Question New Build Slow - Not Sure Which Component Is Limiting Factor

cornofstarchy

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Sep 1, 2017
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Hello, I built a new rig a month or so ago. But it's slow - in gaming or in general use. I can't seem to figure out what's wrong. I've run MemTest already. I've used Intel's CPU diagnostic software, I've updated all drivers and even firmware (including UEFI firmware), and I've even checked the health of my hard drive with SeaTools (it's a Seagate HDD). I was wondering, is speed of my hard drive the limiting factor? Or is it something else that I've missed? My games automatically detect that I can set everything at Ultra settings but the performance is disappointing even at High settings. And that's in a game - outside of it, I can run my browser and maybe watch a YouTube video but doing additional tasks slows performance where it's actually noticeable such that if I'm playing the YouTube video, it starts stuttering. Here are my specs. Hoping someone has some insight!

Intel Core i9-12900KF - Core i9 12th Gen Alder Lake 16-Core (8P+8E) 3.2 GHz LGA 1700 125W Desktop Processor - BX8071512900KF

Seagate BarraCuda ST4000DM004 4TB 5400 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drives Bare Drive - OEM

ASRock Radeon RX 6700 XT Challenger D Gaming Graphic Card, 12GB GDDR6 VRAM, AMD RDNA2 (RX6700XT CLD 12G)

CORSAIR RM850e Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply - Dual EPS12V Connectors - 105°C-Rated Capacitors - 80 PLUS Gold Efficiency - Modern Standby Support

ASUS Prime Z690-P WiFi LGA 1700(Intel® 12th&13th Gen) ATX motherboard (PCIe 5.0,DDR5,14+1 Power Stages,3x M.2,WiFi 6,Bluetooth v5.2,2.5Gb LAN,front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C®,Thunderbolt™ 4 support, Arua Sync)

G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 5600 (PC5 44800) Desktop Memory Model F5-5600J3036D16GX2-RS5K

Microsoft Windows 11 Home (USB)

 

cornofstarchy

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Sep 1, 2017
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Yup, it's not a recent development. It's been slow since day one and I've tried to figure it out but I'm out of ideas.

I chose the 5400 RPM HDD because it was on sale and for 4TB, it seemed like a great idea at the time. That was pretty much it. But after trying to narrow down the problem, the HDD seems like the only thing holding everything back. But I don't know enough about building computers to know if the HDD is the problem or if it's something else.

Would you recommend me to go for something with a higher RPM? Like 7200? Would the 7200 die faster or something? Could it be a different issue/component?
 

Zerk2012

Titan
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Yup, it's not a recent development. It's been slow since day one and I've tried to figure it out but I'm out of ideas.

I chose the 5400 RPM HDD because it was on sale and for 4TB, it seemed like a great idea at the time. That was pretty much it. But after trying to narrow down the problem, the HDD seems like the only thing holding everything back. But I don't know enough about building computers to know if the HDD is the problem or if it's something else.

Would you recommend me to go for something with a higher RPM? Like 7200? Would the 7200 die faster or something? Could it be a different issue/component?
No CPU cooler listed, buy a SSD for your OS and programs.

Run this and post a link to the results, also list your CPU cooler.
 
Would you recommend me to go for something with a higher RPM? Like 7200? Would the 7200 die faster or something? Could it be a different issue/component?

Probably keep the 4 TB 5400 rpm drive for general storage.

But don't use it for Windows or installed applications.

SSD is much much faster than HDD.

Changing from 5400 rpm HDD to 7200 HDD would improve things marginally, but far less than using an SSD.

Decide how large your Windows drive needs to be and buy an SSD accordingly. Maybe a 2.5 inch SATA drive or maybe an NVMe that doesn't use cables. Either will be a big improvement.
 

cornofstarchy

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Sep 1, 2017
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UserBenchmark gives the following results:

UserBenchmarks: Game 141%, Desk 107%, Work 166%
CPU: Intel Core i9-12900KF - 116.2%
GPU: AMD RX 6700-XT - 124.1%
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 4TB (2017) - 57.3%
RAM: G Skill Intl F5-5600J3036D162x16GB - 156.8%
MBD: Asus PRIME Z690-P WIFI

So I guess it really is the HDD that's holding everything back?

Cooler is:

JONSBO CR1000 GT CPU Cooler , 5V Addressable RGB Computer Air Cooler CPU Heatsink,H:158mm, 4 Copper Heatpipes AM4/AM5 /Intel LGA1700/115X,120mm PWM Fan with Detachable Fan blade, Lighting Top, Black


Got everything on NewEgg Canada.
 
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Deleted member 2838871

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Not sure why you would use a 5400 rpm HDD as your only drive. It is by far the lowest tech device in your list. Why did you choose it?
Exactly what I was going to say.

I chose the 5400 RPM HDD because it was on sale and for 4TB, it seemed like a great idea at the time.

It was a horrible choice. SSDs are dirt cheap... get one and fix your PC.

Probably keep the 4 TB 5400 rpm drive for general storage.

But don't use it for Windows or installed applications.

Exactly. I'd use it for mass storage and that's it.

SSD is much much faster than HDD.

Changing from 5400 rpm HDD to 7200 HDD would improve things marginally, but far less than using an SSD.

This too. I have a single HDD I use for mass storage of media files... 12TB 7200rpm Seagate. Every other drive I have is an SSD.
 
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Deleted member 2838871

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IDProG

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How about this one? Or is this overkill?

Not good. I think it's better to buy 2 2TB SSDs instead of 1 4TB. Like this


The exact same model, but 2TB. Buying two is cheaper than buying one 4TB model.
 

cornofstarchy

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Sep 1, 2017
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But I have the HDD too if I get the SSD. I was thinking of using the HDD to hold everything else and the SSD to hold my games library and so forth. That was why I chose 4TB originally for the HDD. Is that not how you guys do it?
 

cornofstarchy

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Sep 1, 2017
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Actually, I just looked at the capacity of my old HDD and it turns out I had everything and Windows 7 on it and it didn't even hit 1TB. So I really only need the 2TB SSD and I will be just fine. Gonna get it from Bestbuy instead of ordering it online. Thanks everyone for your help. Hopefully, this will solve the speed problems!