Gameplay began to lag, stutter, and experience frame drops.
Gameplay began to lag, stutter, and experience frame drops.
It wasn’t long ago when my computer ran games like Overwatch, Apex, and Valorant smoothly at 165 fps with perfect performance. The monitor refreshed effortlessly, and everything ran without issues. My machine was almost silent while idle or streaming. Just a month ago I noticed the outtake fan was unusually loud. I assumed it was a virus, so I downloaded one and waited for it to fix things. Eventually, I restarted my PC, reinstalled games, and re-downloaded Overwatch 2 and Apex Legends. The frames per second dropped noticeably—between 60 and 140. I expected improvement, but it didn’t happen. Checking the NZXT Cam revealed my CPU was running at extremely high temperatures (80–99°C). That made sense since it was only idling on my desktop with minimal load, even though the wallpaper engine was active. I suspect my CPU is the main culprit, even though everything seemed fine before. My PC specs are: Intel Core i7 10700K, MSI GeForce RTX 2070, Super Z490-A Pro-GS Skill F4-3200C16-8GTZR, DD4, and a CT1000P1 SSD8. I bought this build two and a half years ago in June 2020. It was an NZXT BLD prebuilt with the H510i case, which had poor airflow. I’m really confused and unsure what to do since all components worked well for most of those years. I’d really appreciate any advice.
The CPU temperatures are clearly a problem. It might be an AIO unit, which could have failed, or the mounting might have come loose. Also, verify the fan and pump speeds to ensure they're still functioning properly.
Hi, thank you for your message. I posted this early in the morning and went to sleep afterward. I own a NZXT KrakenM22 with the infinity mirror. It seems the mounting hasn’t come loose at all. I’m looking for more details—my PC’s dust filter hasn’t been cleaned recently, and I’m not sure how to do it properly. Maybe this is related to the high temperatures, but I’m not convinced it’s the main cause. The dust on the filters looks minimal, almost like surface particles, not a big pile of debris.
High temperatures remain mainly a cooling problem. As a first step, replace the cooler. Ensure all fan cables are properly connected. Verify if you have fan control software—search online or watch reviews. Most filters are either hidden behind the door or slide out. If temperature persists, reinstalling the cooler and resetting fan settings should resolve it. If not, check for driver updates; some may interfere with auto-OC or overall setup. Lastly, unusual virus occurrences every few months suggest excessive media usage on your system.
Thanks for all the feedback. I made some adjustments to the dust trays and repositioned the cooler on the CPU. It seems to have resolved the issue. My thought was that over time, the thermal paste thinned, leading to separation between the CPU and cooler. This lack of contact caused the cooler to absorb heat around the CPU, resulting in high fan speeds and noise. Now, when I power up my PC from scratch, even with temperatures around 60-70°C, or while streaming on Chrome, the fans run quite loudly intermittently.
Unless you opted for the most affordable options from Aliexpress, it's not applicable. A standard coating on coolers works well for many years before needing replacement due to expiration. More commonly, screws become overly loose. Replace the thermal paste... This should be done when you reinstall the cooler for optimal performance.