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Very high CPU usage with very little running?

OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
in Hardware
Hi, so I have a i5 3570k and recently I've been having problems with extremely high CPU usage, I'm really not sure what's causing it, nothing looks out of the ordinary on windows task manager.

For example, with just Skype and Google Chrome running, my CPU usage goes from like 3% to 65%.

Yesterday I had Overwatch, 1 Google Chrome browser open and it was peaking at 100%.

Is my CPU about to die?
When all is said and done, more is always said than done.

Comments

  • RenoakuRenoaku Member EpicPosts: 3,157
    Go look at the task manager and see if its software...

    Swap out your hard disk for a clean installed version of windows and see if it still runs at 65%?
  • VrikaVrika Member LegendaryPosts: 7,999
    edited May 2016
    These instructions are for Win 7, different OS will work differently

    1. Go to task manager
    2. Select Processes -tab
    3. Select "Show processes from all users"
    4. Sort the processes based on CPU usage

    It should show your what program or process is using all that CPU power.
    Post edited by Vrika on
     
  • xyzercrimexyzercrime Member RarePosts: 878
    edited May 2016
    Vrika said:
    These instructions are for Win 7, different OS will work differently

    1. Go to task manager
    2. Select Processes -tab
    3. Select "Show processes from all iusers
    4. Sort the processes based on CPU usage

    It should show your what program or process is using all that CPU power.
    This is legit suggestion.

    Here's another tip: When you've found the culprit, if it is a startup process, then turn off that process from startup tab in msconfig.exe (to run msconfig exe, open it from windows start search box or from hotkey alt+R and then type "msconfig.exe").

    Cheers!

    edit: the hotkey is Windows button + R, not alt + R
    Post edited by xyzercrime on



    When you don't want the truth, you will make up your own truth.
  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441
    Vrika is right, clearly something is stealing your resources.

    Another thing you can do is run a anti malware program, like Add aware (it is free).

    Heh, it reminds me of old Kazaa, it had the power to max out any system from 3% or so to 100% with nothing else running and no active downloads/uploads.

    Anyways, Ill bet your system is full with junk, windows computers always do so they will feel old and make you buy a new one (might be a conspiracy ;) ).

    I recommend reinstalling windows every second year to keep things running as it should. Yeah, it is a bother but a good opportunity to get a SSD if you don't have one and install windows on it instead, it would make your computer feels like new but faster for a cheap sum, running windows from a SSD gives your computer a nice boost for everything you do (and it is easy to install).
  • H0urg1assH0urg1ass Member EpicPosts: 2,380
    First, back up your hard drive.  Personally I use Clonezilla for this, but it's not very user friendly.  I suggest something with a easy to understand user interface like AOMEI Backupper.  If you don't want to back up your entire system drive, then at least copy all your important pictures, music, movies, documents, browser bookmarks... ect to an external drive, cloud storage... anywhere that's not your primary hard drive.

    Then, Install and run these programs:

    MalwareBytes
    SpyBot S&D
    AVG Antivirus

    I would also suggest having and using the following programs.  Run CCleaner at least once a week.

    CCleaner
    COMODO Firewall

    Start a new folder somewhere called Registry Backups.  Use CCleaner's registry cleaner and make sure to save a backup in the folder you just created.

    Lasly, I don't know what browser you're using, but I don't connect to any web pages without AdBlock, Disconnect and HTTPS Everywhere extensions/plugins added to the browser.
  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441
    H0urg1ass said:
    First, back up your hard drive.  Personally I use Clonezilla for this, but it's not very user friendly.  I suggest something with a easy to understand user interface like AOMEI Backupper.  If you don't want to back up your entire system drive, then at least copy all your important pictures, music, movies, documents, browser bookmarks... ect to an external drive, cloud storage... anywhere that's not your primary hard drive.

    Then, Install and run these programs:

    MalwareBytes
    SpyBot S&D
    AVG Antivirus

    I would also suggest having and using the following programs.  Run CCleaner at least once a week.

    CCleaner
    COMODO Firewall

    Start a new folder somewhere called Registry Backups.  Use CCleaner's registry cleaner and make sure to save a backup in the folder you just created.

    Lasly, I don't know what browser you're using, but I don't connect to any web pages without AdBlock, Disconnect and HTTPS Everywhere extensions/plugins added to the browser.
    I would stay away from Comodo, it used to be good but they messed it up 2 years ago or so. Zonealarm is a better choice today.

    And Addblock is great, just disable it on this site ( we do want it to be up after all).

    Of course adding a new drive (hint: SSD) would let you keep the old windows installation intact and bootable until you saved everything and is sure of it with the additional benefit of more performance and space.
  • filmoretfilmoret Member EpicPosts: 4,906
    Vrika said:
    These instructions are for Win 7, different OS will work differently

    1. Go to task manager
    2. Select Processes -tab
    3. Select "Show processes from all users"
    4. Sort the processes based on CPU usage

    It should show your what program or process is using all that CPU power.
    Do this first before someone gets your computer broken.  Is it a new computer? And link the process that is causing the cpu usage pls.
    Are you onto something or just on something?
  • H0urg1assH0urg1ass Member EpicPosts: 2,380
    Loke666 said:
    H0urg1ass said:
    Stuff
    I would stay away from Comodo, it used to be good but they messed it up 2 years ago or so. Zonealarm is a better choice today.
    At the end of the day, both of them will do the job, it's just down to personal preference.  Hell, since Windows 7, even Windows Firewall is a perfectly good solution. 

    It's just that WF used to suck so bad that we all went out and found third party solutions and now we like them. :P
  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    It could be malaware or it could just be something legit gone haywire.

    Are you like most people these days leaving it on 24/7 or just letting it go to sleep or hibernate? Just a simple shut-down and start every now and then can get rid of all kinds of weird behavior.

    Try that first before you start fretting about malaware or dying CPUs.
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  • RobsolfRobsolf Member RarePosts: 4,607
    The task manager suggestion is the best to start with; many other good ones as well.  You might also download a free CPU temperature app from somewhere to make sure you're not running too hot.  Many mobos will step a CPU down alot if it's running too hot, which means even minor things will require more of your CPU time.
  • GruntyGrunty Member EpicPosts: 8,657
    edited May 2016
    Skype is a known CPU hog. Google "skype cpu usage fix" or something similar.


    One of many suggested solutions follows:

    https://community.skype.com/t5/Windows-archive/50-CPU-usage-in-Skype-7-3/td-p/3951158

     SOLUTION BY Sarethia
    I've had this issue myself, and I fixed it by doing several things:

    1) Re-installing Skype

    2) Clearing out Skype Cache (Instructions are easy to find)

    3) Clearing out IE Cache, and making sure IE is up to date (yes, I use Chrome, never use IE, however Skype runs off of IE, so IE has to be up to date)

    4) Making sure Adobe is up to date - Adobe for Interner Explorer

    5) Removing Adds from Skype - (Remove Skype Adds)

    Doing all the above, eventually led to my Skype now running at 0.2% CPU, and about 200MB RAM (Constantly, never really changing), which as i'm sure most of you will agree, is better than 50% CPU and 1.5GB of RAM.


    Edit: Another suggestion:

    I'm runnning Windows 10 and Skype 7.7. i also had the same problem with high CPU/RAM usage (CPU 20+%) but after turning Compact Sidebar View on the CPU usage droped to 0-2%

     

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  • ceratop001ceratop001 Member RarePosts: 1,594
    edited May 2016
    A lot of good advice so far. Just start with going to the task manager and find out which programs are using a lot of cpu usage.

    This has been a known problem for quite some time eating cpu usage. wimprvse.exe

    click Start, type Services, hit Enter. Under Services (Local), scroll down until you find the “Windows Management Instrumentation” service and select Restart. The dependent services will restart in the proper order and you’ll see the CPU go way down to normal levels





     
  • Quazal.AQuazal.A Member UncommonPosts: 859
    just a crazy stab in dark, what OS are you on? if its windows 10 then i plump for M$ and their damn "system and compression memory" screwing you over, I had this very problem, for  me i had to remove the OC on my cpu, and then reinstall windows until i found the offending app, turned out it was CAM software (what drives me in case lights) 
    But just a thought, its the new way the M$ handle paging  but yep start by looking at what processes are taking the resource. 

    This post is all my opinion, but I welcome debate on anything i have put, however, personal slander / name calling belongs in game where of course you're welcome to call me names im often found lounging about in EvE online.
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  • OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
    Thanks guys, I do know about the task manager > processes thing, I'll try to get a screenshot when it maxes out again. Last night I only had Skype and Overwatch running and it was at 100% (maybe it's because I left my PC on over the weekend? We'll see when I boot up the game I guess).

    I'm on Windows 7, it's installed to an SSD, my Skype is constantly at like 185-190k though so maybe I will wipe the cache and reinstall.
    When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    In Task Manager, make sure that you're showing all processes (including other users and system processes), and then sort by CPU usage.  If that doesn't make whatever is using a ton of CPU time show up, then something is hiding itself and you should check to see if you have malware.
  • VolgoreVolgore Member EpicPosts: 3,872
    It's not necessarily malware, a virus or other harmfull software when the CPU is constantly under load although it should idle along.
    I've had it with two completelty different PCs that the svchost.exe suddenly caused 70-80% CPU load, what sometimes already started a few minutes after a restart and when the machine was only showing the desktop. No hdd activity, no access to anything according to a third party process monitor.

    Checking the intarwebnets i found that this wasn't all too uncommon, but nobody had a solution to that.
    In the end, eventually both PCs had to get a re-install from scratch (with a different OS build), what i usually never need to do.

    image
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