Could be a CPU limitation.
Could be a CPU limitation.
Hey everyone, I’m just a new member here. My PC has been behaving oddly lately. I assembled my current setup in late 2017, and I still own it. The components are listed below: an i7 7740x (4c 8t 4.3 ghz), Corsair H60 rev 1 liquid cooler, a budget ASRock board (the exact model will come soon), a 16GB Corsair RGB (rev 1) at 3200 MHz, an Optane accelerated boot drive, a 600W Corsair builder PSU (believed to be bronze certified), the latest drivers for both the graphics card and Windows (the BIOS seems very outdated), a 1440p monitor at 144Hz, and a 1080p vertical display.
My problem started after I moved into a dorm room instead of my usual space. About a week after the move, CPU usage began to spike. Normally it stays around 20-40% during light games with a chrome tab open, but when CoD Cold War runs, it hits 80% usage and drops to under 60 frames. Discord, YouTube, and wallpaper engine also cause similar spikes. Memory usage stays around 40-50% under the same load. Once I moved, CPU usage jumped to 50-90% even without YouTube or other apps running. The RAM usage also rose slightly.
I’ve checked with friends and they suggest trying higher RAM speeds, enabling XMP, or possibly updating the BIOS. I’ve also considered changing the monitor to 1440p at 144Hz, but I doubt that’s the main issue since I used three 1080p monitors before. I haven’t changed anything else except the new monitor.
I’m not overclocking, the system isn’t overheating (I rearranged fans so it runs in the mid-70s to low 80s), and I haven’t adjusted voltage. My CPU isn’t overclocked, but I’m still unsure what’s causing the instability.
What do you think? Could it be related to RAM speed or XMP settings? Should I try updating the BIOS, or is it time for a new setup?
It's actually a good thing. The GPU isn't the main issue here, which is nice.