My PC is extremely lagging .. Please help :(

boddaxp

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Nov 16, 2013
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Hello guys..

First of all, i didn't really know which is the right forum to write this problem in, because i really can't identify the problem source !

The problem briefly "If you don't wanna read all details": The pc freezes without preliminaries when playing or exploring or anything, all apps freezes, sometimes it go back to work and other times it restart or windows crash.

DETAILS:

1st: My PC specs:

A normal 450W PSU
Gigabyte G41M Combo motherboard
Intel Core2Due Processor E7500 @2.93Ghz
x1 Kingston DDR3 4GB Ram
ATI 5450 DDR3 1GB GPU
WD 500GB HDD
Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1 Updated

2nd: Problem details:

1. Sometimes when i'm normally running any program or a game, It suddenly freezes and keeps loading, when I try to open task manager it not open, and opening any app, or clicking any running app such as Chrome or even Windows Explorer makes it freezes too..

2. After waiting for a while, suddenly everything goes back to normal again and all apps work fine again and task manager finally open

3. If i try to restart the PC instead of waiting, It takes about 10~15 min to shutdown , and same time or more to boot windows

4. Sometimes also when i try to force close a program or run another program or maybe without doing anything, screen turns into random colored lines for 2 seconds and it gives blue screen that prevent windows from damage or just restart

5. Everything is working normal and windows boots fast and all apps works perfectly but this problem suddenly happen at anytime without any preliminaries! "I can't notice anything that make it start" for example it may happen when i'm writing in notepad and it may happen when i'm playing FIFA 14 .. not caused by ram or CPU usage i mean,

*Notices:

1. I had ATI 4350 1GB , but i've used it in an old PC and worked for a while on Intel built-in gpu in this pc, this problem appeared for 1st time in that time when i was working on the internal gpu before i bought a new vga card

2. When it was happening at first i was hearing a sound coming from the case similar to a CD loading sound but lower, sounds like a little whistle or something, can't describe..

3. Sometimes when it suddenly restart the PC can't identify the drives connected "Hard-disk and DVD Drive" and it says insert system disk, i solve it normally by disabling power and removing the sata cables and putting it again and turn on again.

4. This lag wasn't active when i was writing this topic but suddenly screen turned into colors and restarted and did as in "3" .. and i'm running safe mode now , thanks to Chrome for saving what i wrote..

*Steps have been taken:

1. Bought a new VGA card, 5450 1GB "not for gaming"
2. Changed DVD RW drive "it was lagging anyway" with a new one
3. Changed CPU heatsink and installed a new fan
4. Cleaned the PC from dust, cleaned all parts
5. I made a defrag to most of HDD drives , and surely C: drive
6. Formatted with CMD and installed windows many times (tried both 7 and 8) and Checked all drives with CHKDSK
7. Tried working on "best performance" mode for windows 7
8. All drivers are updated, registry is cleaned
9. Changed antivirus program many times "Norton 360 to Kaspersky to Avast Premier and now using Microsoft SE"

So this lagging or freezing problem is still going on , and it's really annoying and i can't stand it.. so what should i do ? i've wrote in long details as if it needed..

Is this's a cpu, ram or psu problem ??

Waiting for help :)
 
Solution
A Gigabyte motherboard should list all three voltages, but that is not the point.

Here is something from a prior post:
A reading of 2.9 volts for the 3.3 volt rail is unacceptable; the
specifications for PC compatible power supplies call for a tolerance of +/-
3% or +/- 5%. That gives a lower limit for the 3.3 volt rail of ~ 3.2 volts
or ~ 3.14 volts.

Reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/161698-29-drops-acceptable-level

Your running 2.95 volts at idle, it could only get worse under load.

My opinion is defective power supply.

Replace with a quality brand, like Corsair or Seasonic

CORSAIR CX series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE (Huge sale)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027...

Chaoss

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May 3, 2013
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That sounds to me like a failing hard drive, try switching the hard drive for a known working one. It could however also be bad RAM but the symptoms you say you have do point more towards a bad HDD.

I've fixed a number of laptops and PC's with the same problem and it always turned out to be the hard drive. If you are getting any blue screens of death then it'd definitely be the ram
 
I agree with both previous... both PSU and Hard Drive should be checked. The first and obvious would be to check the drive digital connections tying it on different SATA ports... next test the hard drive with a HD application; Hard Drive Sentinel can tell right off if the Hard Drive is failing or whatever condition it's in with two simple results... performance and health in a % graphical result.

