PC performance drops suddenly—CPU is heavily used even when idle.
PC performance drops suddenly—CPU is heavily used even when idle.
Last week my computer began acting much worse than before. When idle it consumes about 40% of the CPU (sometimes less, sometimes more). Games that previously ran smoothly at 140fps now drop to 30fps. Older titles that once played steadily at full speed are slowing down and showing stuttering. Starting any program feels sluggish. Even background music occasionally stutters. This wasn’t happening a week ago. Notably, on one game (PUBG) I encounter a blue screen when launching it consistently. This occurs regularly. Blue Screen Stop Code: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA My system specifications: Windows 11 Education N (Version 22H2) AMD Ryzen 9 5900X CPU 64GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4 @ 3200Mhz MSI MAG X570S Tomahawk MAX Wi-Fi motherboard MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio Seasonic Prime PX-1300 PSU NZXT Kraken Z73 CPU Cooler Storage: 4TB Samsung 990 PRO NVMe SSD M.2 (Primary Boot Drive) 500GB Samsung 860 EVO SSD 2TB Samsung 870 EVO SSD 1TB Western Digital Blue SSD M.2 6TB Western Digital Ultrastar HDD Display: LG UltraGear 38GL950G Curved 3840x1600 175hz What I've attempted: Restarted my PC (numerous times now) Updated drivers Check UEFI settings for oddities Run cmd and performed a system file check (sfc) Run cmd and executed a disk check (chkdsk) Ran Windows Memory Check (no problems) Executed full Windows Defender scan (no issues) Performed anti-malware scan (no issues) Tested with just one RAM stick (four sticks for each) I previously used a Samsung 960 EVO SSD as my boot drive. I believed the problem stemmed from its age, but after moving everything to a new 990 Pro drive, the issue persisted. Tried using 2133Mhz with two RAM sticks and stress-tested the CPU. Everything functions fine now, yet the problem continues. My assumption is a hardware fault with my RAM or CPU, though both are relatively new (over a year old). I’m quite skilled at troubleshooting and usually resolve most issues myself. If anyone needs more details, please let me know! Your support would mean a lot. Thank you! Edited November 30, 2023 by ZeroStrikerX Newly attempted fixes
Did you perform any actions on your PC before the problems began? For example, heavy downloads, overclocking, or stress testing. The PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA is often linked to RAM issues—consider running at the default 2133MHz. Test with two drives, placing the second and fourth slots away from the CPU socket, and observe if the issue continues.
I attempted to upgrade my Windows 11 Education to Windows 11 Pro using a new key I purchased. It turned out the key was intended for fresh installations, so it didn’t help with upgrades. Apart from that, nothing else changed significantly. I also tried using an 2133MHz chipset with two sticks, but the problem persisted.
I haven't performed any tests myself, but I can check what information is available online about CPU stress tests at that frequency with dual processors. Let me know if you'd like me to look that up.
Does "idle" refer to merely sitting in Windows and watching Task Manager? A 40% CPU usage while idle is unusually high—there might be background processes consuming resources you’re unaware of. Open Task Manager to identify what’s using the CPU. If it shows a process named "System Interrupt" with significant activity, it could indicate a hardware issue.
When I launch Task Manager it displays 'system interrupt' briefly before disappearing. However, in the screenshot I see only Task Manager, Google Chrome, and 3D Mark running a CPU test, with me in a Discord chat.
The readings seem normal for this model. The temperatures are within acceptable ranges and the processor is performing well.