CPU hitting 95-100% when playing games--Am I bottlenecking?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
G

Gunterchan

Prominent
Apr 26, 2017
3
0
510
Running i5 3350p + GTX 960. 32GB RAM. 550W. Windows 10.

Unsure why but recently my games have started to hit a solid 100% in CPU usage when running. I run various games from Rainbow six siege to Playerunknown's battleground. Sometimes causes crashes that do not trigger error messages. It spikes like that even when running something lighter like Rocket League.

Am I simply bottlenecking and need to get a new CPU (this is what I assume is happening).
Checked for malware and found nothing (used Malwarebytes and Windows malware tool). Have for sure determined it is the games doing this, and not background things being run by Windows. Also I run everything on basically low (or very low if the option is there).

Any help or maybe possible for sure answers would be appreciated. Thank you.
 
Solution
clutchc
I can't imagine an Ivy Bridge CPU being worn out already. Intel's CPU can run 24/7 for years on end. I've never had a bad CPU (that I didn't cause). Age shouldn't matter enough to cause your issues. I suspect something else.
Gfx card overheating?
Have you run a memory check lately? Memtest on each stick INDIVIDUALLY in the first memory slot for at least one full pass.
If you recently upgraded to Win10 from a previous Win, you may need to update some of the motherboard drivers.
Sort by date Sort by votes
clutchc

clutchc

Titan
Ambassador
Apr 22, 2009
43,150
411
131,790
Botlenecking what... the gfx card? Check the usage of the GPU. If it can't reach 100% usage, there is something wrong. In fact, the i5-3350p should never bottleneck a GTX 960. Too much running in the background when you game? Malware robbing clock cycles? Virus affecting the CPU?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
G

Gunterchan

Prominent
Apr 26, 2017
3
0
510


Sorry. Yes, I wasn't sure if it was possible to bottleneck my gfx card with a i5. All the answers I saw in regards were i3s, but I'm not really knowledgeable in this stuff, thus the question. Thank you for letting me know.

I did check the GPU usage as suggested and of course it is spiking with the CPU to the same levels. So, that means there isn't something wrong? Just my two pieces workin' the best they can do? As far as I can tell the spike is still because of the game, and only higher demanding ones. Seeing that when it is running I can visually see it consuming 70%+ of the CPU. (Thank you Task Manager.)

And as confirmation yes, I did do all the required scans (as previously stated) and came up empty handed so viruses or malware seem unlikely.

So last question: Is there anything I can do about the occasional crash I get or just accept that's my life till I upgrade again seeing they are already runnin' at their maximum ability?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
clutchc

clutchc

Titan
Ambassador
Apr 22, 2009
43,150
411
131,790
If the CPU is allowing the GPU to attain 100% usage, then you are OK for bottleneck. Still, it surprises me that the i5 would struggle with the GTX 960 like that. That's why I thought something was eating clock cycles in the background like a virus or malware (crapware, bloatware, etc.).

Crashes may be software conflicts from stuff running in the background as well. Have you run CCleaner and done both the Clean and Registry portions? https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
G

Gunterchan

Prominent
Apr 26, 2017
3
0
510


Unsure. Could the age of my CPU (I've been using it for a good 4-5 years) be apart of the reason? Performance can go down as the items age, or is that just a misconception I have because it seems to be true for quite a few things?

I hadn't run CCleaner since I changed to windows 10 (simply forgot about it), so I did that. Had a few errors, and the normal stuff to clean up. I'll have to go through some games tonight and see if any crashes occur.

At this point not much I can do. but I'm glad I know it isn't exactly that something is wrong and will just need to probably save up to upgrade in order to reduce the burden.

Thanks again for answering my questions. I do appreciate it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
clutchc

clutchc

Titan
Ambassador
Apr 22, 2009
43,150
411
131,790
I can't imagine an Ivy Bridge CPU being worn out already. Intel's CPU can run 24/7 for years on end. I've never had a bad CPU (that I didn't cause). Age shouldn't matter enough to cause your issues. I suspect something else.
Gfx card overheating?
Have you run a memory check lately? Memtest on each stick INDIVIDUALLY in the first memory slot for at least one full pass.
If you recently upgraded to Win10 from a previous Win, you may need to update some of the motherboard drivers.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom