[SOLVED] Extreme CPU usage

[ryanamer7]

Hello! I have noticed that recently while playing games such as Fortnite my CPU has been hittng >95% consistently, and has maxed out at 100 many times. This is a problem, as it obviously makes gameplay unplayable. This just started yesterday and was fine the week before. I play on an Intel gaming laptop so I don't expect top quality results, but it should still be playable. Fortntite alone is using around 90% consistently, so the problem is not other programs running in the backround. I would like to avoid an immediate upgrade if possible. I appreciate your help!!!


GPU: GeForce 940MX
CPU :Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7200U CPU @ 2.50GHz
8GB RAM
System Model Aspire E5-575G

Thanks!!!

 

[mdd1963]

The processor in question is a dual core CPU...

Of course it will have max cpu usage pretty much all the time during gaming....

Even quad core/thread folks have that issue.

But apparently until recently, it's performance in Fortnite was acceptable.

If your game-play has degraded, perhaps some other process is now running, or malware, or, a recent Nvidia driver or WIndows update might have gone astray...

You might be able to (type 'restore' in searchbar, select 'system restore' to see if a recent date before your issues exists point) roll back your system to a point a week or so ago, and retest it's performance...

 

[cryoburner]

You might also want to make sure that the 940MX is getting used while the game is running, rather than the integrated graphics. The system should switch to the GeForce card when the game is running (at least when the system is plugged in) but sometimes settings can get messed up and that doesn't happen.

 

[ryanamer7]

You might also want to make sure that the 940MX is getting used while the game is running, rather than the integrated graphics. The system should switch to the GeForce card when the game is running (at least when the system is plugged in) but sometimes settings can get messed up and that doesn't happen.

Sounds good, but how do I make sure that the MX is getting used? Thanks!

 

[ryanamer7]

The processor in question is a dual core CPU...

Of course it will have max cpu usage pretty much all the time during gaming....

Even quad core/thread folks have that issue.

But apparently until recently, it's performance in Fortnite was acceptable.

If your game-play has degraded, perhaps some other process is now running, or malware, or, a recent Nvidia driver or WIndows update might have gone astray...

You might be able to (type 'restore' in searchbar, select 'system restore' to see if a recent date before your issues exists point) roll back your system to a point a week or so ago, and retest it's performance...

Thanks! I will try that Immediately.

 

[cryoburner]

Sounds good, but how do I make sure that the MX is getting used? Thanks!

There's a system tray icon that can be enabled for that purpose. I believe you should be able to go into the Nvidia control panel, and under the "Desktop" section activate "Display GPU Activity Icon in Notification Area". That should add an icon to the system tray that can be clicked on to check what programs are using the dedicated GPU.

 

[sizzling]

What’s the CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming. The most common reason for lost gaming performance on a laptop has to be overheating issues. Also throttled cpu will also hit 100% usage much easier.