Why Is My PC Running Poorly With These Specs?

Those parts should be capable of running games reasonably well, so the first step is figuring out what “horribly” means. Check the game resolution and graphics settings, then monitor CPU usage, GPU usage, temperatures, clock speeds, and frame rates while playing. The specific games and symptoms—low FPS, stuttering, crashes, or long loading times—will point to different causes.

The system shouldn’t struggle badly unless you’re using demanding 4K settings with maximum ray tracing, or there’s another problem such as overheating, incorrect power settings, or a background process using resources. Start with moderate settings and test one game at a time instead of changing everything at once.

I’d start with a clean software setup. Reinstall Windows if the installation is old or cluttered, then install the latest motherboard chipset and device drivers from the motherboard manufacturer. After that, install the current NVIDIA graphics driver and run Windows Update. This can eliminate driver conflicts and background software issues.

Check the BIOS before changing anything major. Make sure the RAM is installed in the correct paired slots and that XMP is enabled so it runs at its rated speed. Also check whether the processor has an unusual power limit or thermal-throttling setting. Confirm that the monitor cable is connected to the graphics card rather than the motherboard video output.