BSoDs and sluggish performance... computer dying?

[Daenth]

So, recently my computer has been doing things it normally would not have done 2 months ago. It has began to BSoD me on very simple tasks, run sluggishly on games, and my programs freeze up on me from time to time. I've updated all my drivers with no luck so far, I've defragmented my HDD at least 5 times now with no avail, and I've reformatted my HD to see if it was a problem with core Windows files missing and no luck. What's going on with my computer?

Computer Specs:

• Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
• AMD Phenom II x4 955 Processor (4 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
• 4GB RAM
• ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series, 2.8GB Memory
• 1980x1080 and 1280x1024 monitors

I've BSoD's when:

• I had 5 programs running with next to 0 CPU usage with about half my RAM being used (which is normal for me).
• Alt-Tabbed out of Magicka and alt-tabbed back in.
• Hosted a Terraria server with Terraria running.
• Run 2 other programs with a game.

Computer runs sluggishly when:

• Running Blockland windowed.
• Running Firefox with another game open.
• Hosting a server and playing the game without my cores set.
• Running any graphic intensive game with medium settings (my computer was able to run these about a month ago).

I believe it's also worth noting my computer does like to freeze up periodically when my computer begins to run sluggishly.

I've asked my dad (whose really tech savvy) and he just shrugs it off saying "Defragment your hard drive." and when I tell him I have he just says "I don't know."

So, now I've come to ask the tech-savvy people here what in the world is going on with my computer.

[Ad Bot]

[Deathwish]

Post the stop code/index and/or match it on one of various sites which list them. Here is one list of stop error codes. Diagnosing the problem is probably better than trying everything that usually works.

[Daenth]

Post the stop code/index and/or match it on one of various sites which list them. Here is one list of stop error codes. Diagnosing the problem is probably better than trying everything that usually works.

Alright, I'll try that.

[Deathwish]

Mind you, the hardware inside your computer is rigged with temperature sensors, and the hardware may well be cutting down on power & performance in order to preserve the hardware in case of partial cooling failure whilst remaining functional. If any of your fans are not up to scratch, heat sinks are loose or if there is excessive dust, there may be a heating problem. If the system instability persists after cleaning and/or refitting of cooling devices, it may suggest hardware problems.

[Daenth]

Mind you, the hardware inside your computer is rigged with temperature sensors, and the hardware may well be cutting down on power & performance in order to preserve the hardware in case of partial cooling failure whilst remaining functional. If any of your fans are not up to scratch, heat sinks are loose or if there is excessive dust, there may be a heating problem. If the system instability persists after cleaning and/or refitting of cooling devices, it may suggest hardware problems.

Hrm, that may be the problem. My computer always starts up with a CPU fan error (dad simply tells me to ignore it) and I haven't dusted out certain parts of my computer in ages... I'll try that out later today to see what results I get.

[Faoeoa]

You should take it to the shop if you have the sufficient funds.

[MackTheHunter]

The same thing happened to me a couple of summers ago. It may be your RAM.

Try doing a memory test. If it fails, take one card out and do another test, if it fails, repeat for each card.

[Nickelob Ultra]

Likely RAM that has gone bad.

[D3ATH]

Your HDD could be dying or your PC is full of dust and overheating.

[Tokthree]

My computer always starts up with a CPU fan error (dad simply tells me to ignore it)

Daenth...
If your CPU fan has any sort of error then you shouldn't be trying to run anything until you fix that error.
CPU Overheats = Entire PC goes caput, usually indicated by sporadic crashes, sluggish performance and BSoD's.

Considering you listened to your Dad about a computer you have nobody to blame but yourself, now go to your room and think about what you've done/commit seppuku