PC started to lag/heavy fps lag and stuttering

[Chalee]

Hello, I have a prebuilt that I purchased 2021. Everything was perfect up until last year where my idle CPU temp randomly raised to high 70s and started to be more loud. PC was not lagging at this point and playing games did not cause CPU to raise any further. More time passed then my PC started to lag for a few days then would go back to normal, but would always eventually go back to lagging (the entire PC would lag, in and out of game.) I am not very knowledgeable on computers so the thing that I thought might help would be to clean my PC and reapply thermal paste, but nothing changed. It was bearable up until 2 weeks ago where the lag became even worse and this time it will not go away. It has prevented me from playing any online games due to the lag. I still lag the same in offline games, it just matters less. I’ve seen people post their specs through speccy, so I’ll post that below.

http://speccy.piriform.com/results/HFPmD6vA5llGq1X4asEh1ZU

Please let me know if more information is required, Thanks.

[phillpower2]

A few things of note in Speccy;

The CPU is running hot.

The computer is a Lenovo and they use crap PSUs.

You have an MSI branded add on GPU.

There is more than one screen hooked up to the GPU.

You have a wireless connection when gaming needs an Ethernet connection for stability.

You use CCleaner which most often does more harm than good.

What we need to know;

The brand and model name or number of the PSU and how old it is.

How did you clean off the CPU and heatsink when you reapplied the thermal paste and what compound was used.

No rush here as I`m heading off to work for a few hours shortly.

[Chalee]

A few things of note in Speccy;

The CPU is running hot.

The computer is a Lenovo and they use crap PSUs.

You have an MSI branded add on GPU.

There is more than one screen hooked up to the GPU.

You have a wireless connection when gaming needs an Ethernet connection for stability.

You use CCleaner which most often does more harm than good.

What we need to know;

The brand and model name or number of the PSU and how old it is.

How did you clean off the CPU and heatsink when you reapplied the thermal paste and what compound was used.

No rush here as I`m heading off to work for a few hours shortly.

PSU Brand Name FSP, Model No says HG2-850, but looking up 5P50V03192 brings up the exact PSU I have so I am unsure which one you are asking for. I don’t know if you are looking for a specific manufacture date for the PSU, but the PC was purchased on July 2021. I followed online instructions for removing the old thermal paste. I lightly applied 90% isopropyl alcohol to Q-tips and paper towels, with no fibers from the paper towel coming off. The PC is a prebuilt with an AIO cooler so I don’t recall cleaning a heatsink. The compound I used was Arctic Silver 5 AS5-3.5G.

[phillpower2]

If the PSU is the exact same as the one here it should be ok, if it differs in any way it is an OEM version and not so high end, still adequate for your GPU though.

Worth a mention, if the straight FSP version with an eco mode switch, do you change it to gaming mode when doing anything graphics intensive.

The PC is a prebuilt with an AIO cooler so I don’t recall cleaning a heatsink.

What did you clean off that was sitting atop of the CPU.

The compound I used was Arctic Silver 5 AS5-3.5G

What method did you use to apply the fresh compound.

Regarding the MSI GPU, have you added that to this PC, you would normally see a Lenovo branded third party GPU in your type of computer.

[Chalee]

If the PSU is the exact same as the one here it should be ok, if it differs in any way it is an OEM version and not so high end, still adequate for your GPU though.

Worth a mention, if the straight FSP version with an eco mode switch, do you change it to gaming mode when doing anything graphics intensive.

What did you clean off that was sitting atop of the CPU.

What method did you use to apply the fresh compound.

Regarding the MSI GPU, have you added that to this PC, you would normally see a Lenovo branded third party GPU in your type of computer.

PSU is different than the one you linked, so I suppose it’s an OEM version.

This isn’t the part I have, but I cleaned off any thermal paste that was behind that small block that says 3.2 Ghz, which was on top of my CPU. I also cleaned off the top of the CPU. When applying the fresh compound, I tried my best to mimic the size of a single pea in the center, which I saw in pictures and videos.

As for the GPU, I have not added any additional parts to the PC. There is no MSI branding on the card itself; however, the part list for my exact PC shows that it’s made my MSI

[phillpower2]

Can I ask that you do not quote every reply as we have to read the full post to make sure nothing gets missed, thanks.

No worries on the GPU or PSU as lenovo have done their job properly here by matching the PSU to the output required by the card, the fact that Speccy reports the GPU as an MSI means that the card has not been modified by Lenovo.

That is the equivalent of a heatsink albeit called a water block for your type of cooling.

I tried my best to mimic the size of a single pea in the center, which I saw in pictures and videos.

Sorry but you have watched the wrong videos as the correct method for Arctic Silver and an 11th gen Intel CPU is a vertical line in the centre of the CPU, you will find the correct instructions here

Three common causes of high CPU temps are incorrect compound application, too much voltage going to the CPU and poor internal cooling, suggest starting afresh with cleaning off and correctly applying the Arctic compound, avoid using Q tips and instead use either a lint free cloth or coffee filter papers.

[Chalee]

Ok, I will reapply fresh compound using the new method this upcoming Monday and report back. Thanks for the help.

[phillpower2]

You are welcome and good luck (y)

[Chalee]

Sorry for the delay, I was unable to locate the compound and had to order a new one. Will take a few more days…

[phillpower2]

No worries and thanks for the update (y)

[Bruce]

@Chalee - any updates?

[veeg]

Any updates ?

[Chalee]

Sorry for taking so long. I just finished dusting my pc and reapplying thermal paste using the instructions you provided. Unfortunately, it made no difference. The PC is still very laggy and CPU temps are still 77-80 while idle. What else do you recommend I do?

[Chalee]

An update: Avg Idle CPU temp is 70C, still showing Thermal throttling. Goes to 77-80 while doing small things, like spotify discord or browsing

[Bruce]

Take off the side cover and direct a fan to blow straight into the case.
Run for a while and see what temps you get then.