New Build lagging badly

Just built a new rig and it sounds like my CPU is running constantly and it is bogging down my windows vista (home Premium). When I try to game online it lags horrible and it is not my connection speed.

Specs:
Asus PK5C MB
Intel core 2 quad 2.66
antec 650W PS
2x 1gb OCZ reaper ddr2
Geforce 9800 GTX
500gb sata WD HDD

I have attempted to flash the bios although the asus update utility does not seem to work. I have never flashed a bios with a floppy and do not want to attempt it if I dont have to.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

A common cause for something like you describe is a bad hard drive. Occasionally brand new hard drives can be bad; it happens, and it's not as rare as you might think. Visit the WD web site and download their diagnostic tool. Run the extended advanced tests and make sure the drive is 100%. Then look at your software: what is running at start up? If you have too many programs running in the background, the PC can really get bogged down, esp. if you have a full Norton or McAfee application installed. If one of those programs is running a full scan and/or downloading and installing an excessive amount of updates, the PC will slow down, sometimes to the point of being unusable. Check your running processes and see which is using the most of your memory and CPU resources. Because everything is new, this is most likely a software problem, but don't rule out hardware just yet... a little more info is needed.

I'm not sure what this means :confused CPUs don't make a sound when they're running, even if maxed out to 100%. The CPU fan, however, might make a racket if it's set to change speeds as the CPU gets warmer, and it would get warmer if it's working hard.

 

What do you mean by the CPU running constantly? Do you mean the CPU fan? The Intel CPU heatsinks can be a bit tricky to install, the CPU could be overheating and throtling itself.

Use this for CPU temps: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php/%94www.majorgeeks.com/Core_Temp_d5665.html Post back what your temps are.

E

 

I did a little research..... since you're a bit light on details (like the CPU model number, the speed of DDR2 memory), I can't be specific, but the Qualified Vendor List (or QVL) for memory for that motherboard doesn't include OCZ Reaper memory, it does mention other types of OCZ RAM though. Then again, very, VERY few brands of memory are listed in the QVL so the list really doesn't hold too much water IMO, but it is a possibility. Since I'm not totally up-to-spec with the Intel Quads, I'm not sure about this next bit: but the P5KC only supports 3 different revisions of the C2Q 2.66ghz CPU according to the Asus web site; whether or not yours is one, I don't know (you didn't provide the model number). One of these 3 was just added in early April in BIOS v1105, and another was added in early January in BIOS v 903. So if your BIOS is older than either of those, you may have a compatibility issue. You can check your BIOS revision on the POST screen, possibly in the BIOS itself, or by using a system info tool like PCWizard http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3846.html or maybe BIOSwizard http://www.majorgeeks.com/Bios_Wizard_d922.html or maybe BIOS Info Tool http://majorgeeks.com/BIOS_Information_Tool_d4215.html Compare it with the number 903 or 1105; if it's a lower number, there's a real good chance that your CPU is not fully supported by the motherboard.

 

CPU usage according to the task manager is consistently around 30% even while no programs are running...

My ram specs are: OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 / 1066 MHz / Reaper HPC Edition / Dual Channel

It feels like the CPU is running at about half the speed it should be, specs on it are: Core 2 Quad Q9450, 12MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB, 45nm

I hope this info helps