Computer really slow on good specs

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Feternity15

Hey, recently my computer has been going really really slow, I really don't know what's cause this because...my computer has really good specs and there is no way this should be a hardware problem...but I really don't know what it can be, here are my specs:
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OS: Windows XP Pro SP3
Motherboard: Maximus Formula Special Edition
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40 GHz
Memory: 4GB Ram, shows only 3GB for some reason but i got 4 GB Installed
HDD: WDC 500GB SATA Drive
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 1GB
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Please help me out thanks :)

I have also JUST reinstalled and formatted my windows XP
 
"Memory: 4GB Ram, shows only 3GB for some reason but i got 4 GB Installed"

dont hold me to this, but i think a 32-bit OS can only support up to 3.2 GB of memory or something like that
 
Ah, the key might be RECENTLY. Do you have a firewall, virus, and malware protection? Are you familiar with task manager? Any new processes shown up?
 
can it be an overheating problem, i recently ran speedfan to check up on the temp my cpu temp currently is at 82C, and can it be a malware infestion if i formatted my harddrive just today? when i was reinstalling a clean version of Win XP? and i am using AVG Anti-Virus right now
 
Oh, sorry, I didn't see that last bit. Guess it can't be malware then. ;)

As for the temps, yes that is an alarmingly high temp, if it's the temp at idle. You need to check if your CPU's HSF is seated properly and that you do not have too little or too much thermal paste applied.
 
well i havnt really moved anything around in my computer since i bought it so i doubt its the HSF thats not seating properly...and whats this thermal paste?
 
Here is a screenshot of my Speedfan results when I am installing the game Mass Effect
 

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Thermal paste is paste used between the CPU and the HSF to conduct heat properly from the CPU to the HSF so it can remove it more efficiently. Did you build the computer yourself or had it built by someone else? In the latter case, don't bother with checking the paste, since 71C under load seems to be the normal temp range for the CPU under load with the stock cooler from what I've seen, so don't worry about it too much. Your problem may lie elsewhere.

As for the slowness, how exactly is it slow? And in what apps?
 
I built the computer my self. Anyways its slow just like in general ways such as...well sometimes i click on the start button and it takes a while to open up. Also when I open an application such as Firefox it takes a while to open up, and things such as extracting and archive and installing a game or something takes much longer than my pentium 4 laptop does, and it just freezes sometimes as well, maybe its a HDD problem but i bought this hard drive not too long ago, along with my video card and cpu, its wierd.
 
well the average temp i am having on my cpu is about 63C while running firefox,winamp and some back ground task like utorrent. But the maximum it got was 88C
 
I have no idea what they mean. I'd advise against using only SpeedFan since it's quite inaccurate with temps and voltage values. I'd recommend using other programs as well, such as SiSoft Sandra and Everest Home Edition.

To get it out of the way, did you apply any thermal paste at all? Since you didn't know what it is, do you remember if you applied any to the CPU or the HSF base? Sorry to jump so wildly between conclusions, but although your load temps are fine, your idle temps are not. And installing a game is not exactly CPU-intensive, come to think of it. Try something like compressing a large file in WinRAR. If it's very slow or causes freezes, you probably need some thermal paste on the CPU ASAP since it's overheating.

Run your PC for a while to heat the paste up and make it easier to remove the HSF from the processor. Twist the HSF gently while pulling and it should come off.
If there's already some paste on the CPU or HSF, use 90% rubbing alcohol (also called isopropyl alcohol) to clean it off and then apply a fresh coat, as thin as possible. I personally put a drop the size of a small pea on the CPU, then use a plastic card like an old ID card or something and scrape it all over the CPU. Then just re-attach the HSF properly and you're done.
 
Here is the Everest Sensor report...doesnt say anything about the cpu temp though
--------[ Sensor ]------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sensor Properties:
Sensor Type HDD (ISA 290h)

Temperatures:
Motherboard 47 °C (117 °F)
WDC WD5000AAKS-00YGA0 35 °C (95 °F)

Cooling Fans:
CPU 2538 RPM

Voltage Values:
CPU Core 2.48 V
Aux 3.41 V
+3.3 V 3.20 V
+5 V 5.38 V
+12 V 12.59 V
-12 V -11.63 V
-5 V -4.98 V
Debug Info F FF 85 FF
Debug Info T 47 00 00
Debug Info V 9B D5 C8 C8 CF D1 CF (03)
 
This is the Sandra one:
SiSoftware Sandra

Display on Screen
Connection : Local Computer
Board Temperature : 49.0°C (Min 49.0°C; Avg 49.0°C; Max 49.0°C)
CPU Temperature : 83.0°C (Min 83.0°C; Avg 83.0°C; Max 83.0°C)
CPU Fan : 2482rpm (Min 2482rpm; Avg 2482rpm; Max 2482rpm)
CPU DC Line : 1.24V (Min 1.24V; Avg 1.24V; Max 1.24V)
Aux DC Line : 3.21V (Min 3.21V; Avg 3.21V; Max 3.21V)
+3.3V DC Line : 3.21V (Min 3.21V; Avg 3.21V; Max 3.21V)
+5V DC Line : 5.31V (Min 5.31V; Avg 5.31V; Max 5.31V)
+12V DC Line : 11.26V (Min 11.26V; Avg 11.26V; Max 11.26V)
Standby DC Line : 3.21V (Min 3.21V; Avg 3.21V; Max 3.21V)
Battery DC Line : 0.77V (Min 0.77V; Avg 0.77V; Max 0.77V)
CPU Core Power : 88W (Min 88W; Avg 88W; Max 88W)
CPU Cooling System Thermal Resistance : 0.39°C/W (Min 0.39°C/W; Avg 0.39°C/W; Max 0.39°C/W)
 
Woah, your CPU's running toasty! Get thermal paste from any computer shop. I'd recommend Tuniq's TX-2 for the best results.
 
well i cleaned out the dust here, i took of the HSF and there is no thermal paste or anything between the hsf and the cpu, so ill go to bestbuy and buy some thermal paste do you know if they have any?
 
Thermal paste (or grease) is necessary. I see BestBuy does sell it in a 5 gram pack. But you ONLY need the size of a grain of rice. There are other postings here about how to apply, but the easiest way is to: 1. clean the processor and back of fan with isoprophyl alchol. 2. put a DAB of thermal grease on one. 3. press or rub the two components together.

Artic Ice is highly rated, BestBuy doesn't sell, but I've seen no difference between products. Comments?
 
Another (maybe silly) idea. Do you have indexing service turned on? (folder, properties, Advanced). I defer to Rage, but that and Windows Prefetch (if you're certain you have no malware) slowed me up.
 
I assume you're referring to Arctic Silver 5? It's good, but the main problems are that it's conductive and it needs some time to settle down and take effect. Other compounds like Arctic Cooling's MX-2 and Tuniq's TX-2 are preferable over AS5 for this reason.
 
You said you just installed and formatted your xp, are you sure you got the drivers installed? or updated? ( specially the video, i have the same problem every time i format this computer and its always the gpu driver)
 
well after 3 days of searching i found some Thermal paste called..."OCZ FREEZE" or something its the only one they had...well i applied some and everything seems to work alot faster so far...the cpu is at about 56C now...and under pressure i think its at around 60C i guess...so i guess that normal right?
 
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