Question Random Lag From Computer

[MaxV773]

So a couple days ago, out of absolutely nowhere my computer started lagging. Now this isnt happening when im playing a game or anything of that sort. Right after boot i noticed it was slow when opening google, and just everything. Id like to mention that sometimes the screen goes black for like 10-30 seconds. My back cooler case fan had also died around the same time, though i doubt it has anything to do with it. Im thinking maybe thermal paste? Its been 2 years since i last reapplied it but who knows.

 

[thedeathclox]

Is this a laptop or a desktop computer?

Easy way to check thermals:

• install HWmonitor
• Look at your core temps - how high do they go when you do stuff like open browsers? Try pinning hwmonitor to one side and just open stuff willy-nilly on the other side of the screen to simulate normal working conditions (as opposed to running a benchmark which will unrealistically hammer your CPU more than it would ever be hammered under normal use). If you see it spiking into the 80's or 90's just from that, its very likely time for paste change / cooling system cleaning.
• Also, when doing this, open your task manager into the performance tab and keep an eye on your clock speed. If it starts dropping under load, then throttling is almost definitely the cause.

Alternatively:
Could be your disk. Download and run Passmark Disk Checkup - do a SMART test. If it is a platter, it might be about to bite the dust / could be going down-hill. If it is an SSD, it's considerably less likely, but still worth a test.

Lastly, check your task manager. Sort it by usage of CPU, then RAM, then Disk. Take note of anything that might be using large amounts of any one of your system resources - it could definitely be a software issue.