The secret to determining if your computer is experiencing high GPU usage is to observe its temperature. If it’s suddenly much warmer than usual and there are also black spots on your keyboard or odd sounds emanating from the ventilation system, chances are that your graphics card is being put through its paces!
If you observe a feverish temperature rise accompanied by strange noises coming from above or discover spots of light shining brightly upon your keyboard, then this could be an indication that something has gone awry.
I’ve just come across an interesting way to gauge whether your GPU is working at full capacity or not – simply check the temperature of the fan! If it’s running significantly hotter than usual, then chances are that it might be overloaded with work-related activities such as rendering videos for YouTube. To ascertain if this is the case for you, simply monitor the RPMs (revolutions per minute) of your fan and see if they’re spiking up higher than usual; if so then things may not be going according to plan…
Are you dealing with high GPU usage? Here’s how to fix it!
Ultimately, if you encounter high GPU usage on an app or game, it could be because the app is utilizing its GPU capacity more effectively than usual. To ascertain what’s happening, we can utilize Task Manager to view the active processes – as well as their associated data.
- Firstly, launch Task Manager by searching for ‘Processes’ in your taskbar. Once launched, go about locating the app/game that has caused your system to be consuming such a tremendous amount of resources.
- Next up! We need to identify which process(s) are running with high frequency at any given time. These can range from one instance each like GameBoost+ (which isn’t ideal!) or multiple instances like Messenger and Netflix; ultimately leading towards resource consumption being much greater than before.
What Is High GPU Usage?
High GPU utilization is a common issue that can afflict even the most powerful video cards. When your graphics card (or GPUs) are underutilized, this can result in higher power consumption and substantial battery drain – not only do you risk losing out on peak performance but also suffer from diminished endurance as well!
If you’re experiencing high GPU usage suddenly, there may be an issue with your system configuration, driver installations, or software configuration. On average, users often experience this issue once their PC has reached its operating point – at which point it’s more difficult to pinpoint any possible solutions for reducing CPU overhead.
Don’t let this bother you. You can easily address any issues related to high GPU usage by employing some simple knowledge of your specific hardware configuration. Let’s take a look at how!
The Cause of High GPU Usage
One of the chief causes of high GPU usage is demanding video games. Even though graphics cards are designed for this purpose, if their workload exceeds the capabilities of one or more GPUs in a system it can lead to higher power consumption and consequently more heat in the vicinity.
Think about it: when you engage in intense gaming sessions involving numerous characters with intricate animations and dazzling lighting effects, your PC may have trouble keeping up – which could lead to longer boot-up times and even overheating! This can be very inconvenient, so here are some tips on how to prevent such occurrences:
- Keep an eye out for hot spots that develop around your PC; try locating them with apps like SpeedFan and HW Monitor.
- After identifying the location of the most problematic area(s), take action to identify its cause(s)!
- Reduce background tasks that consume resources from multiple applications and services. That way, each application won’t require as much CPU or GPU time allocation from your hardware.
How to Fix High GPU Usage? – A Step-by-Step Guide
To rectify your GPU utilization, you can consider a variety of tactics: from optimizing your driver settings and installing additional apps – to even uninstalling or disabling unwanted background tasks!
Fortunately, there is one simple solution that can swiftly resolve this issue: don’t enable AMD Freesync on the screen.
Enabling the Adaptive Refresh Rate feature within the AMD graphics driver will enable the FreeSync technology, which synchronizes monitor refresh rates with an AMD GPU; enabling it to correct high-latency tearing issues found in traditional monitors.
1. Check Your Power Source
Does your laptop power cord offer sufficient wattage? Are you using a UPS or surge protector? It is essential to ensure that any device connected through a power outlet is supplying sufficient voltage to operate optimally.
Ensure that the voltage output of your PSU provides enough juice for your GPU. If not, be sure to swap it out with a more capable one.
2. Install the Latest Video Driver
You may find that after installing the latest drivers for your GPU, you encounter no change whatsoever. If this is the case, don’t panic: try updating to the newest version again and see if anything changes!
If an update isn’t immediately available yet as it should be for any driver, then be sure to launch ‘ GeForce Experience’ through an app or even a simple batch file (as shown below) so that you can keep up-to-date with all of its features.
3. Turn On Custom Power Management Settings
If you’re experiencing high GPU usage and are perplexed by its cause, consider revisiting the device’s power management settings.
By default, custom voltage and frequency fixes can be applied to four essential categories listed here:
4. Rebalance Your System Configurations
If the system configurations aren’t balanced, it can result in performance bottlenecks.
If you notice that your GPU is overclocked but your CPU isn’t, you may be experiencing high GPU usage because of a lack of efficiency in this area.
The ideal system configuration should provide optimal performance without excess power consumption or bottlenecking any individual component. You could create an even distribution between GPUs and CPUs by using an app like GPU Caps Viewer to obtain real-time information about them; however, an ideally-balanced setup would include both an overclockable graphics card (e.g., GTX 1060) alongside a more powerful processor such as Intel Core i5-8400.
5. Optimize Your Game Settings
If you’re experiencing high GPU usage in games, you may find that turning down various graphical settings or even turning off tessellation or HDR can help reduce strain on your system. Experiment with these options until you find a balance between performance and visuals – sometimes the latter must take precedence!
Are you one of those connoisseurs who prefers seeing every inch of their game rendered in its full glory? Or do you prefer to play in modest settings with reduced aliasing, reflections, and fog effects? Perhaps it all depends upon your preferences when it comes to aesthetics; identifying what suits one’s style is an integral part of optimizing games!
As we alluded to earlier, simple tweaks such as adjusting framerate or resolution can significantly impact GPU utilization. Make sure you give these a try if they don’t yield any results immediately!
6. Restart Your System
The last yank that may boost your rig’s performance is an obvious one: restart!
If you are experiencing elevated GPU usage, or if the issue persists after rebooting, there could be an underlying cause.
7. Use Third-Party Graphics Tools
If your system is throwing out an error and you can’t seem to pinpoint the culprit, then don’t despair. Even though it may be frustrating, there are options that can assist with identifying and eliminating potential trouble spots.
For example, if you utilize third-party graphics software such as Geforce Experience or Radeon Softwareaicorte, then you may run into issues where the device doesn’t recognize the card properly. This could be a sign of overheating or inadequate ventilation; both of which should be addressed immediately!
Geforce Experience has been proven to effectively monitor graphics card utilization in real-time and provide users with useful information about their drivers as well; making it an excellent tool for managing performance on a daily basis – even more so when combined with AMD OverDrive!
Conclusion
The all-powerful GPU is the true heart of your system, and with its surging popularity among gamers, savvy consumers are learning how to put it to good use.
With a little know-how, you can optimize your graphics performance to give your games that extra edge!
