8 Common Reasons Why Your PC Is Struggling And How To Fix It

Is your PC running slow? I may have the answer!

There are numerous moving parts inside a PC, some physical and others software-based. Because of this, you will eventually encounter sluggish performance over time. Whether this is caused by the system being online for too long without a restart or shutdown, software hogging system resources, or too much dust building up inside the case, clogging fans and components, here are a few reasons why your PC may be running slow and how to fix it.

1 Give the PC a restart

Turning it off and on does work

If you never turn off your PC, it may be time to do so. A system could take a regular break and I’d recommend shutting everything down at night. As the saying goes, “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Allowing the hardware and operating system to reboot could fix whatever may be causing sluggish system performance. Shutting down the PC clears all memory caches, providing you with a substantial boost the next time you visit the desktop.

It won’t take long as you can quickly reboot your PC with a keyboard shortcut.

2 Close some browser tabs

Chrome will use ALL of your RAM

A browser running in the background can eat a lot of RAM, especially with multiple tabs open. Depending on what you’re doing, this could impact performance. If you’re playing a game and forgot to close Google Chrome, check to see if it’s eating all your RAM. Shut it down and get back to the game.

3 Update your drivers

Do this regularly

The driver allows the operating system to communicate with connected hardware, including your processor and graphics card. Everything from your Bluetooth controller to a mouse requires a driver and if it’s not up-to-date, you could run into problems that cause system instability or even crashes. Check to see if you’re running the latest version of the GPU driver and if not, you may be pleasantly surprised with the results.

4 Check your storage drives

Are you running low on space?

Running low on storage space can have a serious impact on system performance. Using anything above 90% of your available capacity indicates you need to upgrade or expand your installed drives. If you’re still using mechanical drives, moving to flash storage could provide a notable improvement. SSDs have dropped in price over recent years and it’s possible to pick up a 2TB SSD for less than $100. Games and software are getting larger and so are our storage needs.

5 Are things getting too hot?

Heat is your PC’s worst enemy

Electronics produce heat as a byproduct; your PC is no exception to this rule. The CPU can often be the hottest component inside the chassis and without adequate cooling, thermal throttling will occur. This is when a component will slow down to lower temperatures, resulting in slower performance. It’s easy to check what could be causing this, but if you are seeing thermal throttling, it will be down to your cooling or a dusty PC. We’ve got a great guide on how to lower your CPU’s temperature, which is worth checking out!

6 Consider upgrading parts

It may be time for a change

Although modern PC parts are vastly more powerful than a few years prior, even an older Intel Core i9 processor can struggle to keep up with the times. Take note of your PC specifications, including the CPU, GPU, RAM, motherboard, and storage. See how many generations behind you are with each component and decide on upgrading to a better component from that generation or purchasing a more recent part. Checking component usage in games or running software could also provide insight into which (if any) component is a bottleneck.

7 Is your Windows bloated?

The fewer apps starting up at boot the better

Too many programs starting when Windows boots will cause the system to feel less responsive than normal, especially if these programs take up vital resources. Look at what boots up alongside Windows and try disabling a few, particularly those Windows lists as having a severe impact. Heavier background apps such as anti-virus software can also cause issues when attempting to run a task as you need all cores and threads.

8 Your PC is infected

Protect yourself

Speaking of viruses! If you frequent websites that don’t have the best policy for screening advertising or downloads, you may have succumbed to a viral infection. Your PC has good anti-viral protection without dedicated software, but it may be worth running a tool to check if any are present.