# Hunting for bottlenecks



## MentalParadox (Mar 22, 2013)

Hi guys. I'm still 2 years away from assembling my new rig (budget policy), but I used the usual website to assemble a new PC anyway (no idea why I torment myself like this :grin.

These are my current specs. I built this PC midway 2015.

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Version 6.1.7601 SP 1 Build 7601	
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z97
System Type: x64-based PC	
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980	
BIOS Version/Date: American Megatrends Inc. F7, 21/04/2015, SMBIOS Version 2.7	
Installed Physical Memory (RAM)	16,0 GB

I'm experiencing a lot of framerate issues with both modern and slightly older games. Some have suggested a bottleneck somewhere, but I have been unable to find it. The issue started all of a sudden (everything was smooth one day, ****e the next), which tells me the problem is something else. Which is why I will be nuking the PC and reinstalling everything from scratch. 

But anyway, I (virtually) assembled a new PC using the best parts available on that webstore, and built what you see in the attachments. I tried comparing the CPU, a i7-7700K, to my current processor from 2015, an i7-4790K, and much to my surprise, it's only a minor upgrade! Is that normal? I'd expect tech to evolve more in two years, and I always assumed my CPU was my PC's weakest link.

Do you see any obvious bottlenecks in this hypothetical setup? Or in my current setup? If I created a bottleneck, I don't want to repeat that mistake when I build my next PC. Thanks!


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

I see no reason why you would be experiencing a bottleneck or why you are looking to upgrade. A system like yours should last for many more years.

Let me know how the PC performs after a Windows reinstall. Perhaps a Windows 10 upgrade?


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## MentalParadox (Mar 22, 2013)

Masterchiefxx17 said:


> I see no reason why you would be experiencing a bottleneck or why you are looking to upgrade. A system like yours should last for many more years.


Oh, I'm not looking to upgrade yet - I said I was going to upgrade in two years. Can't afford to do it just yet. 

And no offense, anyone who tells me with a straight face that the heap of ***** that is my computer can last "many more years" has clearly never had the "pleasure" of using it. My PC already consistently fails to deliver satisfactory framerates in games, and it's been that way since last year... let alone that it would last many more years! Something is wrong with it, if not hardware then something else. But this can't go on any longer. It's getting painfully slow even in regular desktop applications.



Masterchiefxx17 said:


> Perhaps a Windows 10 upgrade?


You mean "downgrade", right? No thanks, I will keep running Windows 7 until I buy my next PC in 2020 (as is my tradition - brand new PC every four years), and only because that's also when Microsoft stops supporting 7. I am finishing up my older games anyway, at the moment, and 7 is the best OS for these games.

But yeah... if you do not see a bottleneck anywhere, it could be a sign the problem isn't hardware. I will report back once the whole wipe/reinstall process is complete. I really hope that will fix it.


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## satrow (Feb 4, 2012)

Your rig is fine, it's a step up from mine, which I'm expecting a good 2-3 years more full time use out of.

Look to slim down any 3rd party drivers and software running in the background, install the GPU drivers-only, don't allow Chrome to run in the background whilst gaming, etc.

Edit: screen resolution can make a big difference to performance, esp. for gaming natively, what's yours?


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## MentalParadox (Mar 22, 2013)

I still think it's suspicious how these troubles started all of a sudden, from one day to the next. This rig once played GTA V maxed out at 120 FPS... now I rarely go above 25.



satrow said:


> Edit: screen resolution can make a big difference to performance, esp. for gaming natively, what's yours?


It's a 1080p display.


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## satrow (Feb 4, 2012)

Could a sudden variation in the ambient temperatures locally have caused some thermal connection issues? Maybe clean and refit the CPU/heatsink with fresh TIM?

Any OS/3rd party software updates that might coincide?


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Run a benchmark test and see if it will pinpoint the slowness. You can use a site such as: Home - UserBenchmark

When unexpected issues arise, before assuming a hardware issue, I'd suspect a software issue. It may be time to restore a known good backup image, or simply reinstall Windows from scratch.


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## MentalParadox (Mar 22, 2013)

JimE said:


> Run a benchmark test and see if it will pinpoint the slowness. You can use a site such as: Home - UserBenchmark
> 
> When unexpected issues arise, before assuming a hardware issue, I'd suspect a software issue. It may be time to restore a known good backup image, or simply reinstall Windows from scratch.


Thanks for that benchmark link. Yeah, I'm bringing my PC to a shop tomorrow and he will wipe and reinstall Windows completely. If the problem persists after such a radical wipe, I guess that would point to a hardware issue?


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## MentalParadox (Mar 22, 2013)

satrow said:


> Could a sudden variation in the ambient temperatures locally have caused some thermal connection issues? Maybe clean and refit the CPU/heatsink with fresh TIM?


It must have happened when I was asleep, as I was gaming nice and smoothly one evening, and when I woke up in the morning it was horribly slow (and stayed that way until the present day). Can't imagine what could have caused such a temperature difference. The computer is standing next to me in my bedroom. I would have... noticed? Either way, I will certainly clean out all the parts and remove all the dust!





satrow said:


> Any OS/3rd party software updates that might coincide?


Not unless they installed themselves in the night!


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## satrow (Feb 4, 2012)

Run the benchmark and link us to the results page, it should only take a few minutes to complete, we'll then have some base performance data for comparison.


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## MentalParadox (Mar 22, 2013)

Will do, but after the wipe. I already disconnected the PC completely.


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