Solved Performance problems with my setup

[Rant]

Hello!

This is my first post in PCHF
I got a custom PC in November of 2018. I have been using it for gaming, studying and usual tasks and had no problems with it for many years. I have played games like Dishonored, Dead Island, DMC Devil May Cry, Borderlands, Fortnite, all Batman Arkham games, CSGO, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, etc. with good graphics quality in the past with ease and no performance problems. The PC wasn't "suffering" (fans speed and heat was ok, I think) either. Around the last year, my computer started to get really hot when I am playing games. The fans (I guess mostly the one in the PC box) get crazy and at some point there is a strange noise (I guess the one in the PC box starts to hit the frontal panel or something, but I am not sure). I have to stop playing when this happens, which is any time I play, to be honest. I haven't played a lot in this computer in the last months, but it happened to me whenever I played Fortnite, Conan Exiles and Doom (2016), which are the games I have played lately. The strange thing is that I don't notice lag or bugs when I play, even if graphics are set to high quality. I can play fluidly. I would like to share a list of the components of my computer with you, in case you can tell me if there is something strange in the setup or if you can suggest an upgrade of any of the components. Or maybe it's just a software problem? I am sharing some information about temperature and performance. I am not very familiar with computer hardware and performance, to be honest. I just got informed when I bought the computer, but I am outdated now... Any help woul be appreciated. Thank you very much!

PS. The GPU usage randomly drops to 0% in Radeon's software information. Is that normal?

 

[Pyro]

Welcome to PCHF, Rant.

Let's get some more information:

Download and run the free version of speccy.

Once you have ran speccy, follow the instructions to upload a snapshot found here.


To publish a Speccy profile to the Web:

1. In Speccy, click File, and then click Publish Snapshot.
2. In the Publish Snapshot dialog box, click Yes to enable Speccy to proceed.
3. Speccy publishes the profile and displays a second Publish Snapshot dialog box. You can open the URL in your default browser, copy it to the clipboard, or close the dialog box.

Please list your power supply unit (manufacturer and model)

 

[Rant]

Sorry! I forgot to submit the list of components:

SSD PNY CS900 120GB
SSD Crucial MX500 500 GB (my games are installed here)
HDD 500 GB

Talius Hydra Cubo Ventana Blanco - PC Box
Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 Gaming 8GB GDDR5
2 X Crucial Ballistix Sport LT White 8GB (1x8GB) 2400 Mhz (PC4-19200)
CL16 (16 GB Ram in total).
MSI B450M BAZOOKA Socket AM4
Corsair VS650 80 Plus 650W - Power supply
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.9 Ghz Socket AM4 Boxed

 

[Rant]

Welcome to PCHF, Rant.

Let's get some more information:

Download and run the free version of speccy.

Once you have ran speccy, follow the instructions to upload a snapshot found here.


To publish a Speccy profile to the Web:


Please list your power supply unit (manufacturer and model)

Thank you, Pyro. Do I have to publish the generated url here? You can check the power supply unit information in my other comment (I forgot to list the components). I forgot to say that my screenshots are from when I was playing Fortnite in low graphics mode!

 

[Pyro]

Yes, please post the link here.

 

[Rant]

Here it is: http://speccy.piriform.com/results/iUZmlZFCiKz6zxUgDMrL4sF

 

[Pyro]

This is my laundry list, it's a good starting point for troubleshooting and should get you an idea what's going on:


1. Try running the following programs, also try to keep at least 25-30% of your disks as free space.

Run Disk Cleanup (check all the boxes) this will delete things such as your recycling bin, so make sure you don't have any files you want to keep.

Run Defragment and Optimize Drives, run this on your drives.



These will free up some space, but you may need to relocate/delete files to reach the suggested free space.



2. Disable any overclocking or changes to power/performance settings

Undo any overclocking you may have done (if any)

Settings > System > Power and sleep > Additional power settings
Make sure your power plan is set to balanced, high performance/ultimate performance is only beneficial on gaming laptops where it needs that extra boost.


