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CPU spiking is killing me..

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Okay so... For no reason, since yesterday I've been having random CPU spikes. It'll be at a regular load like 20-30% and then it spikes to 70ish% and my entire PC lags severely for a few seconds. It happens randomly, usually every couple minutes. It's literally killing me. It's never done this before in my life, since yesterday.

I've done what everyone says like finding the process that spikes up, but nothing has worked. I even reinstalled Windows 7 just now, still no luck. After reinstalling Windows 7 - I think it's a hardware issue...

Does anyone know?
 
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I'm not sure if this will work on Win 7, but worth a try:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645

I'm not sure this will help me.

Let me explain a bit further:

Okay so I was playing RIFT and using a java program on the side.. First I started monitoring the spiking and the java program was spiking - so I closed that. Okay no more spiking, then I ran a virus scan - guess what started spiking? The virus scanner was spiking, so I closed that. I had nothing else running except RIFT and then that started spiking. It was spiking like every second program until there wasn't any other program to spike.
 
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I'm not sure this will help me.

Let me explain a bit further:

Okay so I was playing RIFT and using a java program on the side.. First I started monitoring the spiking and the java program was spiking - so I closed that. Okay no more spiking, then I ran a virus scan - guess what started spiking? The virus scanner was spiking, so I closed that. I had nothing else running except RIFT and then that started spiking. It was spiking like every second program until there wasn't any other program to spike.

Give it a try.

It sounds more like an I/O problem, cache or something else. Include your sys specs in your info, it'll help.
 
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Download and install HDTune and check SMART status and for errors.
 

95Viper

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If you are OCing anything. try putting back to stock.
Reset the bios(cmos).
Check your memory.
Check all the connectors (power and data).
Check your CPU, GPU, and other temps.

EDIT:
Get something like Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 and burn it to a CD/DVD or USB stick and run it to check for baddies.
 
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If you are OCing anything. try putting back to stock.
Reset the bios(cmos).
Check your memory.
Check all the connectors (power and data).
Check your CPU, GPU, and other temps.

EDIT:
Get something like Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 and burn it to a CD/DVD or USB stick and run it to check for baddies.

Nothing is OCed, I checked my memory using Memtest (no errors), i checked my CPU heats (nothing overheating), GPU (no overheat), other temps (nothing). The only thing I haven't done is reset my cmos. I even ran scans on my harddrives, no errors.
 

trickson

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Could be some thing you have plugged into the usb port(s)? If this just started what has changed? There was some thing you added or took out.
 
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Could be some thing you have plugged into the usb port(s)? If this just started what has changed? There was some thing you added or took out.

That's the thing I don't understand though.. I haven't installed or done anything that would change anything from what I do daily. Nothing installed, didn't uninstall anything recently, it just started happening randomly yesterday afternoon.

Edit: Turned off PC, renewed the thermal paste on my CPU, reset the CMOS, and dusted my PC out. Still having cpu spikes.
 
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trickson

OH, I have such a headache
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Could be the MB or the CPU. Just hard to tell.
 
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disconnect from the internet with the machine. Try a few programs. Maybe there is a deeper bad thingy that is hidden. Try a few "different" tools since some baddies can disable the scan softwares to report things being clean.
 

95Viper

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You may want to go to USER CP in the forum menu and enter your system specs.
Be sure to check the box to show your specs.

You mention your A/V software... you may want to un-install it then test.
Then re-install it.
I have had in the past a couple of them do some odd things, such as what you are experiencing.

Also, are the rest of your drivers up to date... has Windows update installed any driver updates or other updates when this started?
 
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disconnect from the internet with the machine. Try a few programs. Maybe there is a deeper bad thingy that is hidden. Try a few "different" tools since some baddies can disable the scan softwares to report things being clean.

Well it seems to be selective, I've tried several games (which is when it occurs). It happens when I play RIFT and Guild Wars 2, and occasionally Runescape.

I've tried Borderlands 2, The Secret World, The Witcher 2 and Everquest II. It didn't happen in those games.
 
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Any Windows updates installed lately? Those have been known to cause problems in the past.
 
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You have too many processes running in the background that are not needed. Disable what you don't use
 
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You have too many processes running in the background that are not needed. Disable what you don't use

I have, :(.

Only things that are necessary for PC use are running lol.

Nothing otherwise
 
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try uninstall ur audio driver and disable onboard audio see if that makes a difference.

i had that problem before, but it's long time ago, in Windows 7, and it was the onboard audio that made my quad-core at the time spike up to 20%.
 
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try uninstall ur audio driver and disable onboard audio see if that makes a difference.

i had that problem before, but it's long time ago, in Windows 7, and it was the onboard audio that made my quad-core at the time spike up to 20%.

I don't even have onboard audio installed lol!
 
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So sorry, I had them filled out, but not viewable lol

it's nice to know what parts u got, so ppl can help u better ^^

r u running with bios 1.20 or 1.30?

yes ino ur FX-6300 got supported in bios 1.20 according to Asrock's site, but if u don't run bios 1.30 try it.
 
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it's nice to know what parts u got, so ppl can help u better ^^

r u running with bios 1.20 or 1.30?

yes ino ur FX-6300 got supported in bios 1.20 according to Asrock's site, but if u don't run bios 1.30 try it.

I don't know my BIOS version, but I've checked and I have the latest that is available to be downloaded for my motherboard.
 
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try playing with the affinity settings with the cores... try isolating each core at a time and see if it makes a difference. could be a bad core. or could just be a core running hot (it throttles down to save it from burning up, so the usage spikes), poor heat sink contact with the cpu or they f'd up the lid of the cpu somehow. could just be old or poor quality thermal paste too or unevenly applied pressure of the cooler.
 
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try playing with the affinity settings with the cores... try isolating each core at a time and see if it makes a difference. could be a bad core. or could just be a core running hot (it throttles down to save it from burning up, so the usage spikes), poor heat sink contact with the cpu or they f'd up the lid of the cpu somehow. could just be old or poor quality thermal paste too or unevenly applied pressure of the cooler.

No cigar. I also put new thermal paste on my CPU last night.
 
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