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If your GPU usage is maximum i.e. 99% or 100% in games then your graphics card is working at full potential and you will get maximum performance from it in games. However, if you have high or 100% CPU usage in games then you will face major performance issues that include stuttering and lower FPS. High CPU usage can bottleneck your graphics card that translates into low GPU usage and thus you will get lower FPS in games.
High CPU usage in games when you have a weaker or older processor is pretty much understandable especially when playing a CPU intensive game, but if you have a modern-day powerful processor with many cores (more than four), and then also getting 100% or high CPU usage then the problem lies in other areas. So, here I am going to list down the major causes of high CPU usage, along with their solutions.
How to Monitor CPU Usage
In games, you can monitor the CPU usage using the MSI Afterburner software, and in Windows, you can do it by using the Task Manager, or if you want to get into more detail then you can use a great third-party utility, which is Process Explorer.
High CPU Usage in Games [Causes & Solutions]
Here are various causes with their solutions that can help you to fix very high or 100% CPU usage in games.
Background Services / Processes
Make sure that you don’t have any services or processes running in the background having high CPU usage. To check this, close all the opened programs and then open your task manager and check your Idle CPU usage. The idle CPU usage should be around 1% to 5% in most of the cases. If your idle CPU usage is on the higher range i.e. above 10% or 20% then identify the services and processes that are eating your CPU and terminate them. Also, identify the programs that are associated with that service and if it is bloatware or unwanted program that you don’t use then uninstall them. However, if it is a system process or service then try to identify the real cause for them to consume your CPU because in normal cases, they don’t cause high CPU usage continuously. If you want to dig into more detail about each process and program then you can use processor explorer, which is a great small utility to monitor the background processes and services and provides detailed information about them.
Background Programs
When gaming, try to avoid running any programs in the background that include your browser, anti-virus program, etc. It is better to close all the programs when gaming because some programs may interfere with the game and may cause unpredicted behavior that can result in high CPU usage. Also, get rid of all the bloatware and unwanted programs in your computer and keep the Windows OS as clean as possible. Generally, Windows in-built Program Uninstaller does the job well but if some programs are not uninstalling or you want to remove all the traces of uninstalled programs then you can use Revo Uninstaller, which is a very good third-party uninstaller having a clean and simple user interface.
Malware/Virus Infection
If your computer is infected with viruses, trojans, ransomware or any other kind of malware then in most cases they can cause high CPU usage by running some kind of malicious code or processes in the background. You can identify these malicious processes by running the task manager and checking if there is any unidentified or suspicious process running in the background that is consuming too much of your CPU. To remove these viruses and malware, you can use a good anti-virus and anti-malware software. For antivirus, I would suggest using ESET NOD32 antivirus and for anti-malware, I believe there is nothing better than Malwarebytes anti-malware.
Overheating of CPU
Overheating can cause your CPU to throttle down to lower speeds and may cause high CPU usage when playing a game that is more CPU intensive. The most common cause of CPU overheating is a bad thermal paste, improper contact between processor and CPU cooler or an underperforming CPU cooler that is not enough to cool down your processor effectively. So, in these cases, you can apply a good thermal paste, check the CPU cooler installation to see if it is properly fitted or not and if you have a CPU cooler that is not good enough for your processor (especially the stock ones) then you have to get a new aftermarket CPU cooler that can efficiently cool down your processor and prevents it from overheating.
Windows 10 Update
Well, a recent Windows 10 update can result in high CPU usage, even when you are doing nothing i.e. on idle. For example, recently KB4512941 update to Windows 10 has caused high CPU usage (even on idle) for many users, because of some issue with the SearchUI.exe process that is tied to the Cortana’s search functionality. In such cases, you have to either uninstall the update completely or disable the affected feature and wait for the new update to come that hopefully contains the fix for it. Also, it is better not to use a cracked version of Windows because some of them may contain malicious programs hidden in them that can interfere with the normal working of Windows and can also steal your data. So, it is better to use only Genuine Licensed copy of Windows operating system.
Buggy Drivers
Sometimes buggy drivers can cause high CPU usage and this has happened recently with Nvidia graphics driver 430.39, where the driver component NVIDIA Container, or nvdisplay.container.exe was responsible for causing the high CPU usage and was slowing down the systems. To fix this, uninstall the buggy GPU driver completely using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) and install other versions of the graphics driver, preferably older ones. So, make sure that the device drivers are not causing the spike in CPU usage.
Windows Power Plan settings
Make sure your Windows Power Options Plan setting is not set to Power Saver mode. It should be either set to Balanced or High Performance Mode if you are facing high CPU usage during gaming. You can check this setting by going to Control panel->Power Options and then change or customize the plan setting accordingly.
