Serious question - can software updates slow down my PC?

[CitizenKane]

Hi,

Apologies if this seems like a silly question. However I am relatively new to Windows and, having spent most of my life using Apple devices and having most of those devices become unusable through programmed obsolescence in software updates, I feel justified in being a bit sceptical about this subject...

Question is simple - is it possible that newer updates to Windows 7 might slow down my computer? My spec is below:

Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus IX Hero
CPU: Intel i7 7700k
SSD: Samsung Evo 960 1TB
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 (2x8GB)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 980 Ti Hybrid

Many thanks.

 

[Gingerbread]

It is if something goes wrong with the install, but that's unlikely in most of the cases. However you should keep your windows up to day if possible.

 

[androbourne]

Only update from Microsoft directly that might slow you down was the Specter update to fix that CPU hack loophole. However, it has been proven quite a few times that it barely effects higher end cpus. You shouldn't have noticed anything from that update.

Generally with Windows Updates there wouldn't be anything crazy that would cause an overall PC slow down.

Now software updates are another story. Depending on the software you updated it might be possible for that specific software to slow down depending on what they performed in that update (add new features, updates to GUI etc...) However, normally not a global PC slow down but rather software specific.

If you are experiencing a global PC slow down. It could be because of many factors but the largest ones are as follows:

1. Virus, Malware, Spyware, Adaware
2. Hardware issues, overheating, etc...
3. Software jacking up system resources

So I would start from top to bottom. Run Malwarebytes, ADWClearer (by Malwarebytes), CCleaner, and perform a full system scan with your choice of Anti Virus program.

If issue continues then maybe perform some benchmarks with programs like Furmark and Heaven and monitor your hardware temps. Look for anything abnormal.

Also monitor your task manager. Check to see if disk, cpu, gpu or ram is running abnormally high and if it is narrow down what program is causing the high usage. Often things like anti virus can cause high system resources as well etc... continue monitoring the system to narrow down if issue is caused when something specific is opened etc...