Question Low GPU usage (<10%) whilst playing GTA V among other games.

[Trithux]

I know there are many threads about this issue, however, none of them seem to match my case very well.

PC Specs:
Zotac GTX 1060 6GB
Intel i5-6400 (2.7GHz base clock, 3.3GHz turbo)
Gigabyte H110M
Bronze rated 500W PSU non-modular.
Standard 1TB hard-drive.
I've had my PC for two years now I believe.
Monitor 1 is an LG 25UM9 21:9 2560x1080, Monitor 2 is an ASUS VS228 16:9 1920x1080. I have tried testing GPU usage on both monitors and it seems consistent with both of them, as is the FPS in game.

You've definitely heard this problem a lot, but, hear me out.
In games (such as GTA V) I seem to be getting performance issues despite having none prior to a few months ago this year. I initially thought it was component deterioration but I no longer think this is the case.
You see, when I used MSI Afterburner to see what my GPU usage is like while playing GTA V, it said it was 9%. Now, this was the on-screen display, so I don't think it is because I had tabbed out.
Here's a screenshot I had taken really quickly from task manager while GTA was running:

I already knew there is a bottleneck here, and GTA is a memory hog so that's normal. However, this had only happened after a certain date at the start of the year.
I have a few solutions about how to go about this but I would like to hear some from you lovely people before I go doing this.
So far I have: 1. Reinstalling graphics driver.
2. Replacing my CPU to an i5-8400 or 8500
3. Ensuring the 8-pin connectors on the GPU have a good connection.
4. De-fragging my hard drive.

Is there any others?

EDIT: I should specify, the performance issues include textures not loading in, freezing, stuttering, FPS drops, etc.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

Are you facing this issue ONLY when playing GTA5, or even other graphic demanding games ? What's the brand/Model number of your bronze PSU ? Are you playing the vanilla version of GTA5, or with some graphics and other MODS as well ?

Have you also tried to rollback your GPU drivers to an older version as well ?

 

[Trithux]

Are you facing this issue ONLY when playing GTA5, or even other graphic demanding games ? What's the brand/Model number of your bronze PSU ? Are you playing the vanilla version of GTA5, or with some graphics and other MODS as well ?

Have you also tried to rollback your GPU drivers to an older version as well ?

Thanks for the quick response!
I don't play many graphics demanding games, mainly sticking to eSports such as CS:GO or DotA 2. So I cannot really say. I do not use mods on GTA V nor graphics filters. In fact, I have everything on the lowest settings, despite GeForce Experience's best attempts at having me run it on 'very high'.
I'm not SURE of the PSU model, however I'm 90% sure it is the Corsair CX-500, I would check but my PSU has a dust cover over it.

Also, thanks for the rollback solution, I'll add it to my list

 

[MrRival]

Thanks for the quick response!
I don't play many graphics demanding games, mainly sticking to eSports such as CS:GO or DotA 2. So I cannot really say. I do not use mods on GTA V nor graphics filters. In fact, I have everything on the lowest settings, despite GeForce Experience's best attempts at having me run it on 'very high'.
I'm not SURE of the PSU model, however I'm 90% sure it is the Corsair CX-500, I would check but my PSU has a dust cover over it.

Also, thanks for the rollback solution, I'll add it to my list

Did this get resolved as I’m having a similar issue?

 

[CosmicDance]

Unfortunately your CPU is really struggling with GTA V and bottlenecking your system to a huge extent.
Your GPU is easily up to the task of running high settings though.

A higher clock speed is needed for GTA V.
Not sure if it utilises more than 4 cores as I used to run it with an i7 2600 @ 3.4 GHZ and a GTX 1060 just fine.

Andy