How can I keep my computer from using too much power?
How can I keep my computer from using too much power?
I have a PC with these specific parts: an RX 6600 graphics card, i3-10100F processor, MSI B560 motherboard, 16GB RAM, and crucial MX500 SSDs. The problem is that my CPU and GPU are barely used even in games like Call of Duty MW2 Beta, Battlefield 2042, Far Cry 5/4, Valorant, Division 2, Borderlands 3, and a few others. For example, in MW2 Beta, the stats show 78% GPU usage (55 degrees Celsius), 50% CPU usage (48 degrees Celsius), using 10GB of RAM with 7.4GB used for video memory. It isn't the VRAM because games like Far Cry 5 use much less than that. Here is a link to the picture showing my usage in MW2 Beta.
There aren't many games that use all eight threads of your CPU. If your computer is running at 50% capacity, it means only four threads are being used for the game, and those four can be shared with other tasks like updating graphics while the GPU stays busy. You could try upgrading your resolution, turning on antialiasing or adding some post-processing effects to use up more of your GPU without losing frame rate. But if you want higher frame rates, you'll need a stronger CPU instead.
Don't check how much power the processor or graphics card uses because that number alone doesn't tell the whole story. Instead, check how well things actually work in your favorite games. Are you satisfied with it? If yes, then all you need to do is keep playing. If not, maybe we should find out which piece of hardware isn't working as hard as it's supposed to. Usually for faster frame rates (FPS), it helps to start by looking at the CPU to see if it can even manage what you want. The best way to test this is to play your games on the lowest graphics settings possible.