[SOLVED] Performance loss after applying new thermal paste

simpalak

Commendable
Jan 14, 2019
58
1
1,545
After 2 years of using my PC daily, I finally decided it would be the time to change the thermal paste and clean it up a bit (never happened, I'm too lazy). So I ordered a Cooler Master IC Essential E2 thermal paste and an RGB fan for well, aesthetics I guess.
I removed the CPU and the GPU fan and wiped the old thermal paste with the alcohol wipes that came with the thermal paste, then applied the new one. All went relatively ok, there shouldn't be any problems regarding the amount of the paste since I don't remember exaggerating with it and neither should there be about damaging the components in the process, because come on, all I did was change the thermal paste. All this being said, the performance of my PC should have only increased, right? Well, the next thing I know is that the fps in csgo dropped by about 50fps (on average), going from around 140-160fps to 90fps and lower. I tried other games too, such as Battlefield 1 and it's the same story. The fps dramatically decreased and I can't figure why. I opened MSI Afterburner to check the temperature and the usage of the CPU and GPU. To be honest, I never actually monitored my PC, but it all looked normal. The GPU usage was sometimes higher than my CPU's, though I think that's normal since my video settings were on high. The temperatures also looked normal to me. If I remember correctly, the GPU temperature was on average 60-70 degrees, sometimes going to 80 degrees on Battlefield. Can't remember my CPU's temperatures, however. Forgot to mention that this performance loss is not present only in games, that's why I called it "performance loss" and not "fps drop". I apologize for any possible typos made. If you have any questions or if you want any specific information about... this whole thing, don't hesitate to ask.

If it helps, my components are:

CPU: Athlon 200GE
GPU: Rx 580 4GB
RAM: 8GB DDR4 3000MHz
PSU: Thermaltake Smart RGB, 500W, 80+ certified
MOBO: Gigabyte AB350M-DS3H V2
 
Last edited:
Solution
Everything seems to be in place. I searched on other forums about sudden fps drop after applying new thermal paste and it turned out to be about the heat sink not being placed properly, however, this is not my case. I checked twice if the heat sink was placed right after I applied the new thermal paste and I still got this issue.
Did you check in bios make sure card is running at gen3? And check the cpu for proper performance along with power settings? Try fully erasing gpu drivers and reinstalling them. Along with cpu temps monitor the new gpu temps when gaming heavily. If you were reaching 80c before changing thermal grease, there could be throttle issue.
So since you removed the gpu and reinstalled it in to the motherboard. I would check in bios to make sure the pci 16x slot is running at gen3. Also check your task manager to see what your cpu is running at, to make sure it is running normally. Check your windows power settings to see if it changed to a low power consumption of some sort, and try changing the power setting to high performance to see it it helps.
 

simpalak

Commendable
Jan 14, 2019
58
1
1,545
So since you removed the gpu and reinstalled it in to the motherboard. I would check in bios to make sure the pci 16x slot is running at gen3. Also check your task manager to see what your cpu is running at, to make sure it is running normally. Check your windows power settings to see if it changed to a low power consumption of some sort, and try changing the power setting to high performance to see it it helps.
Everything seems to be in place. I searched on other forums about sudden fps drop after applying new thermal paste and it turned out to be about the heat sink not being placed properly, however, this is not my case. I checked twice if the heat sink was placed right after I applied the new thermal paste and I still got this issue.
 
Everything seems to be in place. I searched on other forums about sudden fps drop after applying new thermal paste and it turned out to be about the heat sink not being placed properly, however, this is not my case. I checked twice if the heat sink was placed right after I applied the new thermal paste and I still got this issue.
Did you check in bios make sure card is running at gen3? And check the cpu for proper performance along with power settings? Try fully erasing gpu drivers and reinstalling them. Along with cpu temps monitor the new gpu temps when gaming heavily. If you were reaching 80c before changing thermal grease, there could be throttle issue.
 
Solution