Constant problems with pc

dclemons2

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USA
Seriously this pc is tapping dancing on my last nerves, I can't do anything for more than 30 minutes without the pc ****ing up and freezing! CPU keeps staying at 50 to 100% even when I'm doing nothing at all. It's froze twice today causing me to unplug it from the wall, take a hammer and hit it on the side a couple times. Is there a way this pc can be fixed or improved? Or am I better off getting another one, especially for what I do, lots of design with 3DS max and Adobe software."
I have this ol' Dell Inspiron 531 I think it's a "slim" whatever that means it does say 531s
Currently running Windows 7 64 bit with 4 gb ram and the sorriest of all graphics card: Amd Radoen 5450 "HD"
 
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You can check Task Manager to see what is using the CPU when it's idling at 50% if you're concerned about that. You could also check Event Viewer and see if you notice a lot of repeat errors as that could be a clue. If you are comfortable with doing it, you can pop the side panel off and reseat the RAM and any other daughter cards. Have a look at the capacitors on the motherboard while you're in there, to make sure they don't look leaky or exploded as is frequently a sign of impending board failure.

Have a look at the capacitors on your video card as well. Does that card have a fan? make sure it's still working.

you can scan your C drive for errors with check disk by running this command in command prompt:
chkdsk C: /f /r

A couple handy tools to look for hardware issues are Seagate Seatools for testing your hard drive. I usually run the "Short drive self test" option.

Memtest for checking for bad ram and other RAM issues. For this one you have to boot to it either from a CD or USB drive.

And yes it might be time for an upgrade if you are doing a lot of design work like that.
 
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Intel core i5 or i7 processor with a good graphics card would be my suggestion for design work if you're going to upgrade.

Is your CPU at 50% and higher when you're not doing anything? You may need to run some malware scans and make sure you haven't picked something up.
 
Intel core i5 or i7 processor with a good graphics card would be my suggestion for design work if you're going to upgrade.

Is your CPU at 50% and higher when you're not doing anything? You may need to run some malware scans and make sure you haven't picked something up.

I've fixed the CPU problem, it was (of course) Windows Update causing it.
At first I'd just stop the service from running, but of course, it'll start back up again, but since I've updated recently and everything needed, I've temporally disabled it for a few days.

I've heard them Intel i7 cores and such, any useful likes I can browse around? I get overwhelmed when shopping for a good new pc. Toooo many choices.
 
Just to learn about the processors? I would tell you to check out Intel's web site. It will break down their processors for you and tell you what each is good for doing. I've done quite a bit of training through Intel so I'm very familiar with their product lines.

Once you've learned about the processors, you can choose a PC that will suit your needs. It depends, too, on if you're going with a custom build or a pre-built.
 
Just to learn about the processors? I would tell you to check out Intel's web site. It will break down their processors for you and tell you what each is good for doing. I've done quite a bit of training through Intel so I'm very familiar with their product lines.

Once you've learned about the processors, you can choose a PC that will suit your needs. It depends, too, on if you're going with a custom build or a pre-built.

pre built is always better than custom built, right?
 
My! that is long! I get it now, custom built is better. Thing is, I am really up to the job to do it on my own? (No)

If you can put together a puzzle, you can build a PC. It's easy.

if you're still not comfortable, you can assemble a list of parts on NCIXUS, and for an additional $50, they'll assemble it / test it for you and then ship the entire thing (including all original boxes for each component). That way you get warranty on each individual part and a custom-build PC for a better value.
 
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