My PC has started struggling during games and normal desktop use, especially when opening apps such as Discord or Steam. The screen sometimes freezes, and applications may briefly show a black screen. These problems began after upgrading my graphics card and processor about a year ago. Task Manager usually shows no component at unusually high overall usage, so I'm unsure whether this is a bottleneck or another hardware or software issue.
My system has a Radeon RX 7900 XT, Ryzen 7 5700X3D, 32 GB of 3600-speed RAM running in dual channel, and a 2560×1440 monitor. Windows and my programs are installed on an SSD. My internet connection is wired Ethernet at roughly 500–600 Mbps or faster. I have already disabled some unnecessary startup programs and reinstalled my graphics drivers several times. The previous CPU was a Ryzen 7 3700X, and I'm not sure whether I reinstalled Windows after the hardware upgrades. What should I check next?
3 Answers
Because the CPU and GPU were changed without a confirmed Windows reinstall, leftover drivers or software conflicts are worth investigating. A clean graphics-driver removal followed by a fresh installation can help, but if the issue continues, back up your data and perform a clean Windows installation. Also test with hardware acceleration disabled in Discord, Steam, and your browser, since brief black screens in individual apps can come from acceleration or driver conflicts.
Look beyond overall usage percentages. Monitor per-core CPU usage, GPU utilization, clock speeds, temperatures, frametimes, and disk activity with tools such as HWiNFO or MSI Afterburner. One CPU core can be maxed while total CPU usage looks low, and a driver reset or SSD issue may only cause a short interruption. Check for GPU timeout errors, SMART warnings, firmware updates, unstable overclocks, and make sure the graphics card power cables are connected securely.
This doesn’t sound like a normal CPU or GPU bottleneck, especially when it happens on the desktop. Check whether your RAM is actually running at its rated speed in the BIOS using the appropriate memory profile, such as DOCP or XMP, and confirm that the sticks are installed in the recommended dual-channel slots. Also check SSD health and free space with a tool such as CrystalDiskInfo, and review Windows Event Viewer for display-driver, disk, or hardware errors.
I’ve reinstalled the graphics drivers several times already, but I’m not sure whether Windows itself was ever reinstalled after the upgrade. I’ll check hardware acceleration and consider a clean Windows install if the other tests don’t find anything.