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Ok I built (around 2 years ago) two computers with similar components and for whatever reason they both just don't run well at all. The computers were actually for family members, and they often report to me that the computers just run REALLY slow.

I recently installed Windows 7 on one of the machines hoping that the freed up resources that XP couldn't handle (namely 2 of the 4 gb of ram) would speed up the system. I ran the hardware test and everything was fine EXCEPT the processor scored a .8 out of 7.9! That is so bad.

I would initially just have assumed oh well I got a bad processor, but then I remembered the other machine I built with the same processor and motherboard and ram combo (AMD Athlon X2 6400+, Asus M2NMX-SE Plus, 4 gb ram) and that it ALSO ran really slow.

Could it have been that there was some crucial step that I just missed out on that is causing the processor to run extremely slow? These two computers were the first computers I built with dual-cores.

Before I go buy a new processor for this machine, is there something I can do to diagnose the issue more concretely? Or that I for sure need a new processor? Or what component I need?

This problem has been HAUNTING me for over 2 years now, and it would feel great to get resolved. Thanks in advance

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2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Check the BIOS settings for the CPU and RAM. Make sure they are correct for the installed components. Use caution when changing them as incorrect voltage can cause damage.

Also check that they are properly cooled. If you forgot to install thermal paste or incorrectly installed the CPU fan the CPU may be running at a slower rate to avoid burning itself out.

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Also check that the Power On Self Test messages show that the CPU is being correctly identified. If not, see if there is a BIOS update for the motherboard that may include the specs for your CPU.

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