Question PC is underperforming... no idea why, desperate need for assistance. HELP!

[Llamabro4]

So for the past month or more, my newly scrapped together pc has been an interesting challenge. I made a horrible mistake by cheeping out and buying an old motherboard and cpu from an ancient already used computer. After months and months of fixing problems and finding new ones, im done with this load of scrap. I can't take it anymore and this time i can't find the issue. So, my computer should be working fine. I checked the hardware and software to the best of my ability, the firewall, background programs, drivers, etc. I have been trying for weeks upon weeks this time and I just cant find out what is wrong. To start, the thing takes a solid 5 minutes or more just to boot up after restarting. This may sometimes be different and boot in a few seconds depending on the day. After that, i will open steam, open a game, and then wait for sometimes up to 10-15 minutes or more just for the title screen to appear. After this, the game runs fine if your talking fps, but constant freezing every few seconds stops me from playing them. Btw, this problem only seems to be with steam and its games. Please someone please help me! I have no idea what is going on or why these small freezes or long boots could be occurring. This is probably about the 15th forum ive posted across many different sites. If anyone can help me, you would make my month.

Specs: Cpu: i5 2400 3.10Ghz
Gpu: NVIDIA GeForce gtx 1050 ti
SSD: Samsung mz7te256hmhp (running windows 10)
HDD: only storing my steam games atm(not the bootstrapper or launcher)
Ram: 12GB DDR3 1333
Power: 550W
Motherboard: should be the same from the Dell Optiplex 790 (im hoping is the issue)

Please say if any other specs are needed. Thanks and all replies are appreciated!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

what PSU are you using? if it is some cheap junk from a pre-built Dell there is a good chance it is not capable of handling this equipment efficiently.

could also be the motherboard acting up. they use the cheapest parts possible in those pre-builts and hardware that needs more modern tech could possibly be hindered.
what are the specs for this board's PCIe slots; 16x, 4x? lanes available, etc?

that is also an older lower tiered CPU. any game that requires much processing will be significantly held back by it.

how is the RAM setup? 3x 4GB sticks, 2x 6GB sticks ? are they the same series from the same package?

 

[Llamabro4]

I believe i am using an EVGA 550W N1 which should be pretty fine for the games im running. For the motherboard specs, im not gonna lie, i dont know much. Heres the link to the pdf, https://clascsg.uconn.edu/download/specs/O790.pdf , the pci should be on page 15, sorry bout that. Take notice that the only components left from the optiplex are the motherboard, cpu, and case. Everything else i replaced. The ram is 2 sticks of 2GB going at 1333 and 2 sticks of 4GB also the same speed. As far as i know they should be by the same manufacture but i am not sure. They are not from the same package and im not sure about the series either. Thanks for the quick response and if you have any other help than that is greatly greatly appreciated!

 

[fiasse1]

have you try to put your game data in SSD instead HDD? possibly because of worn out HDD

 

[Llamabro4]

Heyyy it is working so far! Ill see if it still works after a while. Thanks so much @fiasse1 and everyone else!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

if your happy with the results now i'd suggest just getting a decent 1TB(+) SSD for games and moving them all there. do some disk checks on the old HD and maybe just use it for backup or extra storage.

1333 DDR3 is pretty slow for modern games. and using uncertified RAM sets can lead to problems. maybe just do a quick check and make sure they are running at their normal speeds and timings.
i would definitely start shopping for a certified 16GB set of the fastest DDR3 your CPU can handle.