Signs of a dying CPU?

[AnnoyedShelf]

So I've been using the same rig for about 5 years now, and I regularly maintain it, replacing thermal compound and cleaning dust out of the case.  I also regularly use CCleaner to clear out temp files and clean up the registry.  However, recently I've noticed no matter what I do, performance continues to deteriorate.  Anybody know if my CPU is dying? 

[dragoon20005]

So I've been using the same rig for about 5 years now, and I regularly maintain it, replacing thermal compound and cleaning dust out of the case.  I also regularly use CCleaner to clear out temp files and clean up the registry.  However, recently I've noticed no matter what I do, performance continues to deteriorate.  Anybody know if my CPU is dying? 

does the CPU temps keep going up?

 

does the CPU speed being lock to a certain speed?

[Enderman]

You need to do a clean install. 5 years without doing so is just stupid. This is why everything is slowing down.

[Sharif]

Maybe your expectation is increasing 

[Ryan Leech]

Unless the system is freezing, I doubt the CPU is dying.

[ForsakenLive]

Unless there are wacky system usages, freezes, and even BSoD, the CPU is not dying.

The windows install can be corrupted, or even the hard drive can be failing, you have to make a couple of tests to determine which part of the system is causing trouble.

It's really hard to have a CPU going bad.

[d3sl91]

So I've been using the same rig for about 5 years now, and I regularly maintain it, replacing thermal compound and cleaning dust out of the case.  I also regularly use CCleaner to clear out temp files and clean up the registry.  However, recently I've noticed no matter what I do, performance continues to deteriorate.  Anybody know if my CPU is dying? 

Probably isn't the CPU. Cpu's usually either work or dont work. 

 

What performance are you talking about? Games? Web browsing? Newer games and even newer websites require better and better stuff, your system is purely probably just getting old and is slowly but surely not able to keep up. Make sure you're not maxing on ram and HDD space, do a clean install, and plan to do a full system upgrade in a year or so.

Edit: +1 on what @ForsakenLive said. In working at a computer repair shop for a number of years, 1/2 of performance issues for day to day operations was a dying/slowing HDD. At 5 years? Needs a new hard drive, yours is at least slowing down alot by now. 

[ForsakenLive]

-snip-

Exactly I have a couple of dead CPUs at home, they do not work at all, the system doesn't turn on with them, I only had 1 bad CPU that actually boots and everything, it's very old and suffered from very high temperatures.

Hard drives and corrupted installs are to be blamed for plain bad performance and system "lag".

[AnnoyedShelf]

OP: Do this ^

No.  It's Vista.  I no longer have the disc.  Besides, it's time for an upgrade.

[AnnoyedShelf]

does the CPU temps keep going up?

 

does the CPU speed being lock to a certain speed?

Well yeah, it stays at a steady 2.5Ghz because it doesn't have turbo-boost technology.

[dragoon20005]

Well yeah, it stays at a steady 2.5Ghz because it doesn't have turbo-boost technology.

do a fresh install of the OS in a SSD

 

works wonders

[AnnoyedShelf]

OP: Do this ^

 

Probably isn't the CPU. Cpu's usually either work or dont work. 

 

What performance are you talking about? Games? Web browsing? Newer games and even newer websites require better and better stuff, your system is purely probably just getting old and is slowly but surely not able to keep up. Make sure you're not maxing on ram and HDD space, do a clean install, and plan to do a full system upgrade in a year or so.

Edit: +1 on what @ForsakenLive said. In working at a computer repair shop for a number of years, 1/2 of performance issues for day to day operations was a dying/slowing HDD. At 5 years? Needs a new hard drive, yours is at least slowing down alot by now. 

Even just on boot.  It usually freezes for 30 seconds when loading the desktop.  And I've never found it necessary to do a clean install.  After my regular quarterly maintenance, it always seemed to run like the day I installed windows.  Not anymore though...

[AnnoyedShelf]

do a fresh install of the OS in a SSD

 

works wonders

LOL the thing's so old I'm not going to waste putting an SSD in it.  Plus, as I said, I don't have the disc anymore, and it's VISTA.

[dragoon20005]

LOL the thing's so old I'm not going to waste putting an SSD in it.  Plus, as I said, I don't have the disc anymore, and it's VISTA.

mate i have junked that OS a lot time ago for my laptop

 

running WIn 7 on a Hybrid HDD and its pretty fast

 

my dad PC is DDR2 gen and it got a Sandisk Ultra Plus SSD inside running Win 8 and it fast

[MuffinTopMike]

I have worked on a lot of computers and I have seen motherboards, RAM, power supplies and hard drives die, but I have never seen a CPU die. First thing I would do is get rid of Vista and install 7 or 8.1 and see if you still have the same problem.

[Fluxx]

LOL the thing's so old I'm not going to waste putting an SSD in it.  Plus, as I said, I don't have the disc anymore, and it's VISTA.

I know this is a douchy thing to do but you could just download Vista or even Windows 7 from the piratebay. I downloaded windows 7 for my old computer that was running windows vista, it runs a lot smoother after a fresh install and there was none of those stupid pre-installed programs that manufacturers like to put on there. 

[TDP_Equinox]

if it is a virus follow these steps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw5nvzDwcDo
if after those steps have been followed you still have a slow computer, try a wipe and reload of the OS (you don't need to do this every few months as people think. I have been running it just fine for almost 4 years and no issues).
If your issue persists after a reload of the OS, you will have to start looking at hardware.

[TDP_Equinox]

I know this is a douchy thing to do but you could just download Vista or even Windows 7 from the piratebay. I downloaded windows 7 for my old computer that was running windows vista, it runs a lot smoother after a fresh install and there was none of those stupid pre-installed programs that manufacturers like to put on there. 

Downloading the ISO from TPB is entirely legal as long as you have a product code. There is nothing douchy about it.

[VintageCake]

Format  your HDD and put a fresh OS in it, should fix most, if not all of your problems you have with your PC.

[AnnoyedShelf]

I have worked on a lot of computers and I have seen motherboards, RAM, power supplies and hard drives die, but I have never seen a CPU die. First thing I would do is get rid of Vista and install 7 or 8.1 and see if you still have the same problem.

I have actually seen a CPU die.  I ran a Pentium III for about 9 years and one day it just burnt out.