random cpu + gpu usage drops while gaming, causes a freeze for a second randomly

[Falcon6]

sometimes while gaming my pc will randomly freeze for a seconds and then continue like nothing happened, after running the game in question (F1 24) with nvidia app open i noticed gpu and cpu usage will drop at the same time it happens, however voltage (around 1 volt), power (around 50 watts) and temperature (around 60C) all do not change and are normal.

I have also recently completely reset and reinstalled windows as game used to freeze because of system (ntoskrnl.exe) using up to 40% of cpu, which in combination with the game causes cpu usage to go to 100% and freeze that way.

Another thing i have noticed is every time i turn on the pc it beeps 4 times, but will still boot normally and run fine (in fact it has done this for months).

SPECS: http://speccy.piriform.com/results/A...jvwraOYQFhCqsf

PSU: ARESGAME 850W Power Supply : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

[Bruce]

Is the rig around 11, 12 years old?
Have you ever replaced the BIOS button battery?
If not, doing that may address the 4 beeps as they could be a timer issue.

Disconnect the Seagate HDD, it seems to be not used, plus the SMART values are showing heaps of errors.
I’m guessing it’s the original C:\ drive before the upgrade to an SSD?

[Falcon6]

It’s only around 3-4 years old, and the hard drive was previously in use but it was wiped after the reset, so I haven’t got round to reinstalling anything I had on there

[Bruce]

Did you buy it new?
Reason for asking, it has a Core i7 3rd gen processor, first released in 2012.

[Falcon6]

It was a pre-built, bought it December 2021 if I recall correctly

[Falcon6]

Some of the parts I have replaced, such as the ram and psu as the originals stopped working

[Bruce]

So there is a good chance the motherboard battery is the original.

I’d be replacing it anyway, if I got the right manufacturer, 4 beeps relates to time, and if the battery is flat, the BIOS is losing date/time (amongst other settings) at every restart, hence the beeps, and explains why it still starts OK.
If I’m wrong, you’ve wasted $3.

When you do get the usage drops and freeze, is it a once off, or it keeps randomly happening?

Sadly, that Aresgame power supply is crap - listed in the Tier F - Replace Immediately section, see here; PSU Tier List rev. 17.0g - Cultists Network
And then there is this; Aresgame AGS850 Power Supply Review: A Misleading 80 PLUS Gold Badge? | Tom's Hardware
What is its age?

[Falcon6]

the usage drops are completely random but only happen while gaming, and it could happen only once the whole day or every 10 seconds, which was happening yesterday. i have also noticed restarting the game does sometimes fix the issue for a while but not every time

the psu was actually a replacement for another one that used to shut down randomly, the new one is probably around 18 months old

[Bruce]

If it was my rig, I’d be replacing the PSU at my earliest chance.
Not only could it be your cause (as the games are more demanding, and this only happens when gaming) but with such a bad unit in the machine, it could have all sorts of consequences. From under-voltage, over-voltage, poor temp protection, just to name a few.

A good power supply has solid, reliable current and voltages on the 3v, 5v, and 12v rails, protects against short circuits and high temperatures, has better components and is backed up by the manufacture with 10years warranty.

[Falcon6]

Is there any specific ones you recommend? Budget isn’t the biggest right now given the time of year

Also, after further testing I believe it may be due to the system using a lot of the cpu (around 40%) at random times, so it may be a completely separate issue

[Bruce]

Any brand that is 80+ Gold and offers at least 7, preferably 10 year warranty, and you can’t go wrong.
That 1650 GPU doesn’t demand a lot, 500w would do in a pinch, but I’d be looking at the 650watt range.
I’d suggest more if you ever plan on upgrading the GPU, so maybe 700-800 range, but then other things become a consideration like CPU bottlenecks.

Some PSU examples to get you started; ThermalTake ToughPower GF1 or GF3 ranges, Cooler Master, Antec, Corsair RM series.

[Falcon6]

Alright then, I’ll have a look at a new psu when I’ve got the chance, but if the issue is due to system using up to 40% cpu I’m not sure how to fix that

[Bruce]

I wouldn’t consider 40% CPU anything to worry about, especially if it only happens when you know you are running high demand software.
If it spikes randomly without reason, I’d like to know why, or if it goes above 90% when running a game - otherwise I’d consider 40% OK.

Have you used Task Manager, and sorted the CPU column in descending order and seen what is in the top few lines when the CPU spikes to 40%?

[Falcon6]

I believe there might be some misunderstanding here - the game uses around 60% cpu which is expected, but at the same time “system” also uses up to 40% randomly, causing the cpu usage to hit 100% and freeze

[Bruce]

Ah, OK then.
In that case what does Task Manager show is running that is using the system resources (rather than what the game is using)?