Your PC is infected with a significant piece of malware.
Your PC is infected with a significant piece of malware.
Hey, I’ve got a pretty odd problem with my PC lately. A few days back I played Elden Ring and noticed my CPU was hovering between 70% and 75%, which is way outside the normal range for that game. It also affected my frame rate—dropped from around 130 FPS to about 85 FPS, making the system feel really slow. The cool thing is, when I open Task Manager to see why things are spiking, my CPU usage drops back to the usual 15%-20%. In the game, it returns to normal, and my FPS works as expected. Then after a while (10-15 minutes), pressing Alt + Tab and opening Task Manager brings everything back to a healthy level. I realized this only happens during gameplay, not when I’m just browsing or doing everyday tasks. Once I switch to desktop mode, the CPU stays around 70% and the fans kick in noticeably. It’s like a bottleneck.
I’ve tried checking with software like CPU-Z, HWMonitor, Task Manager, etc., but none of them showed anything unusual. I also removed some programs and even deleted a few apps, but nothing worked. Interestingly, it only occurs when I’m connected to the internet—disconnecting stops it completely. So far, I haven’t found any malware or suspicious activity. My GPU scores in 3Dmark were much higher before this issue, but now my RTX 4090 is struggling with a CPU score of 28k-30k while my 13900K sits at 11k. That’s a big difference.
I thought it might be malware, so I ran multiple scans and antivirus tools, but nothing matched. I also checked for updates, but everything was up to date. It seems the fans get louder when I’m monitoring FPS, which confirms it’s related to CPU load. I haven’t experienced this before, and it doesn’t seem to be tied to software updates or any specific program.
I’m considering a reinstall of Windows as a potential fix, but it would be time-consuming and costly. Right now, I’m leaning toward suspecting hidden malware. If you have any tips or tools that can help, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks a lot!
It's really challenging to avoid malware these days if you stay vigilant. What files were you installing? Were you downloading pirated games or accessing dubious sites? Going back through your actions could be useful. I’d recommend completely clearing the system and all storage devices, ensuring nothing is connected beforehand, disconnecting everything, and then proceeding. It sounds like you might be running a crypto miner—those operate best when linked and can conceal activity if you install security tools. Also, it’s interesting that your RAM size is low; you didn’t get a 2x16 32GB model. Your setup seems to be a DDR4 13900k, which isn’t ideal for such a configuration.
Thanks for the response. A fresh Windows setup seems like the best option, though it feels a bit too easy to ignore. I’m curious if there’s a simpler method to eliminate this malware. Also, I’m not sure how I came across it. Well, 16GB of RAM used to be sufficient back then, and still is enough for gaming today. A 16GB DDR4 4800Mhz CL18 chip isn’t too bad, especially with the 13900K.
If you're just into gaming, you might want to consider going for a 13.7k budget; otherwise, it's better to invest in something more worthwhile. The point is, there aren't really big gains at 14k, so don't waste time on low-effort malware. It's usually best to clean up quickly and start fresh.
Absolutely, I just reinstalled a fresh Windows 10 version. Now I don’t have it left over.