Potential Bottlenecking/Parts Under Preforming

[Integralnquisitor]

Hello,

 

SPECS:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.40 GHz

Motherboard: Intel Corporation DZ77GA-70K

RAM: 32 GB DDR3

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080

Monitor: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IOO4SGK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I've recently been having some interesting issues with my PC. It started about two months ago when I took it over to a friends house to play a game together (local only) and as careful as I was transporting it, I immediately noticed massive performance issues afterward. I commonly played Monster Hunter World PC with no issues in the past, but could no longer get above 40 FPS. My Overwatch suddenly started getting 30-60 fps from never dropping below 200. Games that should have never had issues were very choppy. The most peculiar part ended up being that if I turned my PC on its side, I got a decent bit of performance back. Overwatch now gets 120-140, but friends with much lower end builds out perform my system. figured this meant my GPU had not been going in all the way to the physical slot or wasn't properly being dedicated to the games. Maybe my locking mechanism was broken. I moved my GTX 1080 to the other motherboard slot. Same issue. I tried different GPUs (had a spare GTX 960 laying around from my brother) same issues. I attempted to change settings in my games, but to no avail did anything really change. I reinstalled games, drivers, and all that I could think of, leading me to think that either through transportation, the system is having a weird communication between parts bug, or that the physical parts were damaged. All my specs are given above, let me know what other information I can provide. 

[WoodenMarker]

The isssue being somewhat mitigated by the system on its side makes it seem like the cpu cooler may be loose. 

What cooler are you using and what are your load temps?

[Integralnquisitor]

You may have hit the nail on the head, I never thought of that. I'm averaging temps of 82 C to 90 C just using chrome which I assume cannot be right. My GPU temps are always sure to be kept below 82 C. I'll be looking into the fan and I'll get back to you. 

[Integralnquisitor]

UPDATE: You were correct, my CPU fan wasn't incorrectly. That being said, while the temperature issue is fixed and it can now properly be upright, it still isn't up to its old performance. I believe it's probably because it has gone through massive strain for two months and probably has some permanent damage. I'm lucky it wasn't worse or I could have had it totally overheat, then I'd have been really screwed. 

 

My remaining question is, how should I remove the thermal paste? I want to reattach the fan completely properly. Also, would you recommend getting a better cooling fan? The one I have is nothing special, honestly on the lower end of CPU cooling mechanisms.

[WoodenMarker]

7 minutes ago, Integralnquisitor said:

My remaining question is, how should I remove the thermal paste? I want to reattach the fan completely properly. Also, would you recommend getting a better cooling fan? The one I have is nothing special, honestly on the lower end of CPU cooling mechanisms.

What cooler are you using?

Thermal paste can be wiped off pretty easily with a bit of effort and a paper towel. If you're having trouble or want to do a particularly clean job, isopropyl alcohol helps. 

 

Make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

[Integralnquisitor]

56 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

What cooler are you using?

Thermal paste can be wiped off pretty easily with a bit of effort and a paper towel. If you're having trouble or want to do a particularly clean job, isopropyl alcohol helps. 

 

Make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

Ah sorry my bad, haven't used forums in a long time. I'm not sure how to check, I guess here is a picture? 

[WoodenMarker]

2 minutes ago, Integralnquisitor said:

Ah sorry my bad, haven't used forums in a long time. I'm not sure how to check, I guess here is a picture? 

That's just the intel stock cooler. You can check if one of the plastic pins are loose. 

Replacing the thermal paste and remounting should work fine if the plastic mounting pins didn't break. 

[Integralnquisitor]

17 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

That's just the intel stock cooler. You can check if one of the plastic pins are loose. 

Replacing the thermal paste and remounting should work fine if the plastic mounting pins didn't break. 

I did check, and they were loose. They aren't anymore and I don't think any of them are broken. I think I'll rub off the thermal with paper towel carefully and re-attach it all properly. Thanks so much for the help WoodenMarker.