[SOLVED] PC not running how it should be

flightn

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Feb 18, 2020
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I've had my PC for about a year and a half and have always played games on it, but recently ive been having bad fps drops/stutters on games and even discord sometimes and i cant figure out the reason for it

i also used to be able to stream flawlessly and now it drops my frames significantly

PC specs:

i7-7700 3.60ghz
gtx 1060
16gb ram ddr4
prime h270-plus motherboard

any help is appreciated, thanks!
 
Solution
i checked, my windows is up to date but
these are my temps: (1st is while on fortnite 2nd is while at desktop) View: https://imgur.com/a/UNvjafb

Yeah you need to clean your CPU's air cooler and replace the thermal compound and probably your 1060 as well. The build-up of dust is probably insulating all the heat inside the CPU air-cooler because 50 - 60c while idle are terrible temps to be getting.

To check your CPU's clock speed just look for the label that says, 'CPU clock'. The data should look something like,

Core 0 3600 MHz
Core 1 3700 MHz
Core 2 3650 MHz
Core 3 3600 MHz

I just pulled those numbers out my ass - but you get the idea.
Ill have to check the temps next time, and also yes ive updated both a couple times

If you have MSI afterburner just monitor the temps and clock speeds of your GPU and CPU. Make sure they're not throttling due to overheat, after a year and a half perhaps the thermal paste wore out quicker than it should've.

As for windows, check to see if you can update it again now as recent windows updates have been causing a few issues here and there for some people so microsoft removed it from the list and made a few hotfixes.
 

flightn

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Feb 18, 2020
37
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535
If you have MSI afterburner just monitor the temps and clock speeds of your GPU and CPU. Make sure they're not throttling due to overheat, after a year and a half perhaps the thermal paste wore out quicker than it should've.

As for windows, check to see if you can update it again now as recent windows updates have been causing a few issues here and there for some people so microsoft removed it from the list and made a few hotfixes.
i checked, my windows is up to date but
these are my temps: (1st is while on fortnite 2nd is while at desktop) View: https://imgur.com/a/UNvjafb
 
i checked, my windows is up to date but
these are my temps: (1st is while on fortnite 2nd is while at desktop) View: https://imgur.com/a/UNvjafb

Yeah you need to clean your CPU's air cooler and replace the thermal compound and probably your 1060 as well. The build-up of dust is probably insulating all the heat inside the CPU air-cooler because 50 - 60c while idle are terrible temps to be getting.

To check your CPU's clock speed just look for the label that says, 'CPU clock'. The data should look something like,

Core 0 3600 MHz
Core 1 3700 MHz
Core 2 3650 MHz
Core 3 3600 MHz

I just pulled those numbers out my ass - but you get the idea.
 
Solution

flightn

Prominent
Feb 18, 2020
37
2
535
Yeah you need to clean your CPU's air cooler and replace the thermal compound and probably your 1060 as well. The build-up of dust is probably insulating all the heat inside the CPU air-cooler because 50 - 60c while idle are terrible temps to be getting.

To check your CPU's clock speed just look for the label that says, 'CPU clock'. The data should look something like,

Core 0 3600 MHz
Core 1 3700 MHz
Core 2 3650 MHz
Core 3 3600 MHz

I just pulled those numbers out my ass - but you get the idea.
i have an ironside cooler laying around and a 1660, should i just replace my current with those 2?
 
i have an ironside cooler laying around and a 1660, should i just replace my current with those 2?

You have a 1660 and you're using a 1060, why haven't you been using that already? Sure go ahead and replace it. As for the ironside cooler, I can't find an image of what that looks like but if it's bigger and cleaner than by all means use that instead. You'll still have to re-apply thermal paste.
 

flightn

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Feb 18, 2020
37
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535
You have a 1660 and you're using a 1060, why haven't you been using that already? Sure go ahead and replace it. As for the ironside cooler, I can't find an image of what that looks like but if it's bigger and cleaner than by all means use that instead. You'll still have to re-apply thermal paste.
well its my friends 1660 that he doesnt use anymore and said i could have at any time lol i just never asked for it, but alright ill have him come over with them.

as for the dust, how do i keep dust out of my pc? should i place the pc on my desk instead of the floor?
 
well its my friends 1660 that he doesnt use anymore and said i could have at any time lol i just never asked for it, but alright ill have him come over with them.

as for the dust, how do i keep dust out of my pc? should i place the pc on my desk instead of the floor?

