Starting Steam can cause my PC to slow down or freeze occasionally. Fixing it: update OS to version 20.10.
Starting Steam can cause my PC to slow down or freeze occasionally. Fixing it: update OS to version 20.10.
Steam had been functioning well recently. Now, whenever I launch the program to navigate my library or save my PC, it slows down significantly and sometimes freezes. Still, I can move my mouse. If I manage to close the Steam interface with a quick click, the system returns to normal as soon as I open it again. However, when I maximize it, it becomes sluggish once more. Opening games works fine—no lag or crashes, even on low and high graphics settings. Using other applications like Krita, FF, Lutirs, or Kden works perfectly without any issues. I can’t use Alt+F2 or bring up the system monitor to terminate the program. The only solution I’ve tried is a hard shutdown after rebooting, then checking the resource tab in Steam. Even though I hear my fans increase noticeably when I open Steam or maximize it, the system doesn’t visually show any abnormal usage. It seems like my hardware might be struggling under the load. This issue appears only when I interact with the Steam UI and I’m confused about why it happens. All the troubleshooting steps I’ve tried—removing files, purging and reinstalling, clearing cache, updating apps, checking disk space, using different drivers—have not resolved the problem. I’m using an I5 2500 / R9 290 / Pop 20.10 / AMD Hawaii setup. Have you any suggestions?
I've encountered the same issue, was the solution effective?
Steam may lag occasionally due to cache accumulation. The best solution is upgrading to the latest processors and switching the operating system to a fresh NVMe SSD.