My PC is Suddenly Very Slow, and CPU is Hot

Feb 23, 2018
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My PC, a CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme SLC6400 I purchased a few years ago has worked like a charm for a long time. All of a sudden, today, my computer is extremely slow. I am running Windows 10.

I already cleaned the dust out of it with compressed air. I don’t hear any specifically odd noise coming from the computer, and it sounds like the cooling system is still working.

What might be the issue?
 
Solution
You have a water cooler? I'd bet money that the pump has failed. Put you finger on the top of the pump while the system is running and I'll bet you cannot feel any vibration from the pump itself. Almost guaranteed. I didn't realize you had a water cooled system or I'd have said this right off the bat. I thought you had an air cooler.

Yes, you almost certainly need a new cooler and I would highly recommend not getting another 120mm cooler like that one if you can fit a 240mm cooler in that case. I'll need to know the case model to determine if the case supports a 240mm radiator in the front or top positions. I think you have a 120mm cooler at the rear exhaust fan location.
It "sounds" like the cooling system is still working, or you have visually verified that the CPU cooler fan, graphics card fans and case fans are ALL actually spinning?

When you cleaned the dust out of it, did you do it with the side panel off so you can actually get the dust out of the CPU heatsink and fan assembly, the power supply, the case fan blades, the GPU card blades and all around the motherboard, or did you blow it out from the outside of the case?

I'd suggest you take the side panel off, turn the unit on and verify that ALL of the installed fans, CPU, GPU card, case fans, are all functioning correctly.

The next thing I'd do is check the thermal sensors, Core #0, Core #1, etc., and package temperatures, GPU card temperatures, etc., using HWinfo.

If fact, download and install HWinfo, and post screenshots here of all the sensor values. You will likely need to take three screenshots, scrolling down each time to capture all of the sensors in the HWinfo sensors window. When you open HWinfo, run "Sensors only" option.


HWmonitor, Open hardware monitor, Realtemp, Speedfan, Windows utilities, CPU-Z and most of the bundled motherboard utilities are not always terribly accurate, invariably, and in some cases. Some are actually grossly inaccurate, especially with certain chipsets or specific sensors that for whatever reason they tend to not like or work well with. I've found HWinfo or CoreTemp to be the MOST accurate with the broadest range of chipsets and sensors. They are also almost religiously kept up to date.

CoreTemp is great for just CPU thermals including core temps or distance to TJmax on AMD platforms.

HWinfo is great for pretty much EVERYTHING, including CPU thermals, core loads, core temps, package temps, GPU sensors, HDD and SSD sensors, motherboard chipset and VRM sensor, all of it. Always select the "Sensors only" option when running HWinfo.

In cases where it is relevant and you are seeking help, then in order to help you, it's often necessary to SEE what's going on, in the event one of us can pick something out that seems out of place, or other indicators that just can't be communicated via a text only post. In these cases, posting an image of the HWinfo sensors or something else can be extremely helpful. That may not be the case in YOUR thread, but if it is then the information at the following link will show you how to do that:

*How to post images in Tom's hardware forums



Run HWinfo and look at system voltages and other sensor readings.

Monitoring temperatures, core speeds, voltages, clock ratios and other reported sensor data can often help to pick out an issue right off the bat. HWinfo is a good way to get that data and in my experience tends to be more accurate than some of the other utilities available. CPU-Z, GPU-Z and Core Temp all have their uses but HWinfo tends to have it all laid out in a more convenient fashion so you can usually see what one sensor is reporting while looking at another instead of having to flip through various tabs that have specific groupings.

After installation, run the utility and when asked, choose "sensors only". The other window options have some use but in most cases everything you need will be located in the sensors window. If you're taking screenshots to post for troubleshooting, it will most likely require taking three screenshots and scrolling down the sensors window between screenshots in order to capture them all.

It is most helpful if you can take a series of HWinfo screenshots at idle, after a cold boot to the desktop. Open HWinfo and wait for all of the Windows startup processes to complete. Usually about four or five minutes should be plenty. Take screenshots of all the HWinfo sensors.

Next, run something demanding like Prime95 version 26.6 or Heaven benchmark. Take another set of screenshots while either of those is running so we can see what the hardware is doing while under a load.

