High CPU usage when plugging in second monitor

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Nintenrax

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Jan 30, 2015
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Hello everybody,

Recently I have been experiencing some issues when plugging in my second monitor. I have a laptop with the following specs:

Intel I7-3610QM 2.30 GHz
nVidia GT 650M
8 GB RAM

If more information (motherboard, PSU, ...) is needed for this particular issue, I can provide it, although I would have to dig around a bit.

I have a (very) old BenQ FP547 1024X768 lying around that I often plug in to my laptop so I can game on one screen and browse a bit on the other. Recently I have been noticing some lag while doing this. When I looked into this, I noticed that the 'System' process was making a lot of use of my CPU. When opening new pages, the 'System' process spikes to about 30-40% then goes down again. Sometimes it even stays at 20-30%. This also has a notable impact on games, where I loose a few FPS, depending on the game.

Does anybody know what would be causing this? Is this normal? Is it just the integrated graphics card powering the second monitor?

Sidenote: When I open new pages without a second screen, my CPU also spikes to about 20-40% and then goes down again. Only this time it is the 'chrome' process causing this. This never really produces lag, and I have only noticed it now due to my testing. I have no idea if this is normal or not, so if anybody could tell me more about this, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all your help,

Nintenrax
 
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Nintenrax

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Jan 30, 2015
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Sure, I get that, but such a high CPU usage just while browsing? I also do really notice lag while going through internet pages and it has a (minor) effect on my games (when the second monitor is plugged in).

I must also add that since it is a old monitor, I use a VGA connection. Since I can't screw this in place, the connection can be a bit... well... loose sometimes.
 
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Nintenrax

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Jan 30, 2015
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Ok. But then is it normal that the CPU begins to use a lot more power too all of a sudden? Because that's what I'm experiencing, and that's where I thought the problem was. Also, I only game one one screen, so the other one doesn't really use a lot of GPU power I imagine. Is it possible that the second screen uses the integrated Intel graphics?

Sorry for all the questions, I just really want to get to the root of my problem.
 
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i7Baby

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"When I open new pages without a second screen, my CPU also spikes to about 20-40% and then goes down again."

You're using about 40% CPU capacity whether one or two screens. This'll be due to running background processes. You need to work out whether you want them all running. But your CPU will generally be at 20% usage anyway. If you have more ram, this can help alleviate this.
 
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Nintenrax

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Jan 30, 2015
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In general with the extra monitor it's more than with one. Without the second screen it's more of a 20 (sometimes 30)% spike, while with a second monitor it's more like 30-50% in total.

But besides that, I just want to know why the 'System' process uses much resources all of the sudden when I plug in a second monitor.
 
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Nintenrax

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Jan 30, 2015
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I did. It is not nesecarilly a new process that comes into play. The 'system' process just begins to use a lot of the CPU all of a sudden.
 
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Nintenrax

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Jan 30, 2015
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I did some more testing today. As you say, the extra CPU-usage is not that big of a deal, and it seems to have gotten better.

Still, I would very much like to know why the 'system' process uses about 10-20% when my second monitor is plugged in. Just for the sake of knowing that it is normal or not.
 
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