3. Check for Operating System Corruption

Right click on the Windows logo in the bottom left and select Windows Powershell (Admin)
Run these three commands separately:

sfc /scannow

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

These will take a while to run, do not close out of Powershell while they are running, if one fails then move onto the next and then loop back around.

Note: It doesn't hurt to make a system backup before you make all these changes, save any important files of folders. While these changes shouldn't cause any issues, better to be safe than sorry.


4. Unplug unnecessary devices.

If you have a gamepad, extra monitor, external hard drive/flash drive, or anything that is not essential to using the computer plugged in, unplug it.


Once you have completed all of these tasks, restart it (using the restart option in the power menu) and re-test.

 

[Rant]

Hello, Pyro! Thank you for your help. I did everything you suggested, but the problem persists. I should have said that I formatted my PC some weeks ago. I hoped that could solve the problems, but it didn't. I had the same problems before formatting.

 

[Pyro]

When you reset your computer did you install your drivers before allowing the computer to connect to the internet?

Windows
Chipset
Storage
Video drivers
Any others if necessary


Your CPU is way too hot for idle temps, does it stay at 72℃ when you're not running speccy?

What about the Motherboard, 50℃ isn't unusual, but what does it look like under load?


What CPU cooler do you have?

How many case fans do you have installed in your case?


When was the last time the computer had the dust blown out?

 

[Rant]

Hello, Pyro!

I didn't install any drivers. I thought Windows did that automatically. But I think I installed AMD Software for the graphics card (after connecting to the internet).
As for the temperature, the pictures are from when I am playing Fortnite in low graphics mode, but I am attaching the temperature numbers without gaming.
As for the Motherboard, what do you mean by "under load". I'm sorry about my ignorance.
I think the CPU cooler is integrated. I don't use another one. Is it the one in the picture I am attaching? Again, sorry about my ignorance.
My box has only one 20 cm. fan in the front panel.
I am a bit embarrassed, but I have never done a proper cleaning of my computer . I think I cleaned the fan a little sometimes. Anyway, there is no visible problems with that. There is just some dust on the metal trays. Also, I cleaned the little tray under the power supply the other day. Thank you!

 

[Rant]

When you reset your computer did you install your drivers before allowing the computer to connect to the internet?

Windows
Chipset
Storage
Video drivers
Any others if necessary


Your CPU is way too hot for idle temps, does it stay at 72℃ when you're not running speccy?

What about the Motherboard, 50℃ isn't unusual, but what does it look like under load?


What CPU cooler do you have?

How many case fans do you have installed in your case?


When was the last time the computer had the dust blown out?

I'm sorry, but in my post I said that temperature was the one when gaming, but I was referring to the pictures I posted in my first post. If Speccy also shows temperature and you mean that one, yes, I guess 72ºC was in idle. I guess I was only using Mozilla and Speccy, mainly, at the time.

 

[Pyro]

I didn't install any drivers. I thought Windows did that automatically. But I think I installed AMD Software for the graphics card (after connecting to the internet).

Windows drivers are bad for gaming machines, they're generic - which makes them good for ease of install but not performance.

As for the Motherboard, what do you mean by "under load". I'm sorry about my ignorance.

A machine can be "at idle" meaning there's no load being put on it by games or stressful programs, or "under load" which means you're running something that would cause the computer to work - e.g games, benchmarking software, multiple internet tabs.

I think the CPU cooler is integrated. I don't use another one. Is it the one in the picture I am attaching? Again, sorry about my ignorance.
My box has only one 20 cm. fan in the front panel.

Please ensure the fans are spinning, these components are running very hot, even for a small-form-factor build.

95℃ (94.9 in your case) is the max temp of the CPU before it starts thermal throttling (working itself less to prevent permanent overheating damage).

Try pulling the side panel of your case and blowing a fan in at the parts when playing, does this help at all?

 

[Rant]

Windows drivers are bad for gaming machines, they're generic - which makes them good for ease of install but not performance.


