Laptop is suddenly slower than before please help

Troubleshooting Laptop Performance Issues: A Guide for Gamers

Are you experiencing unexpected slowdowns on your laptop, especially during gaming sessions? You’re not alone. Many users, like yourself, face performance dilemmas from time to time. In this post, we’ll explore potential causes of your laptop’s recent sluggishness and offer some practical solutions.

Understanding Your Laptop’s Specs

First, let’s take a look at your laptop’s specifications. You mentioned using a low-end HP Office laptop equipped with an Intel i3-1115G4 processor and Intel UHD graphics. While this setup may not be ideal for high-performance gaming, it was previously delivering satisfactory results, allowing you to enjoy games like Valorant at 60 FPS and Elden Ring at 40 FPS on decent settings. However, witnessing dips in performance can be frustrating, especially when your competitive matches are affected.

Identifying the Problem

It sounds like you’re facing significant screen freezes and loading issues that hinder gameplay. Several factors could contribute to this sudden decline in performance:

1. Background Processes: Background applications consuming system resources can lead to significant lag during gaming. It’s essential to check your task manager to identify any unnecessary programs running in the background that could be halted.

2. Cooling Issues: Overheating can slow down your laptop as it tends to throttle performance to cool down. Ensure that your laptop vents are clean and unobstructed. Consider investing in a cooling pad if overheating is an issue.

3. Resource Management: Your laptop might be running out of RAM or CPU power due to multiple applications open simultaneously. Close any unnecessary programs before launching your games.

4. Malware or Viruses: A virus can severely affect system performance. Running a full malware scan will help ensure that your laptop is free from harmful Software.

5. Software Updates: Although you mentioned that your drivers are up to date, it’s worth checking for any game-specific updates or patches that might be available.

6. Storage Space: A full hard drive can slow down your laptop considerably. Ensure you have enough free space available for both your OS and games.

Possible Remedies

Here are some actionable steps you can take to improve your laptop’s performance:

• Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs: Use the task manager to prevent non-essential applications from launching on startup to free up resources.

• Adjust Game Settings: Lower in-game graphics settings, and try reducing the resolution to see if