CPU or cooling fan problems are causing the computer to slow down.
CPU or cooling fan problems are causing the computer to slow down.
You're experiencing a slowdown that feels like it's stuck in a turtle's crawl right from turning on the PC. Everything takes a long time to load, games run okay thanks to a strong graphics card, but crashes and long waits are common. The fan makes a loud noise for about five seconds before shutting off and restarting again, then repeats endlessly. Temperatures spike up to 90-100°C quickly, while the disk stays at full capacity in Task Manager, yet the CPU only runs around 12%. All other parts seem fine. The processor is old—Intel i7—and the fan from a previous machine is even older. The hard drive is brand new and barely used.
My guess is this problem might come from thermal throttling caused by overheating, possibly due to the high disk load. I'm unsure if swapping just the heatsink will fix it. On one side, the fan seems a likely culprit because it's outdated and doesn't run at full speed consistently. On the other, I worry the CPU itself might be failing because of rapid overheating. I've already tried reapplying thermal paste, but it's not related to viruses, hard drives, motherboard, or graphics card. What are your thoughts?
Did you verify the CPU-to-cooler link after swapping the thermal paste? I experienced a similar problem.
Checking A parts list on PCPartPicker is possible. Monitoring temperatures requires a specific tool—100°C is a concern but likely not the full issue, possibly two separate problems. Verify the CPU fan is running smoothly and dust levels are low. Try removing the side panel to see if temperatures drop. Confirm the cooler is securely attached so the cooler isn’t loose. Once the cooler is properly in place, run Defraggler to test system performance; it often outperforms Windows Defrag, especially for older drives. (Skip this step if using an SSD.)
Shot in low light, two attempts... 1) Is your system running on a conventional spinning disk HDD? If yes, switch to a 120GB SSD and install the OS there, keeping the HDD for game storage. 2) Is this a ready-made machine? It might have come bundled with unnecessary software. If so, reinstall Windows from a USB drive and format the main disk after saving vital files. Doesn't clarify CPU temperatures but could help with disk space usage.