My laptop has recently started running really slow and I’m trying to figure out what’s causing it.
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Laptop specs:
* ASUS TUF F16
* Intel i7-14650HX
* RTX 5060
* 16GB RAM
* 1TB SSD
I bought it around October 2025, so it’s still pretty new.
Recently I noticed:
* Microsoft Edge using a huge amount of memory/RAM
* Disk usage randomly going very high
* Anti-malware service also using a lot of resources sometimes
* General lag/slowness even during normal use
I also want to mention that I have downloaded some pirated games before, so now I’m wondering if malware could be causing the issue.
I’m attaching screenshots from Task Manager.
A few questions:
Is this amount of RAM usage from Edge normal?
Could pirated games be the reason for this?
Should I get the laptop serviced already? (cleaning, thermal paste, fan cleaning, etc.)
Is thermal paste replacement even needed this early?
What should I check first before spending money?
Would really appreciate some advice.