CPU Usage vs Cycle

[damike]

Just downloaded Win8 and the task manager has two columns: cpu usage (the default one that everyone knows) and a new one: cycle. According to the tool tip, the cycle it is "the current percent of cpu cycle time". My two questions are: Isn't that the same as cpu usage? and if it is, Why are they off by a couple percent randomly?
Thanks

 

[braincruser]

I am not seeing any such thing on my task manager. Its just CPU, and in the app tab there is CPU time.

 

[damike]

go to task manager, click more info, then the details tab, then rightclick on a column tab, and click select columns. You will see it there

 

[braincruser]

Modern procesors can execute more than one instruction per clock(superscalar) so it might represent:
CPU -> Instructions executed
Cycle-> clocks used

Also different instructions use different amouth of clocks to complete.
Its just a guess, nothing definitive.

 

[damike]

isnt cpu usage cpu time/ elapsed time, not instructions executed?

 

[damike]

Best answer selected by damike.