Maybe I need a more powerful computer

[lostsoul62]

I have a 2 year old Intel E6550 (Dual 2.33) with 4 Gigs of RAM and a video card with one gig of RAM so when I video talk with someone and want to do some computer work like sending pictures or just screwing around with the computer my CPU's are pushing 90%+. I thought it was my slow 3 meg Cox but my CPU's' go pass that 90% mark if I'm just browsing my computer. Maybe it needs a good cleaning but I kept it pretty much junk free and I only use about 15% of my hard drives space so I'm wondering if I need a more muscular PC?

 

[hubris]

CPU's are pushing 90%+

Hi, where do you get this info from. a pick of taskmanager would be good.

 

[Casca]

Everyone 'needs' a more powerful machine, but your machine is not the cause of this problem.

I would like to see your Task Manager sorted by CPU %

Do you have a large HOSTS file with the DNS service enabled? If yes, you may wish to disable the DNS service (I am jumping the gun here).

 

[not so gray matter]

If you have the time, just do a fresh installation. It might be quicker to fix your problem, but if you haven't done a fresh install in a year or so you'll notice a huge jump in speed when you do.

 

[whs]

If you have the time, just do a fresh installation. It might be quicker to fix your problem, but if you haven't done a fresh install in a year or so you'll notice a huge jump in speed when you do.

That is good advice. Tracking down the problems would probably take longer.
But for a quick check, start the task manager, processes tab and click on "show processes from all users". Then sort by CPU and tell us which process eats all that CPU time.

 

[lostsoul62]

Dual CPU Gadgets and my computer runs just fine, just when I video call

 

[Krispy1]

if u are using a hd web cam that doesnt have hardware encoding your cpu with be taxed. if ur using a standard web cam then it shouldnt be a issue. u may want a fresh install

 

[rsjabba]

i'd go with the good cleaning. 2 years = alot of dust, alot of heat retention and serious performance degradation.
fresh install + thorough cleaning of the inside of the case will give you like-new performance... for a while

 

[rsjabba]

also if you're not doing anything and the System process is using up all your CPU power, you have a problem (and a big one). its probably that. system idle is the only thing that should show up a majority of cpu use while your pc is doing nothing

 

[patio]

Have you considered your connection speed may be the underlying issue here ? ?