Windows 10: Sluggish pc

Sorry for the lame title...
I have good up/down but this pc is just sluggish now. I don't know when it happened but it seems new. My wife's pc, which just got w10, is similarly sluggish.

It's just not snappy like it used to be. The only thing that has changed are some networking that had to be redone when her OS was updated. I did add a 2nd monitor and I did d/l WPD and turned off some privacy settings. WPD = WPD | The real privacy dashboard for Windows. There was no apparent change in performance after doing any of the above.

CPU-Z attached.
It's an older PC but it seemed to be OK last month.

Sluggish - switching windows, drop down menus, even simply graphics painting vs just popping up, etc...

I run sysinternals process explorer and nothing is being stretched. I don't 'see' why I'm getting this performance all of a sudden. It SEEMS like I'm hammering the CPU or memory but that is not what process explorer or task manager is showing me.

ver 18363

:)

 

PC Sluggish After Waking From Sleep

Thank you for the update.

"Could it be that their drivers are not compatible with my current Windows build?" - Yes, there's a possibility that's why you're experiencing some performance issue.

Another thing, some users have reported that the possible reason why their computers are sluggish is fast startup (enabled by default). We may try disabling the fast startup, then check if the issue will still occur. To do so, please follow the steps below:

• Open Power Options.
  
• Click Choose what the power buttons do.
  
• Under Shutdown settings, uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended).
  
• Click Save changes.
  

And we also suggest checking the Processes and Performance in Task Manager if you feel your computer is sluggish.

We would appreciate an update about how it went.

 

What are actual leading causes of PC sluggishness in 2017? (Facts, not myths, please!)

I define PC sluggishness as:

Carat lagging behind keystrokes by 1-10 seconds.

Apps not responding promptly to common commands such as file save, file exit.

Frequently having to wait for the spinny ring to stop spinning.

PC Sluggishness seems to occur even when Task Manager and Process Explorer show that there is no PC resource that is maxed out and when there is still plenty of room on the hard drive. These tools have not helped me to diagnose the root cause of these problems.

I'm really not looking for the same old advice (i.e. Reinstall Windows, Get more memory, Buy an SSD, or Run a Virus Scan, Disable Some Startup Programs, Buy my PC tune-up software, etc.)

I would like to know:

The specific mechanisms by which a PC becomes sluggish.

Tools that can root cause the source of the sluggishness to a specific application.

A list of apps that have been established to be culpable in causing sluggishness.

A list of specific "top fixes" for PC sluggishness.

Thanks to anyone who replies who really knows what's going on under the hood of a typical PC!

 

PC Build Steps

Ok just because I like steps i am going to create some steps. Please give me the stamp of approval/disapproval

• Install system in case
  • Remember to connect SSD and optical to same SATA ports on motherboard
• Turn on PC
• setup HDD
• run blend test in prime95 for 30-60 min
  • run realtemp at the same time

• While in Prime95 test
  • if CPU goes above 70c in RealTemp, I have a leaky CPU
  • if my system locks up or blue screens, there is an instability in the system somewhere
  • if my system does not lock up or blue screen, my CPU is not damaged and I am in the clear!

What do you guys think??