What could be making my PC so slow?

[mpalomba3]

Hi, I found a computer and fixed it up and I find, considering the specs of it, its running slow.

Specs:
MSI ZH77A-G43 Motherboard
Intel Core i3 2120 3.3Ghz
8GB Kingston Fury Hyper X Ram
AMD Radeon HD 5850 1GB Graphics

In the Windows Experience Index Benchmark everything scores above a 7 (7.9 being the heist you can score) except for my HDD which scores a 4.6. I don't think a 4.6 is horrible but I plan to upgrade the HDD in the near future.

Anyway, I'm wondering what makes this PC so slow, like painfully slow sometimes. I believe it's either the Mobo, the CPU, or the HDD. Is there anyway for me to test each of these components to see which one is causing the problem? I don't want to spend money on a new CPU and have the Mobo be the problem or spend money on a new HDD and have the CPU be the problem, etc.

Its running a fresh install of Windows 7 with all drivers installed and no Anti-virus

 

[shivababbli]

i guess the hdd which you are using is connected to sata 3gbps port, try switching it to sata 6gbps ports(white) or else your hdd only supports 3gbps, upgrade to sata III hdd or to an ssd

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hi there, mpalomba3!

This is a very unfortunate situation, because any component can cause such slowness in your PC. 🙁
I'd recommend checking this link with suggestions on how to test your CPU and mobo:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/289442-30-motherboard
As for the HDD, I suggest to check your hard drive manufacturer's website for a diagnostics tool that will let you know what is the health and SMART status. In case you cannot find such, you can refer to this thread with some third-party tool suggestions: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/282651-32-best-diagnostic-testing-utility

Keep us posted!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Bob2Help]

I would advise changing your CPU and adding ram to make it faster, but that is if you want to spend money on making it faster.

 

[Reyaz123]

I strongly suggest if the computer has a hard drive (not an SSD there's a difference) you defragment the drive. It usually speeds up older computer hard drives
https://www.piriform.com/defraggler

Run ccleaner (free up some space)
https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Also, disabling superfetch helps:
Open msconfig
Click the services tab
Disable superfetch
Reboot and hope it helps you

 

[mpalomba3]

Sorry for the late response but thank you everyone for all of your suggestions! I figured out that the HDD is what was slowing it down.