A machine can be "at idle" meaning there's no load being put on it by games or stressful programs, or "under load" which means you're running something that would cause the computer to work - e.g games, benchmarking software, multiple internet tabs.


Please ensure the fans are spinning, these components are running very hot, even for a small-form-factor build.

95℃ (94.9 in your case) is the max temp of the CPU before it starts thermal throttling (working itself less to prevent permanent overheating damage).

Try pulling the side panel of your case and blowing a fan in at the parts when playing, does this help at all?

Hi there!

Do you recommend a free program for automatically downloading and installing the best drivers? If not, I can install them one by one.

About the Motherboard, would you like me to run Speccy while gaming? That way we can check the temperature when under load.

I checked the box and the CPU fans and they are spinning. I don't know how to check the power supply's fan.

I'm about to play with the side panels pulled aside. I don't have a portable fan right now, but for now I will check it this way and let you know how it goes.

 

[Pyro]

No, all-in-one driver updating prgrams are usually snake oil. The only ones I could recommend are those distributed by the manufacturer directly, but even then I'd opt for the manual installation.

If they're running that hot, I can say with fair certainty that we have a thermal issue, have you ever had the CPU repasted?

Removing the side panels doesn't always help, it can actually do the opposite as you're disrupting what should be a front-to-back airflow. I'd recommend picking up a fan from a friend or relative to try using, but anything's worth a shot at this point.

 

[Rant]

Good morning!

I removed the side panels and there was significant improvement in the fan's noise. I could even play at medium level graphics without too much noise. Before I couldn't even play at low level. Anyway, I checked the CPU heat in diferent graphics levels. You can check it in the pictures attached. I also checked the GPU temperature.

With graphics set to medium, I got 60 fps (around 100 if I disable the limit). GPU: around 70 ºC.
Set to high, around 45 fps. GPU: around 75 ºC.
Set to epic, around 30. GPU: around 75 ºC.
Set to automatic recommended settings, between 55 and 60 (but this option made the CPU fan spin the fastest, for some reason, and I could even hear a little noise coming it). GPU: around 75 ºC.

I never got the CPU repasted.

I'm removing the box's frontal panel and clean it, although it doesn't look very dusty.

PS. Which is the best way to blow the dust away from the fans? Can I use a hair dryer with cold air function?

 

[Rant]

By the way, I did some research and my GPU fan model is called Wraith Prisma Stealth or something like that, but when I googled "AMD Ryzen 5 2600 fan" that is not the model that ussually appears. It that normal? Also, it moves a little if I touch it. Should it be completely fixed?

 

[Pyro]

Fans can be cleaned with compressed air, or some people use a microfiber cloth. The most important part is to watch for ESD (constantly be grounding yourself to the PSU/case), and to make sure the fans are held in place when you're blowing air from them (otherwise you might cause them to overspin).

I can't recommend a hair dryer as it could blow some moisture through or something of the sort, but it's up to you if it's worth the risk.



The Wraith cooler is an AMD cooler that was included with CPUs, it should be fine so long as you haven't overclocked anything. A bit of play is fine, you don't want those tightened down like you're trying to break something.

 

[Rant]

Thank you, Pyro. And sorry about the delay of my answer. I think I will clean the fans (I contacted the manufacturer of the box because I cannot deattach the front panel...), repaste my CPU and see what happens. I will let you know. Do you think the temperatures I listed are still too high? Thank you!

 

[Pyro]

Technically 'no'

I'm a bit overkill when it comes to temps, but as long as your CPU isn't hitting that 94℃ thermal limit it is theoretically fine.


Another speccy for us to look at maybe?

The temp of the motherboard makes me think it is more of an airflow problem than anything else, but again - that 'should' be fine.

 

[Rant]

http://speccy.piriform.com/results/wJLDuOCIigolPGneb7GDNDY

That one I got while playing Fortnite with high graphics settings and while using Discord. Have a good Sunday!