My Dell Latitude 5590 has 16GB of DDR4 RAM, an eighth-generation Intel Core i7, a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, and Windows 11. It handled everyday work and low-to-medium-end gaming without any issues until about a week ago, when it suddenly became painfully slow. File Explorer can take around 30 seconds to open, and some applications need several minutes. I checked for malware, looked for resource-heavy processes in Task Manager, updated drivers, removed temporary and unnecessary files, replaced the thermal paste, cleaned the fans and vents, and even performed a factory reset, but the problem remains. I also noticed that the AC adapter has started buzzing whenever I power on the laptop. Could a faulty or underpowered charger be forcing the processor to run slowly, and what should I check or replace?
1 Answer
Check the CPU speed in Task Manager while the laptop is running slowly. Some Dell systems will heavily throttle the processor when the charger isn't providing the correct power. Try testing with a known-good, compatible Dell charger that has the correct wattage and connector.
I checked, and the processor is stuck around 0.4 GHz even though it should be able to run much faster. Could replacing the charger fix that, or might something else be causing it?