Here we can see, “High Cpu Usage and Low Gpu Usage Bothering You? Try These 10 Fixes”
- You may need to understand how to fix excessive CPU consumption and low GPU usage on your PC at times.
- If the system uses more GPU than CPU, it will hinder your gameplay and editing.
- Utilizing our tried-and-true strategies, you can prevent your PC from using more CPU than GPU.
- Learn how to use our solutions and share your thoughts in the comments section.
In today’s world, bottlenecking is a common occurrence. For example, we have cryptocurrency-mining GPUs that require a nuclear reactor for power, and CPUs must catch up.
AMD has done just that with the Ryzen series (cheap but powerful), and we hope Intel will follow suit.
However, bottlenecking isn’t necessarily to blame for the odd utilization disparity between the CPU and GPU. For various reasons, high CPU usage and low GPU usage may occur.
Of course, this will result in FPS losses, CPU overheating, and a slew of other troubles. To assist you in resolving the issue, we’ve compiled a list of everything we can think of.
These improvements should boost your CPU and GPU for gaming, as well as editing if you enjoy it. Stick to the instructions and hope for the best.
What can I do about the high CPU consumption and low GPU usage?
1. Verify GPU drivers
If you have powerful graphics and an outdated CPU, these symptoms usually indicate that your CPU is bottlenecking your GPU.
However, because there are so many variables, we can’t declare with certainty that bottlenecking is the cause of high CPU and low GPU occurrences, even though it’s highly plausible.
The first step is to make sure you’re satisfying the game system’s specifications.
If that’s the case, we’ll start by manually uninstalling the existing set of graphics card drivers and installing the latest version.
Navigate to the Nvidia/AMD website after you’ve deleted the existing driver. Find an appropriate driver for your GPU model and system architecture in the download section.
If you use reputable third-party software, you can manage your drivers effectively and quickly. For example, you won’t have to manually look for the most recent graphic card drivers this way.
Make use of professional software to boost your computer’s performance. It is built on a simple, quick, and secure graphic card technology.
2. Adjust the game’s settings
Let’s now move on to the game that demonstrates this type of behaviour. The games we encounter are mostly new or have recently been updated, resulting in high CPU/low GPU process consumption.
Overwatch, Battlefield 5, Black Ops 4, and PUBG are among the most popular games. The irony is that impacted players haven’t reported odd CPU/GPU behaviour when playing other games, some of which are significantly more demanding.
This indicates that something specific to that game is causing problems. In this instance, we recommend turning off all CPU-dependent graphical features and enabling GPU-based ones.
Some even argue that most games should be played at high or extreme graphics settings to prevent putting too much strain on the CPU. Therefore, we recommend that you turn off VSync and Antialiasing.
Additionally, boosting resolution, details, and activating Future Frame Rendering should make the GPU do more work than the CPU doing most of the work.
Switching to the DX12 option will make some games run considerably smoother, so do so if possible. This may or may not have an effect on FPS, but it’s worth a go.
3. Repair any games that have been harmed
This step follows on from the previous one. Some games, like as Overwatch, have begun to display this type of behaviour even though gamers have more than adequate computing capacity to run them.
Issues appeared to start quickly in the third quarter of 2018, which we can attribute to the graphics-improving patch.
This may or may not apply to other games, but regardless of whether it’s a Battle.net, Origin, or Steam game, make sure it’s up to current.
Some bugs have been fixed, and most gamers are now able to play without the CPU restricting their GPU.
4. Turn off any third-party programs that are running in the background
- Type msconfig into the Windows Search bar to access System Configuration.
- Check the Hide all Microsoft services option under the Services tab.
- To disable all active third-party services, click Disable all.
- Go to Task Manager and pick the Startup tab.
- Stop all programs from starting up with the system and double-check your adjustments.
- Restart your computer.
We could have blamed the game’s optimization (or lack thereof) for the high CPU and low GPU consumption, but that doesn’t have to be the case.
Numerous third-party apps are running in the background (some of which are even game-related, such as FRAPS or TeamSpeak) that can consume a significant amount of CPU.
In light of this, we recommend turning off all background processes and using only Microsoft services while gaming. This will remove a potential negative consequence while also lowering CPU use.
Close all game clients (Steam, Origin, Battle.net) and antivirus software before opening the game and turning off real-time protection.
5. In BIOS/UEFI, disable all power-saving modes
- Open Power choices by right-clicking on the Battery icon in the notification box.
- Choose the High-Performance option.
- Changes should be confirmed.
If your CPU is outperforming your GPU in terms of processing power, power-saving settings are a no-no. Especially if you’re a die-hard gamer which deals with high-stakes AAA titles.