Corrupt Windows / System Files
If your Windows operating system has become corrupted because of viruses, malware, malicious programs then it will impact the proper functioning of the OS and may result in high CPU usage. Here, the first thing to do is to repair the system files by running the sfc /scannow command at the command prompt and let it do its task. If the command is unable to repair the files then you can reset the Windows PC by going to settings->update & security->recovery->reset this PC. If this fails too then the last and the best option is to clean install Windows by formatting everything on the root drive.
Game Related Issue
Some games with bad optimization can cause very high CPU usage, even when you have a powerful latest CPU (with six cores or more). To fix this, you can search the internet and consult various game forums that may contain valuable suggestions or temporary fixes to mitigate the issue. These fixes or hacks generally involve tweaking or changing some game files. If the game publisher releases the patch that contains high CPU usage fix, then install that to permanently resolve the problem.
Underpowered/Weak CPU
If you have older and weaker CPU then high or 100% CPU usage will bound to happen in the latest AAA CPU intensive games. Here, you can use CPU core parking software to disable CPU core parking that may provide some improvement in performance, but you can’t escape the problem completely. The only way to fix this permanently is by upgrading your CPU to a better one. In the current day and age, I would suggest getting a CPU having six cores (Hexa-core) or more.
Must Read: Guide on Finding the Right CPU for your Gaming PC
Queries?
If you have any queries regarding this issue then you can ask me in the comment section below.
i recently build pc, with i7 9700k oc 5.0ghz
rtx 2060 super, 32 gb 3200mhz ram. my idle usage is ok and background service is fine,
my problem is when i play any games, modernwarfare, apex legend. my cpu usage is around 60-90 spikinf sometimes 100, and gpu usage is 90-97 usage. i already try to reset my pc, uninstalling gpu driver using ddu, updating the bios, installing chipset, i almost try everything, performance is still good ni stuttering but my concern is the cpu usage that is to high.
Monitor whether the CPU usage is due to game only or there is something else running in the background.
Find a fix bro ?.
its game only, i already monitored it. game like apex legend and modern warfare use 70-90 cpu. my other computer 8700k, 1080ti, 32gb ram. only use 30-50 cpu usage on that game..
Maybe because of different graphics driver versions and Windows 10 version/build.
what do you mean different graphics driver version an windows 10 version?
I mean do both these PCs have same graphics driver and Windows 10 version/build?
i7 9700k cpu usage 70-95 55-62c Windows 10 home Strix RTX 2060 Super oc usage 80-90 ( 1080p ) 165hz monitor
i7 8700k cpu usage 25-45 55-60c Windows 10 home Strix Gtx 1080ti oc usage 90-98 ( 1440p ) 165hz monitor
Dear Akshat Verma,
I have been experiencing stuttering as well while gaming. I’ll put the specs at the bottom of this message. I tried finding an answer in the previous comments but there wasn’t one that was fixing my issue.
I invested in a new gaming laptop (bought new in January 2020) to use for gaming and or content creation. Everything ran very smoothly, at no point did I encounter problems. So I do not think my current stuttering is related to a game’s system requirements or my computer specs. In addition to this, lowering the game settings to the lowest graphic settings doesn’t improve anything. I get the same stuttering whether I run the game in High or Low quality.
The stuttering caught my attention around March 20. It is after I played Call of Duty Warzone for about a week. The problem started like this: Every AAA title runs fine and smooth at high settings. After a week or so into Warzone, the game started showing some graphic problems. My Fps dropped to 1 and stayed constant, at the same time my CPU was going full 100% giving me trouble to even close the game. After a few tries of restarting my computer and relaunching the game I gave up thinking it was some kind of optimisation as COD Warzone is in Beta. That same day, in the evening I played Csgo and saw the firsts instances of stuttering. Ever since, every game I play that is demanding stutters (Cod, Csgo, Hellsblade, Sea of thieves, etc.). In general, since I have that issue my games use more CPU than they did when the issue wasn’t there, causing the computer to reach higher temperatures than it did before. I searched the net for days and tried everything I could think of but the problem still occurs. Could you please take the time to think about what I could have missed? here is a list of things I tried to fix the issue but without any success:
-Checked the background tasks before launching a game.
-Tried to see if it had something to do with ping but even single player games stutter
-Fully scanned computer for viruses, malware and other dangerous using different antiviruses and anti malware, none of them showed signs of danger
-Bought a fan to reduce heat and enhance airflow, didn’t help
-opened up laptop to check if anything was wrong with hardware or if dust was blocking flow
-reinstalled the games, checked for corrupt files but stuttering didn’t go away
-Because I approximately knew the date of when the issue occured, I reinstalled a version of Windows that was prior to that date but it did not help
-did the same thing with the Nvidia driver, no success.
