Computer acting choppy and sluggish.

CDAHL

Distinguished
May 9, 2011
37
0
18,530
Hello everyone,

As of maybe a month or two ago my computer has been acting rather strange. The first thing I noticed is that now whenever I need to restart my computer (for updates, ect.) the screen will flash for a few seconds, return to normal, flash for another second or two, and then properly restart. Then a few weeks after that, I noticed my computer having trouble when I play games on my comp (I built my comp originally as a gaming rig). After exiting games like Minecraft, Red Orchestra 2, Total War, or any of the other games I play, my computer will act sluggish for a few minutes after they close. It generally takes a minute or two until my comp seems to be back up to speed. Another thing is that my computer seems to have a difficult time closing my games, especially Red Orchestra 2. When I exit RO2 my comp will sit there at the game screen as if its frozen (I can't move my mouse or anything) and then finally exit the game. Then, after exiting the game my comp screen will be all distorted and it will take another 10 seconds or so for the screen to return to normal. RO2 is definitely the worst when it comes to closing, all of the other games for the most part close fine, but my comp will still perform slowly after I exit any game. Normally, after I exited a game I could jump right in to my browser, start menu, or any other app if I wanted to. At the very least it is a pain in the neck, but it still worries me. At this point my computer has been up and running for about a year now. I understand that as computers get older and are used on a regular basis they are bound to slow down after a while what with all the games, programs, ect. However, I am still new to computers so I do not know whether these symptoms are relatively normal or not and I can't help but be worried. I appreciate any help or advice you guys can offer. Thanks!
 
Solution
If you haven't done so recently, you could run CCleaner and do a defrag (provided you don't have a SSD). If that doesn't help, then you might want to run Memtest86 and diagnostics on your hard drive.

CDAHL

Distinguished
May 9, 2011
37
0
18,530
Hi and thanks for the quick reply. I already performed a defrag, which didn't seem to help, but just today I tried the error checking tool on my hard drive and things do seem speedier though I have yet to play any games. I do recall having used CCleaner in the past, but I am unfamiliar with Memtest86, is it a download? And what exactly would it do? I'll update again in a bit after I have had a chance to get on a game or two. Thanks.
 

CDAHL

Distinguished
May 9, 2011
37
0
18,530
Thanks, and the disk check I did with the built in tool seemed to speed my computer noticeably. It fixed many of the issues that I was experiencing with RO2, and likely my other games as well, but I have yet to try them out. However, I am still experiencing the strange distortion that I spoke of earlier, but it no longer sits frozen at the game menu, which is nice. I'll run memtest and then get back to you ASAP.
 

CDAHL

Distinguished
May 9, 2011
37
0
18,530
Alright well I ran Memtest86 and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with my RAM. I know that I have several programs that I no longer use so I will be downloading CCleaner to help with the clutter. Still a bit concerned about the distorted screen after exiting RO2 and the flashing before shutting down (I haven't had time to check if that is still happening). Any idea as to why that is happening, perhaps my GPU?
 

CDAHL

Distinguished
May 9, 2011
37
0
18,530
Yea of course, these are my current specs:

CPU: Intel i7 2600 3.4 GHz

GPU: GTX 460

HD: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB

RAM: 4 gigs of DDR3

Mobo: Asus Sabertooth P67

PSU: Corsair 750w

I'm planning on replacing my GPU with something newer, and I am planning adding 4 more gigs of RAM as well. Probably not for another couple of months though. I've had problems with a GTX 460 in the past and had to RMA it, but this one has been working just fine for me so far. My main complaint is that it won't be able to handle some of the upcoming games at the level I want. Also, there haven't really been any GTX 460 relevant updates. But I digress. If there is any other info you need just let me know and I'll do my best to help.