This means that any power-saving options on the system and motherboard should be disabled.
So, restart your PC and go to the UEFI Firmware settings menu, where you may turn off everything remotely related to power conservation.
After that, go to Power settings in the Windows UI and enable High-Performance mode.
6. In the BIOS/UEFI, enable XMP
Enabling XMP, or Extreme Memory Profile, in the BIOS will boost RAM performance marginally.
We know that RAM has nothing to do with the high CPU/low GPU difficulties, but it does play a role.
Bottlenecking occurs when all configuration components (most notably the CPU) do not work properly together.
This option enables for faster-than-standard RAM speeds, which may boost overall PC performance a little bit.
You can use software to boost the performance of your PC if it doesn’t have a powerful configuration.
We can’t say whether or not that will be enough to get around the CPU bottleneck.
7. If possible, use four cores and experiment with overclocking
Developers must deal with thousands of various setups to optimize the game for the general market. Some GPU–CPU combinations, no matter how powerful, will just not work as intended.
This could be the situation in this instance.
If you’re using a multi-thread CPU, double-check your in-game options and, if possible, switch to the 4-thread option. Battlefield 5, for example, might perform better with a four-thread option.
Furthermore, if you can get more out of your CPU by increasing the clock rates, we strongly advise you to do so.
Just bear in mind that you’ll need some basic overclocking knowledge as well as software to keep track of temperatures, voltage, and performance.
Manufacturer speeds are frequently far lower than what the CPU can handle. So first, learn yourself about your CPU on the internet, and then proceed to overclocking.
This might be a significant boost and a possible solution to the situation at hand in the right circumstances.
8. Install the game again
Consider reinstalling that one game that won’t work as it should if none of the preceding approaches worked. This method allows you to play some of the top PC games without experiencing any issues.
Removing everything and starting again may be an unpleasant and time-consuming process. Especially if you have to wait for a game to download again, which can take hours.
Like any other piece of software, PC games might, nevertheless, malfunction. For example, configuration files can become corrupt (especially if you’ve changed your hardware), or a poor update can cause the game to crash.
That is why, in the end, reinstallation isn’t such a horrible idea. Simply make a backup of your saved files and reload the game. After that, restart your computer and try again.
Use many process managers to ensure that the CPU runs at high speeds while the GPU is nearly idle.
9. Install Windows again
Another thing you may do to reduce high CPU utilization is to suspect that the system is at fault. For example, if you’re running Windows 7, you should disable Windows Update because it’s notorious for consuming a lot of CPU.
Most new games require Windows 10, and despite its flaws, this operating system has proven to be the finest for gaming.
As a result, consider upgrading to Windows 10 or reinstalling it and rerunning the game if you currently have Windows 10 installed on 64-bit architecture.
This will take some time, but some users have reported that it has helped them normalize CPU/GPU performance. In this instance, reinstalling Windows 10 is an effective solution to attempt.
10. Replacing or adding new hardware is a good idea
Finally, we came up with this Captain Obvious recommendation. However, there are situations when your CPU is simply insufficient. For example, it’s pointless to use an older CPU with a GTX 1070.
This is due to the CPU’s constant attempt to keep up with the top-tier graphics processor. And it will always fail. As a result, minimum requirements might be deceiving, and they frequently are.
A strong gaming processor is required for most games where players reported high CPU and low GPU utilization. So basically, if you want the best performance, you should buy the best CPU. It’s that simple.
Bottlenecking will be a thing of the past if you combine some RAM with the new CPU.
Conclusion
I hope you found this information helpful. Please fill out the form below if you have any questions or comments.
User Questions
1. Why is my CPU utilization so high when my GPU utilization is so low?
Because you’re utilizing integrated graphics, there’s a driver issue, you have a CPU bottleneck, or the game you’re playing isn’t optimized, your GPU use is very low. Reinstalling drivers, updating or overclocking your CPU, and altering particular game settings are all possible fixes.
2. Why does my CPU consume more power than my GPU?
I assume this is due to a gpu bottleneck, which indicates your processor is insufficient. You may help by using a higher quality setting or rendering at a higher resolution and then super sampling.
3. Is a GPU use of 30% normal?
If you’re not doing anything intensive, such as watching YouTube or playing a game, low GPU utilization is typical. It’s common to see GPU usage ranging from 1% to 30% in these situations. However, if you’re not getting the results you expect, there may be a problem that needs to be investigated and resolved.
4. HIGH CPU Usage, LOW GPU Usage, Need Fix – Reddit
5. Poor performance and low gpu usage on high end system
Poor performance and low gpu usage on high end system from PUBATTLEGROUNDS
