What is CPU Usage and How Can I Reduce It?

Recently, I received a question from jnc, who wrote:

When you go to the WINDOWS TASK MANAGER, it has at the bottom of the window, "CPU USAGE" and a &percent;.
What does that mean and what should it be?
I searched your web site of COMPUTER TIPS, and wasn't smart enough to locate the answer.
jnc

CPU usage indicates how hard the CPU is running. The percentage refers to how much of the individual CPU's capacity is in use.

Normally, if we have some programs open but are not actively doing anything, the CPU Usage will be in the 2-5% range.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, some programs lock up at 100% (see my article Adobe Reader 8 Problems - And a Change to Foxit Reader Adobe Reader 8's Updater).

When you run antivirus scans or antispyware scans, this can be 40-60% usage, with spikes even higher. The amount of RAM you have will also affect the percentage, as the CPU will be involved in any swapping of memory with virtual memory.

WinPatrol is a great way to take back control of your computer. Many programs install components that start automatically when your computer starts and continue to run and take up memory. This slows you computer and also forces Windows to do much more swapping of RAM to virtual memory on the hard drive.

Of course, if low available memory is the problem, another fix is to add additional memory. I usually buy memory from Crucial Technologies. Their web wizard will identify the memory for desktop computers, notebooks and common motherboards.

Related articles:

• WinPatrol Review | WinPatrol Plus Review
• A Look Inside WinPatrol and WinPatrol Plus
• WinPatrol - for System Control and Protection
• Speed of Virtual Memory versus RAM
• Out of Hard Drive Space
• Slow Computer Troubles

Copyright © 2008 Terry A. Stockdale. All rights reserved.