Pc stuttering after car trip [please assist]
Pc stuttering after car trip [please assist]
Hi everyone, here’s a summary of my setup:
CPU i5-9400F
2 RAM 16GB DDR4 2666MHz
Motherboard ASUS Prime B365M-A
SSD WD Black SN750 500GB M.2 NVMe
PSU Evga 600 BR 80+ Bronze 600W
GPU ASUS RX 6700 GTX
The problem started about a month ago during a car trip. Afterward, my PC became slower overall. When launching programs, CPU and RAM usage spike sharply for a few seconds at startup, causing performance drops. The CPU speed fluctuates—ranging from 3.9 to 1.X and back again—especially during idle time, without gaming. The main issue is noticeable in the EFT map on Lighthouse; FPS drops, loading takes too long, it freezes, and alt-tab often crashes the game. Other maps also feel less smooth during load, though it’s temporary. I suspect most programs were closed beforehand, like browsers and Steam.
I’ve tried cleaning the PC, changing thermal paste, checking tight screws, and running a full malware scan. There are no CPU temperature or throttling issues reported.
I’d like to know if there’s anything more I can do or what the root cause might be.
Are you suggesting any specific reason to believe the car trip is important? You haven't indicated what cooler you have, and there may be a small possibility it isn't properly secured.
The only way a car ride might influence the PC would be if it was particularly rough. In that scenario, some cables or parts could become loose. To resolve this, you would need to reposition every component, essentially performing a full rebuild. It might just be a coincidence that issues began after the ride, with the cause possibly being anything from a Windows update before or after.
First point: The main issue is that performance dropped after that, which is the primary concern. I might be mistaken about other details, but that's my main suspicion.
Second point: Intel stock one (https://imgur.com/a/2MztJMm) — I didn't alter it since it didn't seem important.
I re-seated almost every component, except the motherboard. But honestly, it could just be a coincidence and perhaps the ride didn't cause any damage:
Yes, I removed the GPU and HDD, keeping the rest of the components inside the PC and ensuring all precautions were followed.
Also, this was my second visit with the computer, the previous time I took similar steps, but I remain worried about potential damage during travel.