How to improve troubleshooting skill

[riotpatriot]

although at most sometime is really must guess properly one

PC CPU at 90% for no reason one day > close app to monitor > chrome let go of 85% activity (this one e.g. chrome) > open back start chrome task manager > process cluster usage at 90% > check individual tab > bitcoin mining javascript > report to site + close tab

 

[lifeishard]

Ya lor after 16 years of DIY I also sick of the building part, and its definitely not easy since so many things can go wrong also for the experienced, dunno why clueless people online keep saying the "DIY is easy" meme.

Diy building is easy la, it is only if there is a need to troubleshoot then a bit tougher. Even you go see doctor, sometimes they also say oh your this issue could have surfaced due to few possibilities.

 

[ElZedHaitch]

Diy building is easy la, it is only if there is a need to troubleshoot then a bit tougher. Even you go see doctor, sometimes they also say oh your this issue could have surfaced due to few possibilities.

yeah. building is easy. I just hate puting on the cooler XD. My heart always stop when the mobo flex a bit...

But its the troubleshooting part I hate so much. It takes so long. Like my temp issue. I tried.

1: reset my OC and change voltage
2: clean case
3: re apply thermal paste and remount cooler
4: reinstall windows
5: bought more fans to put in

Because the issue is not easy to just see since it happens not every single time.

I spent so much time on this issue which is minor but anyone who use a PC for awhile knows that high temps is not great long term. I would pay for a guy to fix this issue for me. But its not so easy since its not a one off issue thats is easy to diagnose.

I think not many people are willing to do so much to a PC. Which is why I think people who don't want to learn and understand should just get a prebuilt or a custom with warranty.

I can say for certain I think my next PC will be from aftershock or something similar. They also allow you to swap your own parts but they can still help to diagnose issues and i hope/think their people should be better and more experienced than me in fixing stuff. Its a premium on the price but I am willing to pay for that.

 

[lifeishard]

yeah. building is easy. I just hate puting on the cooler XD. My heart always stop when the mobo flex a bit...

But its the troubleshooting part I hate so much. It takes so long. Like my temp issue. I tried.

1: reset my OC and change voltage
2: clean case
3: re apply thermal paste and remount cooler
4: reinstall windows
5: bought more fans to put in

Because the issue is not easy to just see since it happens not every single time.

I spent so much time on this issue which is minor but anyone who use a PC for awhile knows that high temps is not great long term. I would pay for a guy to fix this issue for me. But its not so easy since its not a one off issue thats is easy to diagnose.

I think not many people are willing to do so much to a PC. Which is why I think people who don't want to learn and understand should just get a prebuilt or a custom with warranty.

I can say for certain I think my next PC will be from aftershock or something similar. They also allow you to swap your own parts but they can still help to diagnose issues and i hope/think their people should be better and more experienced than me in fixing stuff. Its a premium on the price but I am willing to pay for that.

How high was the temp and it's random? If so, force yourself to forget it and just enjoy the pc since it's not creating issues for you. Spoil liao then got reason to get new one already mah unless you are those who believe in building a pc to last 5 yrs then different story.

 

[Ark Law]

But its the troubleshooting part I hate so much. It takes so long. Like my temp issue. I tried.

I spent so much time on this issue which is minor but anyone who use a PC for awhile knows that high temps is not great long term. I would pay for a guy to fix this issue for me. But its not so easy since its not a one off issue thats is easy to diagnose.

So far so good for over 2 years with elevated temps. I can't be bothered to open the case anymore that I decided I won't tinker around unless it overheats

 

[ElZedHaitch]

Haha. It's not a big issue. On load around 80 when gaming. Of course in prime is around 90 but that's jot really happening in real world.

My biggest issue was idle. It idlea around 45 when the issue is present. So sometimes it's 30 plus then sometimes it's 45. No idea why...

