Resource Monitor CPU 'blue line' pegged at 100%... forever...?

[808dude]

I've never been sure how to precisely interpret the Resource Monitor views that track performance - the 'green' mountain-range chart, vs the thin blue line, that is. Regardless, I check this frequently. Usually, because I habitually keep too many browser tabs open, I find it's my 'Disk activity' chart that is pegged to 100%, and I have to respond somehow when that happens.

But for the last two days, my *CPU activity* shows that blue line slammed to the ceiling - and without any visible listed activity to explain it. The green 'mountains' are moderate, well below 50%. The "Task manager" view shows no such alarming conditions, either. See below...
https://www.flickr.com/gp/99860246@N03/t9TZ4E

What's up with this?

Is there a tutorial somewhere on interpreting the "green vs blue" thing?

Only other data I have is that when this started yesterday, the two topmost CPU-activity items were both listed as windows processes to do with defrag, and I thought this might really be what was going on. But they couldn't be right-click-stopped, and the supposed 'defrag' continued for more than 36 hours before I decided to reboot.

 

[nukemaster]

Note.
I have edited your post because your image was not showing.
Not all host allow hot linking images. Changing it to a Link to your host should prevent this issue and allow more users to see your image without viewing the BBCODE.


The green is overall cpu usage while the blue is how high your system cpu frequency is running(power savings lowers this when you are idle. The Turbo features as well as overclocking allow cpus to get over 100% frequency). So for instance when the cpu is idle.

SVCHOST can be almost anything. You will have to track down what services are running behind those.

From the task manager you can select Details then select an offending process(higher usage). Right click it and select goto service(s). This should be a good stating point.

In a fresh install or update you may have more activity for a while.

 

[808dude]

Thanks for the link-editing as well as the reply, nukemaster. (previewing didn't seem to show the photo under either "link" or "image," so I just went with the "image" URL...and I've got no confidence it's right this time, either, since it doesn't preview right.)

Anyway, I still don't get the difference between "overall cpu usage" and "how high your system cpu frequency is running." Does the blue line maybe represent the *sum* of CPU 0-7 usages? (The frequency of my CPU operation is fixed at XGHz, right?)

With no browsers or other CPU-intensive activity going on, if I look at Resource Monitor, as ever, the "blue line" is still hugging the ceiling, even with minimal software running, and browser performance is stuttery. But at the same time, the less-detailed TaskMan view shows a tame 30% for CPU use. I don't get that - it's contradictory, right?
http://

I've been stabbing at this a few different ways, this morning installing 'Process Explorer' (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx). At least it confirms for me that both of the apparently-offending processes are related to defrag, but as before, from what I've tried, the processes can't be killed or suspended; I get an "...access is denied" response.

How do *I* nuke them?

 

[nukemaster]

The green under cpu total is exactly as you think the sum of all cpu cores load. So on a quad core cpu(non HT) will only one core fully loaded you will see around 25% on green but if the core is clocked to the max you will see a higher cpu clock speed(blue line). This can cause a system that is only lightly loaded to have a blue line maxed out.

Your idle does look high based on my systems, but I have seen very extended Windows Update when auto checking for updates.

You have to take care when killing Windows services.

Does it by any chance show as running under services(services.msc). You may be able to stop and even disable it from services.

 

[808dude]

Weird to me that the 'blue line' graphic seems like it's designed to give the impression of overload, even if there is none. So with all eight cores running at just 12.5%, the blue line would be screaming for attention, showing 100%? In retrospect I think I must never have paid attention to the individual core CPU usage charts, but definitely track the "total" display.

status-quo, BTW, after several days -- I'm still maxed out on the blue line.

I poked around in services.msc, but don't see a way to find those two PIDs or 'defrag' amongst what's probably 200 entries or so.

I take it you were able to see my images, probably despite my not having linked or uploaded them correctly. I will attach (maybe) another, showing the Properties view of one of the two problem-processes. "Kill Process" still leads to the same "permissions" restriction, but there seem to be a number or other ways in - I just don't have the skills to know what's OK to mess with. Anything there that you'd try?
http://


Mahalo - Dave

 

[nukemaster]

in services.msc look for one called Optimize drives.

If it is running stop it to see if it makes a difference.

If it does, you can set it to disabled(can be done from properties). Some services will restart when stopped if not disabled.

You may also have a scheduled task for this as well.

I have not seem high use from this process myself, but I only have 2 SSD's in the system(no defrag for those just a very fast optimize). All my files are on my NAS(windows can and will not defrag that).

 

[808dude]

Thanks, I found 'Optimize Drives" - but it's on manual and not running, only offering to start.

I will try rebooting again, because, well... can't hurt, right?

 

[808dude]

Rebooting didn't make anything like an immediate difference, but apparently walking away from it for another day or two did. The two PIDs haven't returned to haunt me yet, and the blue line is back to jagged peaks that don't obliterate the "sky."

 

[nukemaster]

I guess all you can do is keep an eye on it.

Windows does lots of background stuff. It generally tries to do it when the system is under light loads to avoid causing performance issues.