Why do PCs get slower when nothing changes?

LeeUK said:
How come you buy/build a PC with all the current hardware and it speeds along happily. Six years down the line it ends up all bloated and sluggish when nothing has changed, same software, same web browser, nothing else. CCleaner, etc, ran regularly but just goes slow again after a day.

Is it some conspiracy theory to make you get a new machine with the current up to date tech, just for the same thing to happen again a few years down the line...?
Click to expand...

I'd argue that in that time, almost all PC's do in fact change. More than you think. Just through general usage things are changing and getting "clogged up". Temp files from installations, new programs, updates to software, updates to the updates, updates to browser addons, updates to windows. More temp files. Temporary internet files. Caches filling up. An unclean shutdown here, an unclean shutdown there. A power cut. A crash causing ungraceful termination of processes. A tool bar here, a tool bar there. Accidental install of bloat bundled with legitimate software (eg imgburn). Fragmentation of files. Windows not being as robust as it could be.

It all adds up...

Most of this is not noticed now with SSDs, because they disguise slow down from such impeccable random access seek times.

I still have the same win 7 install from about 2010. Running fine to be honest.
 
I've often wondered what kind of hardware degredation, if any, is involved.

Does a CPU perform the same number of calculations per second after 5 years of heavy use?

I'd love to benchmark a CPU which has had 5 years or so of heavy use, against one that had been left in a box for the same amount of time.
 
matt_fsr said:
I've often wondered what kind of hardware degredation, if any, is involved.

Does a CPU perform the same number of calculations per second after 5 years of heavy use?

I'd love to benchmark a CPU which has had 5 years or so of heavy use, against one that had been left in a box for the same amount of time.
Click to expand...

Why would a CPU's performance degrade over time? It has no moving parts and is a fixed piece of silicon set to do a specific number of instructions. The only way performance would drop is if the cooler on it was full of dust and thus not transferring heat away efficiently causing the CPU to throttle down to keep it from getting above its thermal threshold.

Otherwise it will remain at its same performance level year round.
 
Everything gets slower when you get older. Even slugs overtake me when i am out walking! lol
 
Tuppy_Glossop said:
Time dilation. Perhaps OP's rig is moving towards a black hole ?
Click to expand...

I was in my first eve ti-di fleet fight other night. ~2000 people. (98 in our fleet)

The whole experience was pretty frustrating, and we got our arses handed to us.

I have been playing a month.

If you don't play eve ignore my waffle :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom