CPU usage 100% for no reason


Recommended Posts

I have a PC that that I bought awhile ago and it is 100% perfect according to the vista upgrade advisor app.

I am using my powertogether (MS Campaign) version of vista business(32bit) and it installs without a hitch. but it is laggy. I used actual drivers for vista on my Vid card, Printer Etc. but it is slow and laggy

I used EVEREST home edition to snoop out my specs.

my specs:

Compaq SR1730Z CTO(Custom to order)

AMD64 3700+ Sandiego w/ 1MB cache

2GB PC3200 DDR ram

160GB SATA drive

lightscribe DVD burner (dual layer

no name DVD-Rom

SB Audigy4

ATI x1800GTO 256MB DDR3

ATI Xpress200 chipset (ATI RS482/RX482 northbridge, ATI SB450 southbridge)

Now mind you, it runs nicely otherwise albeit the lag and the task manager telling me my CPU is screaming along at 80-100% usage.

My best educated guess is my chipset doesn't play well. So i spoke to a rep at HP and he said that ATI hasn't released official drivers yet for Vista. no idea when but HP does have Vista added under the support/drivers. So i guess that will come soon!?!

what causes the CPU to run so high when my task manager says it is running at or near 100% the idle process uses like 80% but nothing else seems to come about when i click the "processes by user" button.

any ideas? I like Vista and it was free and otherwise a fun OS to tinker with.

BTW, I tried to use the WEI (windows experience index) rating app and it always gets to the end then says that too much interference causes it to not be able to finish.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/538003-cpu-usage-100-for-no-reason/
Share on other sites

Yeah, what Mio said. If you click the Performance tab, your CPU shouldn't be too high (mine's 0-2% idle).

However, CPU aside, memory does seem to be a high-end resource :unsure: With just tasks such as Firefox and Gaim, Vista uses up nearly 1.3 GB of memory. Anybody else noticing this?

Vista actually doesn't use as much RAM as it seems, but it caches your frequently accessed files on startup so that frequently-used apps and such will load faster. This is otherwise known as SuperFetch, and is why hard drives tend to do a lot of "thrashing" when Vista first boots.

If another program actually needs any of this memory, Vista will instantly release it.

The idea here (and accurately) is that free RAM is wasted RAM so Vista tries to use as much RAM as possible.

Nobody seems to get this and reports that Vista uses massive amounts of RAM, and while it definitely uses more RAM than XP, its not as bad as it first appears.

  Ames said:
Vista actually doesn't use as much RAM as it seems, but it caches your frequently accessed files on startup so that frequently-used apps and such will load faster. This is otherwise known as SuperFetch, and is why hard drives tend to do a lot of "thrashing" when Vista first boots.

If another program actually needs any of this memory, Vista will instantly release it.

The idea here (and accurately) is that free RAM is wasted RAM so Vista tries to use as much RAM as possible.

Nobody seems to get this and reports that Vista uses massive amounts of RAM, and while it definitely uses more RAM than XP, its not as bad as it first appears.

Thank you. That clears that up for me very nicely.

  Brandon Live said:
Have you clicked the "Show process from all users" button and then clicked the CPU column header to sort by CPU usage and see which process is using the most CPU cycles?

yeah but, there's nothing showing why other than system kernel which is running like a cat in heat :cry:

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Hopefully this will turn out to be the same/better than the old LOTR BFME series. Been nothing decent on the RTS scene for a long time now. Anything that does come out tends to be pretty mediocre. A new C&C Generals series would sell well
    • It make sense only if they want to hide the minority of changes of each new version
    • Trade up with Sterling Stock Picker now price dropped by 85% by Steven Parker Today's highlighted deal comes via our Apps + Software section of the Neowin Deals store, where you can save 85% off on a lifetime subscription to Sterling Stock Picker. Sterling Stock Picker (SSP) is an award-winning platform designed to make stock investing accessible to everyone, regardless of expertise. The software offers multiple methods to identify winning stocks that align with your personal values, investment preferences, and risk tolerance. By handling all the complex calculations, it allows you to focus on making informed investment decisions. The patent-pending North Star technology provides clear guidance on whether to buy, sell, hold, or avoid a particular stock. Ask Finley, your personal AI financial coach Finley is your personal AI financial coach providing real-time data access, strategic investment advice, risk assessment, and educational support to help you make informed decisions. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just starting, Finley is equipped to help you achieve your financial goals. Feel free to ask any questions about your portfolio or the stock market. PERSONALIZED FINANCIAL GUIDANCE Custom Recommendations: Get stock picks tailored to your risk tolerance, portfolio performance, and investment goals. Dynamic Insights: Access detailed financial, technical, earnings, growth, and risk analysis for smarter investing. ENHANCED PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT Done-For-You Portfolio Builder: Easily construct a diversified portfolio based on your risk tolerance and investment goals. Analysis and Suggestions: Receive data-driven portfolio adjustments to optimize returns based on your risk acceptance score. Risk Assessment Overview: Understand your risk level and receive stock recommendations aligned with your investment strategy. STRATEGIC INVESTMENT ADVICE Stock Rockets: Discover top-performing companies with over 50% quarterly revenue growth and the highest North Star rankings. Concentrated Portfolio Strategy: Focus on high-potential stocks instead of broad diversification to maximize growth. Industry and Sector Insights: Stay ahead with detailed performance narratives and sector-specific trends. EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT & COMMUNITY Verbose Explanations: Break down complex financial concepts with in-depth explanations for beginners. Investment Strategies: Learn and apply various investment strategies with expert-backed insights. Community Chat Forum: Connect with fellow investors to share insights, ask questions, and discuss investment strategies. Build your Stock Portfolio in 3 easy steps! Discover Your Risk Tolerance: Take a quick 5-minute questionnaire to assess your ability to handle risk effortlessly. Search Stocks Aligned With Your Personal Values: Use an intuitive stock-picking interface to confidently find winning stocks. Build Your Portfolio: Utilize the Done-For-You Portfolio Builder to simplify investing and remove the guesswork. Good to know: Length of access: lifetime Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Access options: desktop or mobile Only available to new users Updates included A lifetime subscription to Sterling Stock Picker normally has a suggested price of $486, but you can pick it up for just $68.99 for a limited time - that represents a saving of $417 (85% off). For a full description, specs, and license info, click the link below. Sterling Stock Picker lifetime subscription for $68.99 (was $486) Although priced in U.S. dollars, this deal is available for digital purchase worldwide. We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.
    • What if... both hardware AND software (due to their annual release cycles) got matching year release numbers? iPhone Pro 26 releases with iOS 26... For Macs, that'd be MacBook Pro 2026 releases with macOS 26 baked-in. With this proposal, the Major Version signifies latest-stable for both hardware and software, and gives them wiggle-room to optimize iOS releases for older hardware by a few months... while also incentivizing consumers to upgrade hardware for the latest-greatest software. (It would double-down on breaking their old support strategy but that's not a bad thing.)
    • Why doesn't Microsoft post updated the ISOs on the website, then have users download new install media? Too simple and obvious? Sometimes I swear Microsoft is a Government operation!!
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      abortretryfail earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      Mr bot earned a badge
      First Post
    • First Post
      Bkl211 earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Year In
      Mido gaber earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Year In
      Vladimir Migunov earned a badge
      One Year In
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      492
    2. 2
      +FloatingFatMan
      256
    3. 3
      snowy owl
      248
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      226
    5. 5
      +Edouard
      190
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!