*Download HWinfo


For temperature monitoring only, I feel Core Temp is the most accurate and also offers a quick visual reference for core speed, load and CPU voltage:

*Download Core Temp

When it comes to temperature issues, especially if this is a build that has been running for a year or more, taking care of the basics first might save everybody involved a lot of time and frustration.

Check the CPU fan heatsink for dust accumulation and blow or clean out as necessary. Avoid using a vacuum if possible as vacuums are known to create static electricity that can, in some cases, zap small components.

Other areas that may benefit from a cleaning include fans, power supply internals, storage and optical drives, the motherboard surfaces and RAM. Keeping the inside of your rig clean is a high priority and should be done on a regular basis using 90 psi or lower compressed air from a compressor or compressed canned air.

Use common sense based on what PSU your compressor is set to. Don't "blast" your motherboard or hardware to pieces. Start from an adequate distance until you can judge what is enough to just get the job done. When using canned air use only short blasts moving from place to place frequently to avoid "frosting" components.



It would probably also be a good idea to open Windows file explorer or right click on my computer and right click on the C: drive. Select properties and see how much free space is remaining.

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-check-free-hard-drive-space-in-windows-2619187
 
Stop running the system NOW, if you are still running it. You are about ten degrees beyond the safe temperature for your CPU.

Do you know what model of CPU cooler your PC has? Is it a stock cooler or an aftermarket cooler?

Sounds like maybe one of the corners of the CPU cooler has come loose or the cooler is somehow not mounted correctly. Could also be that the thermal paste has gotten too old to be useful any longer.

Are those temps while running a stress test or are those idle temps?

Can you post a picture, from several angles, of the inside of your PC. At least one image needs to focus specifically on the CPU cooler.

In cases where it is relevant and you are seeking help, then in order to help you, it's often necessary to SEE what's going on, in the event one of us can pick something out that seems out of place, or other indicators that just can't be communicated via a text only post. In these cases, posting an image of the HWinfo sensors or something else can be extremely helpful. That may not be the case in YOUR thread, but if it is then the information at the following link will show you how to do that:

*How to post images in Tom's hardware forums
 
Yeah, that was already mentioned. But it seems counter productive to suggest the thermal paste is the problem until we find out whether the cooler has perhaps failed or worked itself loose from it's mounting hardware somehow. Short of it's fan not running, those are about the only three options I can think of aside from simply having a direct short somewhere on the motherboard or a somehow failing CPU.

It would be nice to know if the system has been apart recently or any other changes happened between the time it was working fine and now.
 


I have not taken apart the pc apart from dusting it out yesterday. Is it worth it to take the cooler off the cpu to take a look? How do I know if the cooling system is failing?
 
There are few ways the cooling system can fail. Motherboard fan controllers stop working or fan stops working. Either of those will be immediately noticeable because the fans or at least one of them, will either not be working or will be running much slower than normal.

Or, the CPU cooler might have come "loose". If you lightly grab the CPU cooler and can lift any of the corners up, even slightly, away from the mounting points, then there is a problem there. If none of those is the problem, then yes, I'd suggest removing the CPU cooler (If this is something you are comfortable with, plenty of online tutorials for pretty much all CPU cooler models and socket types) and checking to see what the thermal paste situation looks like. After the CPU cooler mounting hardware is released, it may be necessary to slightly twist the cooler left and right to get it to release from the CPU lid if the paste has hardened in place. Do not simply pull straight up if it doesn't come off easily after the mounting screws or pins are released. Again, reading or watching tutorials first is a good idea.

How old is this system and what are the full system specs including motherboard, cpu, memory, case model, power supply etc.?
 
You have a water cooler? I'd bet money that the pump has failed. Put you finger on the top of the pump while the system is running and I'll bet you cannot feel any vibration from the pump itself. Almost guaranteed. I didn't realize you had a water cooled system or I'd have said this right off the bat. I thought you had an air cooler.

Yes, you almost certainly need a new cooler and I would highly recommend not getting another 120mm cooler like that one if you can fit a 240mm cooler in that case. I'll need to know the case model to determine if the case supports a 240mm radiator in the front or top positions. I think you have a 120mm cooler at the rear exhaust fan location.
 
Solution