Yeah. It's a haswell era system with a 4790k and 980ti so it's about time. I plan to get a aftershock and maybe I dunno if I can get it without a gpu and just use my 980ti haha

 

[ElZedHaitch]

So far so good for over 2 years with elevated temps. I can't be bothered to open the case anymore that I decided I won't tinker around unless it overheats

Yeah. The laziness to open and fix stuff, clean is why I want to get an aftershock. I asked and they say they will clean and do maintenance for free even after warranty is over. I am far too busy/lazy to do those things now... They also honor warranty even if I change parts so I still can play around when I want to. Haha

 

[Ark Law]

Isn't idle 45 considered normal for our weather? That or I'm acclimatised to seeing 50-60 as idle temps

 

[lamesensei]

troubleshooting is a mindset.

when things go wrong, the regular person will see problems

the troubleshooter will see symptoms instead.

from there, u can google the symptoms or reference a manual etc.
what you do next comes from experience and knowledge.

be it a software/hardware/ or physiological/illness - identifying/diagnosing is key. you don't have to be a trained technician or experienced surgeon to identify symptoms.

 

[Ferolare]

Isn't idle 45 considered normal for our weather? That or I'm acclimatised to seeing 50-60 as idle temps

that's pretty normal temps if you're on intel or stock amd ryzen

 

[lifeishard]

troubleshooting is a mindset.

when things go wrong, the regular person will see problems

the troubleshooter will see symptoms instead.

from there, u can google the symptoms or reference a manual etc.
what you do next comes from experience and knowledge.

be it a software/hardware/ or physiological/illness - identifying/diagnosing is key. you don't have to be a trained technician or experienced surgeon to identify symptoms.

But 1 symptom could mean either mobo, psu or simply ram so that's the sianz part. It is really not straightforward.

 

[lamesensei]

But 1 symptom could mean either mobo, psu or simply ram so that's the sianz part. It is really not straightforward.

thats the part you google or experiment.

if its straight forward, u wouldnt call it troubleshooting in the first place.

 

[ElZedHaitch]

Isn't idle 45 considered normal for our weather? That or I'm acclimatised to seeing 50-60 as idle temps

wah. thats crazy. I have an okayish cooler and when its good its in the 30s. so its not normal for me.

 

[lifeishard]

wah. thats crazy. I have an okayish cooler and when its good its in the 30s. so its not normal for me.

Go for aio. Really make a difference.
And dun bother too much on idle temp, on load temp is the one you should concerned with.

 

[ElZedHaitch]

Go for aio. Really make a difference.
And dun bother too much on idle temp, on load temp is the one you should concerned with.

Load is not great sometimes too. I know aio is better. But I scared it burst haha. I likely won't upgrade any thing u til I decide to do a full upgrade. My pc is a good 2.5 years to 3 years already.

 

[Ark Law]

Load is not great sometimes too. I know aio is better. But I scared it burst haha. I likely won't upgrade any thing u til I decide to do a full upgrade. My pc is a good 2.5 years to 3 years already.

Unless you wanna chiong OC, I don't see any point in AIO. The amount of heat produced by the CPU is still the same, just that it's dissipated elsewhere. Minus aesthetic reasons, I'd rather stick a Noctua D15 than an AIO for quieter performance.

 

[tmfwy]

How can i improve my troubleshooting skills? Be it for hardware or software related? How do you guys do troubleshooting?

Two things

1. Human Will
Playing a game and WANTING to optimise your PC to play that game helps alot.
If you don't game, replace game with something that you like

2. You must have spoilt parts and paid for them out of your own pocket

Seriously.
The second one is an important component coz once you have gont through it ( spoilage of parts and paying for it ), the fear factor is taken out.

If you keep on spoiling stuff and keep on paying for it the fourth time over, either you are not learning / cannot be bothered with learning, or have hands not suitable for PC maintenance.

Just as an example
MY uncle who was a 60+ year old cabbie was having PC issues everytime.
I passed him 2x full but outdated rigs to learn
He spoilt 1x but in the process, manage to cannibalise the PC parts to create a working PC
Now he's happily sharing his knowledge with other cabbie friends.

Its not to late to learn. Just need somewhere...

 

[invisible.hippo]

troubleshooting is a mindset.

when things go wrong, the regular person will see problems

the troubleshooter will see symptoms instead.

from there, u can google the symptoms or reference a manual etc.
what you do next comes from experience and knowledge.

be it a software/hardware/ or physiological/illness - identifying/diagnosing is key. you don't have to be a trained technician or experienced surgeon to identify symptoms.

What do you mean by symptoms? Does problem mean things like screen is unable to boot and symptoms can be monitor led is not lighting up?