Once the hard drive is proven in good condition, the following in my opinion would be the BIOS.. you didn't mention having done anything with it other than the "best performance" mode (BIOS setting?), so start by resetting it with the battery off for at least 5 minutes.. and replace the battery with a new one. A BIOS update would follow.

As for the PSU, check all it's connections to motheboard and drives... and try another one if possible.

The last possible culprit if everything else checks specially the BIOS, would be the motherboard.
 

boddaxp

Honorable
Nov 16, 2013
54
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10,630
Thanks for replys,

first, my PSU i is working for about 3 years now i think, since 2010.. it's 450W "which should be enough for my pc" and it's not a known brand just a traditional one..
i've used Hiren's bootable CD lately, i check the hard with WD HDD diagnose tool and it says that my drive "PASS", and other software says "GOOD" condition , it means that's my HDD is really okay or this status doesn't matter ?

i'm not sure about the ram but it looks to be okay as i can run many programs at once, as i said this problems appears without a known reason

finally, the battery, my clock is always synced even if i disable the power for a days.. so i think it should be okay ..

but what i can try is changing battery, and maybe replacing PSU and i will try to use another sata port.. would it be the sata cable it self is bad or something ?

----
update:

i've now changed the sata port, my HDD identified as a slave drive, but it boots directly as i don't have another one, so i will use the computer normally and check if it was the problem , but i think it will happen again but will wait and check it.
 

These reading can be good or not.. they are to vague. An old & bad HD can give a PASS reading but may be to close to not passing, or it can give a good result but for how long?… you just can’t tell with such vague readings. As example, I have a old IDE drive that reads “22% BAD” in Hard Disk Sentinel, and it works perfectly most of the time but it occasionally acts-up… so you need to run HD Sentinel for a more definite estimation.


That to is inconclusive, what matters here is not if the BIOS can save settings, but how healthy settings are kept. I’ve had trouble with batteries that saved perfect time but ran corrupted BIOS settings… the point is; for optimal BIOS performace the battery should be kept as close to 3Volts as possible… but corrupt settings can have different causes. I have seen and read to many issues caused by bad/corrupt BIOS settings so it's obvious they are still far from perfect.. and the battery is the vital part of the BIOS memory... so both should always be considered when hardware issues are involved.


I personally haven’t had a SATA cable (or port) go bad, but I know they can come lose and I’ve read they have caused issues... I'd replace a SATA cable that doesn’t have a lock to keep it in place, and cleanup the SATA ports.
 

boddaxp

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Nov 16, 2013
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umm i don't understand .. how to check this .. ?



since i've changed the sata port as u said, it's way less lagging and about "working fine" till now .. it lagged a little for once but now it's okay, i don't know if it will remain working good but i think it must be problems with the sata cable after all, or maybe with the HDD it self, it will replace the battery soon too as it's suspected..
 

boddaxp

Honorable
Nov 16, 2013
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10,630


sorry for late reply,

i don't see +5v .. what i see is:
+3.3V : about 2.940 ~ 2.970 (never reaches 3)
+12V : 11.9XX (changes but never gets 11.8 or 12)

 

bkoop

Honorable
Apr 1, 2012
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A Gigabyte motherboard should list all three voltages, but that is not the point.

Here is something from a prior post:
A reading of 2.9 volts for the 3.3 volt rail is unacceptable; the
specifications for PC compatible power supplies call for a tolerance of +/-
3% or +/- 5%. That gives a lower limit for the 3.3 volt rail of ~ 3.2 volts
or ~ 3.14 volts.

Reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/161698-29-drops-acceptable-level

Your running 2.95 volts at idle, it could only get worse under load.

My opinion is defective power supply.

Replace with a quality brand, like Corsair or Seasonic

CORSAIR CX series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE (Huge sale)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

Unfortunately, there is one more possibility:
also you must remember the program measures from points on the motherboard, not the psu. could be bad caps on the motherboard

Reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/295448-28-showing-voltage-hwmonitor

Jonny Guru confirmed the + or - 5% and he is the best:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDFAQs&op=FAQ_Question&ndfaq_id=28
 
Solution