM: 4x2 GB DDR3 (different freq. on 2 modules)
Please elaborate.

As for your PSU, how old is the unit?

SSD: 512 GB GOODRAM
Might want to remove all storage drives and have only your SSD on or perhaps try and borrow a spare SSD from your friend or neighbor to see if your SSD is at fault. You forgot to mention the make and model of your motherboard. Include that alongside the BIOS version for your motherboard.
 
Jan 3, 2023
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Welcome to the forums and a Happy New Year, newcomer!

RAM: 4x2 GB DDR3 (different freq. on 2 modules)
Please elaborate.

As for your PSU, how old is the unit?

SSD: 512 GB GOODRAM
Might want to remove all storage drives and have only your SSD on or perhaps try and borrow a spare SSD from your friend or neighbor to see if your SSD is at fault. You forgot to mention the make and model of your motherboard. Include that alongside the BIOS version for your motherboard.
BIOS Mode Legacy
BaseBoard Manufacturer LENOVO
BaseBoard Product
BaseBoard Version NO DPK
Secure Boot State Unsupported
System SKU LENOVO_MT_3484
BIOS Version/Date LENOVO F1KT25AUS, 2012-08-23
System Manufacturer LENOVO
System Model 3484FQG


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I have 2 RAM modules each 4 GB, that makes it 8 GB. The two modules are manufactured with slight difference in their frequencies, but I've been running them for 4 years straight.

And I realized that the mobo is not actually 6.5 years old (it was when I bought the PC) it is now 10 years old!
 
Jan 3, 2023
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The issue occured again. I was able to make the previous reply just in time, and then there it was! It began lagging and locked up...

Regards to the PSU, I think it's maybe 5 or 6 years old. I don't know exactly, it came with the PC when I bought it. I provided the PSU information in one of the comments above.

The system I'm working with was upgraded gradually by me, never had any issues with it until the last month.
 
Jan 3, 2023
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I also looked at the crash dumps, and there were none (of course as the OS completely hardlocks, unable to communicate with the devices.) I installed LatencyMon, and it says Conclusion: Your system appears to be suitable for handling real-time audio and other tasks without dropouts.
 
Jan 1, 2023
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You mentioned odd behavior with the hard drive, if your OS is installed on the ssd, disconnect the hard drive and see if anything changes. If that fixes the problem, it could be a drive failure causing the crashes.
 
Jan 3, 2023
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I will run some tests in the span of 2 weeks. I'll try first with disconnecting the drive and continue the work on the SSD. If any crashes occur then I'll try with a single RAM module and so on.. until I figure out what really is the problem. In case something comes up I will let you all know!

Thanks for the support