Some things to try to reduce CPU usage:
Reinstall your Nvidia drivers with ony the graphics driver, PhysX, and (if needed) the HDMI sound. Do NOT install GeForce Experience. It's supposed to be able to override your settings for "optimized" ones, but optimized on their test hardware, not your hardware. This item also scans your drive for said games, taking up resources. This will also get rid of one source of background video recording. Do not install the 3D driver stuff unless you are specifically using it (like for Oculus Rift or similar)
Turn off Windows built in XBox app video recording. The latest windows update moves this switch outside of the App. Even if video is encoded on the GPU, it still has to be moved across the bus to be written to storage.
Go into advanced power settings, set performance mode. Use the advanced properties to further set CPU min/Max states to 100%, and disable PCIe link state power management.
Disable Cloud saves and Synchroniztion in your Gaming Clients (Steam, Origin, Uplay, etc)
Disable OneDrive if you can live with that.
Turn off storage sense
Go to your settings tab if you haven't already and look at all options under all headers. Turn off functions you don't need.
Delivery Optimization is usually on. Seems to treat your PC as a torrent source for Win updates. Turn it off.
Some people have reported success with using Utimate Windows Tweaker using the "Security and Privacy" section, then the "Privacy" tab settings. I prefer a more granular approach but ymmv. Links given at end of this post.
Services to consider disabling: (Some telemetry related, ymmv depending on your particular usage scenarios)
Anything Adobe depending on usage or setting to manual
NVidia telemetry (using autoruns is helpful here also)
Connected User Experiences
Delivery Optimization
dmwappushsvc
DNSClient (esp if running a large HOSTS file)
Geolocation Service
Microsoft (R) Diagnostics Hub
Microsoft App-V Client
Net Tcp Port Sharing Service
Program Compatibility Assistant
Remote Registry
Routing and Remote Access
Shared PC account management
Smart Card
Superfetch (if using an SSD)
User Experience Virtualization
Windows Biometric Service
Windows Search (big hog that runs in the background)
Use Autoruns from Microsofts Sysinternal Utilities to see what is being autostarted. Many autostart items will NOT be listed conventionally in Startup. See what is being started up and what items specific to your system might be dumpable.
Disable Live tiles that you don't need.
Disable Background functionality for Apps that you don't need or Don't need them doing that.
Turn PreFetch off: (Requires going into the registry)
How invasive is your Antivirus? Many functions you can turn off in "helpful" all in one suites. YMMV of course depending on your usage habits. I run Avast for instance, but ONLY run the Web and File Shield because of my browsing habits/computer usage. Everything you don't need is background churn.
Using a program like W10Privacy to start turning off telemetry churn that windows only gives you SOME options available to turn it off. Programs such as these help so you don't have to go hunting a bunch of stuff in Group Policy Editor or dig in the registry.
Read the choices it offers though, some items you may want to keep on, even among the green items in W10Privacy. Run this oner in Admin mode, and give it a bit to present the interface (it scans throughout the system 1st to find current settings before giving you the tweak menus) It only seems like it's locked up at first.
You can use a program such as Nvidia Profile Inspector to set limits either globally, on on a per title basis for things like frame rate limiting, etc. If setting frame rate limiting, type in the value manually, don't use the menu choices. Settings best for one game may not be the best for another. Afterburner is nice, but overhead as well.
Settings created in NVidia Profile Inspector need to be reentered after every driver update btw.
Program downloads:
Ultimate Windows Tweaker:
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-4-windows-10
W10Privacy:
https://www.winprivacy.de/english-home/
Microsofts Sysinternal Utilities AutoRuns:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns
Nvidia Profile Inspector:
https://ci.appveyor.com/project/Orbmu2k/nvidiaprofileinspector/build/artifacts
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