Lol yeah man, put it on the desk. That will actually keep it cooler and cleaner for longer. You can also keep dust out by orientating your case fans to be all intake creating positive air pressure inside your case.
Linus tech tips did a year experiment on different types of fan configurations and the accumulation of dust:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLX54ounENY


Or if you just simply use a dust blower and clean it out monthly you should be fine.
 

flightn

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Feb 18, 2020
37
2
535
Lol yeah man, put it on the desk. That will actually keep it cooler and cleaner for longer. You can also keep dust out by orientating your case fans to be all intake creating positive air pressure inside your case.
Linus tech tips did a year experiment on different types of fan configurations and the accumulation of dust:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLX54ounENY


Or if you just simply use a dust blower and clean it out monthly you should be fine.
alright man, i really appreciate all the responses
 
prebuilt ibuypower and i dont see a model number anywhere
I'm going to have to assume the Ironside CPU cooler you are talking about just came from an Ironside system and is likely just another brand. I also have to assume that the computer case is probably a mid tower case so it should handle a 120mm tower cooler. If that cooler doesn't work out, I would suggest buying a Deepcool GAMMAXX 400, since it doesn't require removing the motherboard to install it and is usually around $18-21. You can likely use whatever thermal paste it comes with or buy something cheap but better, like Arctic MX-4 in a 2g syringe.
 

flightn

Prominent
Feb 18, 2020
37
2
535
Lol yeah man, put it on the desk. That will actually keep it cooler and cleaner for longer. You can also keep dust out by orientating your case fans to be all intake creating positive air pressure inside your case.
Linus tech tips did a year experiment on different types of fan configurations and the accumulation of dust:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLX54ounENY


Or if you just simply use a dust blower and clean it out monthly you should be fine.
i applied thermal paste and cleaned all the dust out of my pc and placed it on my desk instead of on the floor, im getting around 40c when idle
 
i applied thermal paste and cleaned all the dust out of my pc and placed it on my desk instead of on the floor, im getting around 40c when idle

Much better, that's about a 15-20 c decrease - should prevent clock speed throttling a bit longer now. Did you get the 1660? When you start streaming with it, try to use the Nvenc (new) encoder instead of H.264, you'll have to adjust this setting on the streaming application you use, if it supports it.

Nvenc (New) is a Nvidia only video encoder that uses the GPU during streaming to encode the data which reduces stress on the CPU. Look it up further if you're interested, the 1660 should be compatible with it. The 1060 is.
 

flightn

Prominent
Feb 18, 2020
37
2
535
Much better, that's about a 15-20 c decrease - should prevent clock speed throttling a bit longer now. Did you get the 1660? When you start streaming with it, try to use the Nvenc (new) encoder instead of H.264, you'll have to adjust this setting on the streaming application you use, if it supports it.

Nvenc (New) is a Nvidia only video encoder that uses the GPU during streaming to encode the data which reduces stress on the CPU. Look it up further if you're interested, the 1660 should be compatible with it. The 1060 is.
yeah i have it set to nvenc on there, and i didnt get the 1660 yet no i may just save up for a new pc entirely
 

flightn

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Feb 18, 2020
37
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535
Do what you feel is best man. You can make pretty good builds for 1000$ nowadays, especially with AMD throwing out powerful and cheap cpu's.
im gonna use whatever money i make from fortnite to build a pc, i imagine my budget will be from 800-1200 so ill have to do some research cause i have no idea what to look for lmao

and ive had my current pc for about 2 years and its a prebuilt