Why is my Acer Predator G3-605 Running slow? How can I improve it?

MazenSo

Hi,

I had this wonderful Predator for nearly 10 years but it's slowing down with age. I tried everything I can to the limit of my knowledge and what the internet will offer to help improve it. I changed my Antivirus from McAfee to Avast, formatted and redownloaded Windows 10 (It states my PC is not ready for Windows 11 !) the spec is great - will attach at the end - I emptied most of my PC, have almost empty 1TB C drive, all start up programmes are switched off apart from the antivirus and windows security. Still, it runs much slower than what it was and now videos taken by my iPhone 14 break dance and supper slow (Just these videos). The startup, loading pages, opening folders specially if they had photos take ages sometimes honestly up to 30 minutes.

How can I improve this please?

The spec include:

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz, 3592 Mhz, 1 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)

BIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. P11-C1, 12/09/2014

SMBIOS Version 2.7

Embedded Controller Version 255.255

BIOS Mode UEFI

BaseBoard Product Predator G3-605

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 16.0 GB

Available Physical Memory 8.28 GB

Total Virtual Memory 18.3 GB

Available Virtual Memory 9.73 GB

Page File Space 2.38 GB

Kernel DMA Protection Off

Virtualisation-based security Not enabled

Device Encryption Support Reasons for failed automatic device encryption: TPM is not usable, PCR7 binding is not supported, Hardware Security Test Interface failed and the device is not Modern Standby, Un-allowed DMA-capable bus/device(s) detected, TPM is not usable

Display NVIDIA GeForce GTX 745

GAMING6698

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/709003/why-is-my-acer-predator-g3-605-running-slow-how-can-i-improve-it

Here are a few potential causes and solutions to improve its performance:

1. RAM issues: Faulty RAM can cause beeping issues and prevent the computer from booting up properly. Try running a memory test to check if any of your RAM sticks are malfunctioning.
2. CPU overheating: One post mentions checking the CPU fan speed, which was running at only 800+ RPM, much slower than expected. Ensure that your CPU heatsink is properly installed and the fan is working correctly. If needed, clean out any dust buildup inside the case.
3. Hard drive issues: A slow hard drive can significantly impact overall system performance. Consider upgrading to a solid-state drive (SSD) for your primary drive, which will greatly improve boot times and application loading speeds.

billsey

Yeah, no 4th gen CPU is appropriate for Windows 11, they require 8th gen or newer. You first issue looks like you have a 1TB HDD and no SSD. Your system is old enough that it doesn't have an M.2 connector for a SSD like the newer models do, but you can drop a 2.5" SATA SSD in with a 2.5"→ 3.5" adapter. If you clone your 1TB HDD to a SSD that will give the biggest performance boost for the cost that you can get. Next is memory, at 16GB you are OK for most activities, but gaming or video/image manipulation will suffer. You would be maxed out with 32GB and that's where I'd suggest you go for the next step. Your system supports DDR3 1600 memory, so four 8GB sticks would be best. Any other hardware changes would depend on your usage, so a better GPU might help with some stuff, but not others. For the AV, neither McAfee or Avast are ideal for performance, Windows Defender beats them both in that respect. There might be other features you are using with Avast, but in general it will have your system running slower overall.

GAMING6698

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/709003/why-is-my-acer-predator-g3-605-running-slow-how-can-i-improve-it

Here are a few potential causes and solutions to improve its performance:

1. RAM issues: Faulty RAM can cause beeping issues and prevent the computer from booting up properly. Try running a memory test to check if any of your RAM sticks are malfunctioning.
2. CPU overheating: One post mentions checking the CPU fan speed, which was running at only 800+ RPM, much slower than expected. Ensure that your CPU heatsink is properly installed and the fan is working correctly. If needed, clean out any dust buildup inside the case.
3. Hard drive issues: A slow hard drive can significantly impact overall system performance. Consider upgrading to a solid-state drive (SSD) for your primary drive, which will greatly improve boot times and application loading speeds.

billsey

Yeah, no 4th gen CPU is appropriate for Windows 11, they require 8th gen or newer. You first issue looks like you have a 1TB HDD and no SSD. Your system is old enough that it doesn't have an M.2 connector for a SSD like the newer models do, but you can drop a 2.5" SATA SSD in with a 2.5"→ 3.5" adapter. If you clone your 1TB HDD to a SSD that will give the biggest performance boost for the cost that you can get. Next is memory, at 16GB you are OK for most activities, but gaming or video/image manipulation will suffer. You would be maxed out with 32GB and that's where I'd suggest you go for the next step. Your system supports DDR3 1600 memory, so four 8GB sticks would be best. Any other hardware changes would depend on your usage, so a better GPU might help with some stuff, but not others. For the AV, neither McAfee or Avast are ideal for performance, Windows Defender beats them both in that respect. There might be other features you are using with Avast, but in general it will have your system running slower overall.

MazenSo

Thank you for your time both for providing such a detailed answer. This is exactly what I wanted and I will follow your advice. Can't thank you enough.

billsey

I'm glad we could help.