New gaming PC not running well/as well as it should

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tacodemon4207

Sep 17, 2018
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I built my PC about 3 weeks ago. It's running, but after looking at analytics on usage, I'm noticing a few issues:
(Here's the parts list if you need: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/JacdenSilveira/saved/Zx9r6h )
1. Even during intensive games, my CPU usage only reaches about 20%, usually lower.
2. My CPU package temp is abnormally high, running at 45-60 C just browsing the internet, reaching 80-90 C during gaming.
(SOLVED)3. During boot, both my SSD and hard drive appear, but when looking at file explorer, there is no hard drive option.

All of my drivers are updated.

Please, give me ideas on what could be wrong so I can fix this. It's stressful knowing I spent so much money on a PC and it's not working nearly as well as it should.

Edit: Some system info: https://imgur.com/a/BZOlCDJ

Edit 2: Getting a new CPU cooler, seems to be a common suggestion. Any advice on changing the fan layout? I have an extra 140 mm fan to add wherever it should be added.
 
Solution
jeremyj_83
In my opinion your case fan layout is leading to a very unbalanced setup. This means that you aren't getting enough fresh cool air into the case. Currently you have what is called a negative air pressure setup, that means your are exhausting more air via fans that your are putting in. I am not fond of that air pressure design since the system will draw air in from every hole in the case. This can cause you to intake hot air directly after it has been expelled and it will lead to faster buildup of dust inside the case. If you were to add 2 more intake fans, I like to keep my fans all the same type if possible for each size, you would wind up with hopefully a positive air pressure situation. That is when you have more cool fresh air...
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ablora91

ablora91

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Dec 18, 2017
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as far as temps, i would use an AIO water cooling, installing it is super easy.
I will take a look at my system temps later today i use the same board and cpu.
are you able to see the drives on the Disk Manager? can you show a screenshot of this pc where the drives should appear?
 
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jeremyj_83

jeremyj_83

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Aug 23, 2017
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What games are you playing? When you look at your CPU load are you looking at total average or have you expanded task manager to show all the threads and see if there are multiple threads running at like 50% but the rest lower? How much of the thermal paste did you use? If you used the whole thing that can cause issues. What is your case fan setup?

For your drive you most likely have to initialize it in Disk Manager. Right click on the Windows button and select Disk Management. From there you will be able to initialize it, create a new volume, and format the drive. The final two things are just right clicks on the drive area of that disk.
 
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jankerson

jankerson

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Sep 10, 2006
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That CPU cooler is very underpowered for a 8700K.

Can't believe you got all of those nice parts and then cheaped out on the CPU cooler. :sarcastic:

Get something like an Noctua NH D15 or be quiet! - Dark Rock Pro
 
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tacodemon4207

Sep 17, 2018
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The drive part worked, thank you.
For games, I'm mostly playing Destiny 2, but I also play Smite and League of Legends.
I only used a "rice grain"s worth of thermal paste, as suggested.
I have created a map of my case fan setup in Microsoft paint(extremely detailed), and included a screenshot of individual core usage and temps:
https://imgur.com/a/BZOlCDJ
 
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tacodemon4207

Sep 17, 2018
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The only issue I have with both of those coolers is clearance; as is, there's almost no room between the fan and my memory, so having a larger heatsink+fan combo would almost certainly be too big.
 
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jeremyj_83

jeremyj_83

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Aug 23, 2017
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In my opinion your case fan layout is leading to a very unbalanced setup. This means that you aren't getting enough fresh cool air into the case. Currently you have what is called a negative air pressure setup, that means your are exhausting more air via fans that your are putting in. I am not fond of that air pressure design since the system will draw air in from every hole in the case. This can cause you to intake hot air directly after it has been expelled and it will lead to faster buildup of dust inside the case. If you were to add 2 more intake fans, I like to keep my fans all the same type if possible for each size, you would wind up with hopefully a positive air pressure situation. That is when you have more cool fresh air coming in than is being expelled at any given second. This means that dust cannot move in from areas that don't have filters and you are not reusing already hot air to try and cool the system.

For you CPU loads Destiny 2 is very light on CPU. Minimum CPU is a i3-3250 with recommended being a i5-2400, it is easy to see it was a game designed for the PS4 and XBox One. For that reason I am not that surprised that you have such a light load on your CPU. What FPS are you getting while gaming?
 
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Solution
jankerson

jankerson

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Sep 10, 2006
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Noctua NH D15S.... You can add a front fan if you need to.

Actually the NH D15 will work no problem (65mm ram clearance), you just have to raise the front fan to clear the ram like most of us do with taller ram.

Your case is more than wide enough.
 
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tacodemon4207

Sep 17, 2018
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How should I rearrange the fans then? the back and top fans are 120 mm, while the front is 140 mm. Should I add another 140 mm fan to the front?

And I'm getting about 120-140 FPS in Destiny 2.
 
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jankerson

jankerson

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2x 140mm intake in the front and 1x 140mm exhaust in the back is all you need.

It came with 1x 140mm front and 1x 140mm in the back so all you needed to do was add one 140mm in the front.
 
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tacodemon4207

Sep 17, 2018
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Will I have to remove the motherboard to install the new CPU cooler?
 
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jankerson

jankerson

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No, there is a cutout on the back to allow for cooler changes.
 
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