dwm.exe using up too much CPU.

[Kyle Finch]

So i recently started having trouble with my PC dropping performance drastically after about 30 minutes of use. I can also trigger the bad performance by running a game which will instantly cause my PC to lag until restart. But recently the problem has been getting worse and it does it even on restart.

I have an I5 3570K OC 4.2GHz with heat sink
8gb Corsair RAM
8gb Patriot RAM
an SSD and HDD 1TB
CX750 PSU
gtx 1060 6gb
ASROCK Z77 Extreme 4 motherboard.

I've managed to narrow it down to being dwm.exe that is causing the issue. Whenever i get the lag it uses 20-30 CPU usage. I have also reinstalled windows on the PC so im not sure if it is a software issue or not.

Ive also found that when I use windows basic the lag goes, but it doesn't let me swap back to Aero. This isn't really an option for me as the screen tearing in windows basic is too much to handle.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as this has been going on for weeks and I just cant figure it out.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

How many tabs do you have open at a time?

 

[Kyle Finch]

How many tabs do you have open at a time?

The number of tabs don't make a difference. Once the lag starts I could stop every program on my machine and it will still persist.

 

[RLGL]

What OS is installed? Having mixed ram installed can cause weird issues. Try pulling one brand of ram and see what happens. Also check the ram one stick at a time for errors using memtest

 

[Kyle Finch]

What OS is installed? Having mixed ram installed can cause weird issues. Try pulling one brand of ram and see what happens. Also check the ram one stick at a time for errors using memtest

I tried all combinations of RAM. but the lag returned after a while of using the PC. also the RAM all comes back fine using memtest.

 

[deustroop]

I realize you have reinstalled the OS but to rule out a virus, where is the exe located ? /system 32/ ? I would reinstall the latest gtx video drivers since the exe runs desktop 3d effects.

 

[Ketchup]

What OS is installed?

This.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Isn't dwm.exe for Vista/7? It is a service that can be turned off.

 

[TheRyuu]

Isn't dwm.exe for Vista/7? It is a service that can be turned off.

It's a thing on Vista and newer[1]. On Windows 8+ the DWM cannot be disabled.

What OS is installed?

Considering "basic mode" was mentioned it's likely to be Windows 7. Basic mode doesn't exists in newer versions of Windows because the DWM is always enabled (and has software rendering for effects, etc).

I'm curious if adjusting any of the performance options affects this (as in the desktop rendering effects) and if you're using the latest video drivers?

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_Window_Manager