[SOLVED] Low cpu usage in games

Feb 22, 2020
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0
10
Recently I have upgraded to a new gpu and i saw that my cpu usage is 50-60% in games. I thought it was bottlenecking but this is impossible. My pc specs:
i7 870
rx570 4gb
8gb ram
imedia s8310 motherboard
Please help me
 
Solution
I just looked at your specs. You need a whole new system. A new CPU and a better GPU. I would bump your ram up to at least 16GB. I should have paid more attention to them before. I thought maybe you messed and meant i7 8700. Your CPU is pretty much obsolete. Sorry but that's the truth.

I know no one likes to hear it but you need to upgrade.

Of course you could keep the GPU and just use it till you can afford something better. Since you are using hardware that dated I am going to take it that you are strapped for cash. So keep the GPU for now and look into a new CPU and some more RAM. You will probably need a new motherboard.

n00bguy84

Honorable
Dec 12, 2014
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Low CPU usage isn't the indication of a bottleneck. You want low CPU usage. High GPU usage is good. It means your GPU is being used to the fullest extent. You would want to see CPU usage as low as possible and GPU usage as high as possible. Most people see 99% GPU usage and it stays that way.

If you have a bottleneck you would see low GPU usage or equivalent usage to what your CPU is using. If your CPU usage was reaching 70% or more and your GPU was seeing the same or lower GPU usage then you would have a CPU bottleneck. It depends on the game as well. Some games are CPU or GPU bound. Meaning they depend on the CPU or GPU more. A game that is CPU bound is more likely to cause a bottleneck.

A bottleneck is when your CPU can't keep up with your GPU.

There are ways you can try to fix a bottleneck or at least lessen the bottleneck. You can run games at higher settings. You can run them in higher resolutions. If you have an Nvidia card you can use DSR or AMD's super virtual resolution to run games higher than your native resolution. Also some games have a built in setting for this called resolution scaling. You can turn this up to utilize more of your GPU. You can also turn off Vsync and let the game run at the highest frame rate it can. Depending on your monitor you could see screen tearing.
 
Feb 22, 2020
18
0
10
Low CPU usage isn't the indication of a bottleneck. You want low CPU usage. High GPU usage is good. It means your GPU is being used to the fullest extent. You would want to see CPU usage as low as possible and GPU usage as high as possible. Most people see 99% GPU usage and it stays that way.

If you have a bottleneck you would see low GPU usage or equivalent usage to what your CPU is using. If your CPU usage was reaching 70% or more and your GPU was seeing the same or lower GPU usage then you would have a CPU bottleneck. It depends on the game as well. Some games are CPU or GPU bound. Meaning they depend on the CPU or GPU more. A game that is CPU bound is more likely to cause a bottleneck.

A bottleneck is when your CPU can't keep up with your GPU.

There are ways you can try to fix a bottleneck or at least lessen the bottleneck. You can run games at higher settings. You can run them in higher resolutions. If you have an Nvidia card you can use DSR or AMD's super virtual resolution to run games higher than your native resolution. Also some games have a built in setting for this called resolution scaling. You can turn this up to utilize more of your GPU. You can also turn off Vsync and let the game run at the highest frame rate it can. Depending on your monitor you could see screen tearing.
I know but 40-60% usage of the cpu isnt normal it should be 70%+
I have frame drops in games
 
Feb 24, 2020
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20
I know but 40-60% usage of the cpu isnt normal it should be 70%+
I have frame drops in games
If you are playing a GPU bound game, then having a good CPU isn't going to save you. The GPU that you said you had isn't the best, you should consider upgrading to something a little more powerful if you want to reach higher framerates. Just because you are playing a game does NOT mean that your CPU usage is always going to be 70%+.
 

n00bguy84

Honorable
Dec 12, 2014
205
5
10,715
I know but 40-60% usage of the cpu isnt normal it should be 70%+
I have frame drops in games

No a CPU with 70% usage is not normal. You want low CPU usage and high GPU usage. When your CPU has a higher usage or nearly as high as the GPU usage that is when you have a bottleneck.

If you are seeing a loss in frame rate than it could be just your hardware. Some people have suggested you upgrade your GPU.
 

n00bguy84

Honorable
Dec 12, 2014
205
5
10,715
If GPU is always 100%, then your GPU is probably limiting you. You could probably use a CPU and GPU upgrade honestly.

If your GPU is at 99-100% usage than that means your GPU is being used to it's fullest extent. You want to see that. If your CPU is below that then you should be ok. Though it depends on how far below the GPU usage it is. If CPU usage is 70% It could be an issue. Though you also have to factor in how long does it sustain these usage loads.

50-60% CPU usage with a 99-100% GPU usage means your system is well balanced. You have nothing to worry about. Now some people consider 30% CPU usage to be the target.
 
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n00bguy84

Honorable
Dec 12, 2014
205
5
10,715
I just looked at your specs. You need a whole new system. A new CPU and a better GPU. I would bump your ram up to at least 16GB. I should have paid more attention to them before. I thought maybe you messed and meant i7 8700. Your CPU is pretty much obsolete. Sorry but that's the truth.

I know no one likes to hear it but you need to upgrade.

Of course you could keep the GPU and just use it till you can afford something better. Since you are using hardware that dated I am going to take it that you are strapped for cash. So keep the GPU for now and look into a new CPU and some more RAM. You will probably need a new motherboard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LGTFireTiger
Solution