My Windows 11 PC suddenly started running extremely slowly. Persona 5 initially refused to launch, and after restarting it would only run at around 30 FPS. Other games have the same problem, while Chrome and Steam also feel unusually sluggish. I have already reinstalled the graphics drivers, reinstalled and factory-reset Windows, cleaned the dust from the case and fans, disconnected unnecessary cables, and checked the power-plan settings. A Heaven benchmark also stays around 25–35 FPS. The system has an Intel i7-12700K, RTX 3070 Ti 8GB, and 32GB of RAM. During the benchmark, the CPU reaches about 4.87 GHz at 7% usage, memory runs at 3200 MT/s with 36% usage, and the GPU sits around 55°C at roughly 74% usage. What could be limiting performance across the entire system?
3 Answers
Since the slowdown affects games, Chrome, and Steam, check the basic system state before replacing parts. Confirm the monitor cable is connected to the graphics card, verify that the display refresh rate and any frame-rate limit are correct, and look for unusual CPU or disk activity in Task Manager. It is also worth testing the RAM with Windows Memory Diagnostic or MemTest86. If Windows was reset without fully wiping the system drive, a clean installation that removes the existing partitions could rule out a persistent software problem.
Check Task Manager or a hardware monitor while the benchmark is running, not just average temperatures. Record GPU core and VRAM usage, GPU core and hotspot temperatures, CPU usage and clock speed, system memory usage, and CPU or motherboard VRM temperatures. HWiNFO in sensors-only mode can also show whether the CPU or GPU is reporting a thermal or power-limit reason.
The GPU temperature does not sound dangerously high, so ordinary overheating may not be the cause. Enable the NVIDIA performance overlay and watch GPU utilization, clocks, temperatures, power draw, and any thermal-throttling indicators. A GPU can be cool yet still run at unexpectedly low clocks because of a power, driver, PCIe, or performance-limit issue.
During Heaven, the CPU was around 4.87 GHz at 7% usage, RAM was at 3200 MT/s and 36% usage, and the GPU was about 55°C at 74% usage, but the benchmark still stayed near 25–35 FPS.