-After all of this, I reinstalled the newest versions of both Windows and Nvidia but still no progress when it came to the stuttering
-changed the powerplan setting, and played with the turbo boost: no success
-played with the Vram min and max but it didn’t help
-while I was looking for solutions, some of the games I played released an update, so when I updated them I still got stuttering
The last thing I did before seeking your help was to manually update the drivers in the Device Manager. Surprisingly, there were around 12 updates that didn’t happen automatically. After the updates I restarted m computer and tried one of the games and there were no signs of stuttering. One day later ( today) I reopened the same game and it started randomly stuttering again. I am really out of ideas.
If there is more information you need to troubleshoot the issue please let me know. I’m really out of ideas Akshat, please help.
Ali
Here are the specs of my laptop:
——————
System Information
——————
Time of this report: 4/19/2020, 00:07:58
Machine name: LAPTOP-VPRB42T2
Operating System: Windows 10 Home Single Language 64-bit (10.0, Build 18363) (18362.19h1_release.190318-1202)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Acer
System Model: Nitro AN515-54
BIOS: V1.28 (type: UEFI)
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM (2x4gb sticks)
Available OS Memory: 8030MB RAM
Page File: 6313MB used, 12319MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 12
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: 120 DPI (125 percent)
System DPI Setting: 120 DPI (125 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: UnKnown
Miracast: Available, with HDCP
Microsoft Graphics Hybrid: Supported
DirectX Database Version: 1.1.4
DxDiag Version: 10.00.18362.0387 64bit Unicode
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce GTX 1650
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Type: Full Device
Device Status: 0180200A [DN_DRIVER_LOADED|DN_STARTED|DN_DISABLEABLE|DN_NT_ENUMERATOR|DN_NT_DRIVER]
Device Problem Code: No Problem
Driver Problem Code: Unknown
Display Memory: 7976 MB
Dedicated Memory: 3962 MB
Shared Memory: 4014 MB
What is your CPU & GPU temperature?
hello i was playing fortnite with my friend and suddently my fps drops it never dropped before now the game is unplayable also the other games aswell my cpu isnt getting bottlenecked because my gpu is very bad i restarted windows ddu the drivers on my pc also ran an antivirus scan nothing worked i am thinking its a motherboard issue here is my specs:
gtx750
core i5 2500
8gb 1333mhz ram
Did you update the Windows?
yes i updated it i have windows 10 pro when the fps drops the cpu goes to 100 percent while the gpu only 30 to 50 percent i am new to pc gaming and i dont know what to do my games arent running well
What is your CPU temperature?
my cpu temp is 75 to 70 and it goes to 3.40ghz the cpu is working fine but when gaming it lags
Your CPU temperatures are on the higher side and I think that is why you are facing issues.
should i buy another cpu cooler? the cpu isnt throttling
that is up to you only.
i will buy a new cpu cooler and a cpu thank you for ur time<3
whenever i play games like Gta 5, Pubg pc lite or pubg mobile emulator. after 10 minutes my screen gets pink or sometimes gray, white, sometimes black. i dont know whats the problem. it was only happening with pubg pc lite before. but now with almost every game.
my pc specs
Mobo Intel DQ45cb
Processor Q9505
GPU AMD Rx 560 4GB
RAM 2GBx4
PSU 350w
What is your CPU & GPU temperature? Also, what PSU do you have (brand and model)?
GPU temp is always between 40-50
and CPU temp 75-80
and psu is of local brand i think. cheap one
I think you need to get a better PSU and I suggest Corsair VS450. Also, your CPU temperature is on the higher side.
Hi akshat,
Cpu usage when playing games rises from 70 – 100% while my gpu usage is spiking randomly ans sometimes it even displays 5% for a second then jump to 100%. Usage for gpu is never stable while the usage fir cpu is always high.
Both temperature are less than 65c.
I5-7400 3.0gh
Rx580 8GB
8×1 hyperx 2300mz
550 trurated PSU
I badly need your help! Thank you so much!
You are facing CPU bottleneck as your CPU is limiting your graphics card performance. Make sure you don’t have anything running in the background when gaming. What games are you exactly playing?
Hi Akshat! Thank you for your reply.
I normally play FPS games like APEX, PUBG and COD.
occasionally i play DOTA2 and LOL and both games suffer the same issue.
Could lack of RAM be a culprit? I realized I only have 8GB of RAM. My PC runs fine during most games, drivers are updated, nothing running in background etc. I ordered 16GB more of RAM but after reading this I’m afraid that wont help…
I doubt it.
my cpu usuage is 100% when I play new hyper scape , games like valorant I range 60 to 80%. i7 9700 3.0, what could be issue, temp ois ok
Please list your complete specs. Also, what is your idle CPU usage in Windows?
My idle is normal 1% to 10% depending on what I’m doing Nvidia 1660ti , 16gb ram 1tb ssd , i7 9700 3ghz up to 4.7
I think the issue is with the game itself. Maybe this could help https://www.reddit.com/r/Hyper_Scape/comments/hkbw1t/fix_for_uplays_unnecessary_ridiculously_high_cpu/.