It’s not always the utilization percentage that tells the whole story.
You’re a bit out of luck as far as upgrades go for that platform, but if you have 1 stick of RAM and get another one you’ll feel a difference.
Comment on How can I find out what graphics card upgrade is compatible with my system?
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 day agoThanks, that would probably attract attention lol. I was looking at System Monitor when the stuttering happens and I didn’t see a big CPU spike, but I am at a loss.
# System Details Report (Copied from Ubuntu System Information)
---
## Report details
- **Date generated:** 2026-02-05 12:03:11
## Hardware Information:
- **Hardware Model:** Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. Z77X-UD3H
- **Memory:** 16.0 GiB
- **Processor:** Intel® Core™ i7-3770K × 8
- **Graphics:** Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (IVB GT2)
- **Graphics 1:** NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
- **Disk Capacity:** 128.0 GB
## Software Information:
- **Firmware Version:** F20e
- **OS Name:** Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS
- **OS Build:** (null)
- **OS Type:** 64-bit
- **GNOME Version:** 46
- **Windowing System:** X11
- **Kernel Version:** Linux 6.14.0-37-generic
Zer0_F0x@lemmy.world 1 day ago
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 19 hours ago
All 4 slots are taken by DIMMs (is that the right term) unfortunately. 4 Memory Sticks.
Zer0_F0x@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
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Windows Update. If the thing was off for a while, expect windows update to cripple it until it’s satisfied.
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Slow boot drive. If it’s an older SSD it might be kicking the bucket soon. Also, if your boot drive is over 90% usage you’ll definitely feel it.
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RAM issues. Download RAMMon (free RAM checking tool) and let us know what you see
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Thermals. If your CPU hits 90+ degrees then it’ll have to throttle down to save itself. Cleaning the dust helps a lot with that because dust is an insulator and traps heat in.
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 7 hours ago
The drive is very full, so upgrading storage has got to be a priority.
Not sure how to measure thermals, but I will look for a way. There should be a CPU temp sensor at least.
I can test the ram with memtest86 which is already installed and post the results.
I don’t think it is Windows Update ;)
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Toes@ani.social 1 day ago
3rd gen i7 platform will be your major bottleneck.
If the prices for ram weren’t insane right now I’d suggest a whole new build depending on what games you’re hoping to play.
Don’t go with ARC as it’s not compatible with that motherboard. You need resizable bar support and ideally an x8 pcie gen4 lane or better.
Since you’re rocking Linux I would suggest sticking to AMD graphics.
What PSU are you using and games/software would you like to run better?
The 980 is pretty good for most purposes outside of modern games.
I’d suggest a new SSD and redoing the thermal paste on the cpu. Clean up the dust too.
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 19 hours ago
Thanks, I didn’t know that x8 pcie was a thing now… also resizable bar support – something else to research.
I cleaned up the dust and I haven’t noticed those “jerky cursor” problems for a bit, so hopefully that was it. It wasn’t even that much dust, so we’ll see how long ‘til the system does it again. I am not trying to play any specific games, just trying to use the OS, file picker, etc., without lag.
Toes@ani.social 18 hours ago
Are you using the nvidia drivers and have your monitor connected to the gpu?
The 980 should be more than capable of a fully functional desktop experience, so after cleaning the dust it may have just been a heating issue.
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 18 hours ago
I am using the nvidia proprietary drivers, and had to use
prime-selectto set them to default. I am guessing it was just a heating issue! It looks like I should add dusting it out to the regular preventative maintenance schedule. I am hoping to not have to mess with the thermal paste.