F5F Stay Refreshed Power Users Overclocking Is there a high CPU usage in a recent build?

Is there a high CPU usage in a recent build?

Is there a high CPU usage in a recent build?

Pages (3): 1 2 3 Next
B
bigminerryan
Junior Member
36
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#1
mobo: built with an MSI Z790-A Pro processor
cpu: i5-12600kf
gpu: XFX Speedster SWFT319, Radeon™ RX 6800
memory: G.skill ripjaws V 16GB (2x8) DDR4-3200
display: Acer Nitro 1440p 180Hz widescreen
psu: MSI Mag A650BN 650W
storage: 1TB M.2
case: Thermaltake Mid Tower – a gift from my friend
cooler: Hyper 212 Halo Black
I assembled this setup recently. I only modified the BIOS to switch from UEFI to UEFI+Legacy; everything functions better now.
Anyway, I installed my MSI Afterburner and started testing everything for Battlefield 1 at 1440p medium settings.
My CPU usage is quite high—some cores are near 95% or more, which is higher than my GPU usage. I also see around 3400MHz and maintain about 55°C temperatures.
I’m curious if my CPU is the bottleneck. Should I tweak the BIOS settings and attempt a slight overclock? I’ve never done that before and am unsure what the limits are.
I occasionally get around 60 frames at 1440p medium, so I’m wondering if an overclock would actually improve performance. Usually I stay above 100 frames and it runs smoothly, but I’m not sure if running a couple cores at 95% would cause frame issues.
B
bigminerryan
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #1

mobo: built with an MSI Z790-A Pro processor
cpu: i5-12600kf
gpu: XFX Speedster SWFT319, Radeon™ RX 6800
memory: G.skill ripjaws V 16GB (2x8) DDR4-3200
display: Acer Nitro 1440p 180Hz widescreen
psu: MSI Mag A650BN 650W
storage: 1TB M.2
case: Thermaltake Mid Tower – a gift from my friend
cooler: Hyper 212 Halo Black
I assembled this setup recently. I only modified the BIOS to switch from UEFI to UEFI+Legacy; everything functions better now.
Anyway, I installed my MSI Afterburner and started testing everything for Battlefield 1 at 1440p medium settings.
My CPU usage is quite high—some cores are near 95% or more, which is higher than my GPU usage. I also see around 3400MHz and maintain about 55°C temperatures.
I’m curious if my CPU is the bottleneck. Should I tweak the BIOS settings and attempt a slight overclock? I’ve never done that before and am unsure what the limits are.
I occasionally get around 60 frames at 1440p medium, so I’m wondering if an overclock would actually improve performance. Usually I stay above 100 frames and it runs smoothly, but I’m not sure if running a couple cores at 95% would cause frame issues.

B
Breadstonee
Member
220
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#2
It's normal for certain cores to handle more load, since background tasks require single-threaded operations. As long as there are sufficient cores to run a game, FPS shouldn't be impacted.
B
Breadstonee
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #2

It's normal for certain cores to handle more load, since background tasks require single-threaded operations. As long as there are sufficient cores to run a game, FPS shouldn't be impacted.

E
eLp4y4z0r
Junior Member
12
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#3
Was eine vollständige Neuinstallation von Windows durchgeführt oder wurde ein bestehender Betriebssystemlaufwerk aus einem anderen PC wiederverwendet, ohne dass Windows neu installiert wurde?
E
eLp4y4z0r
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #3

Was eine vollständige Neuinstallation von Windows durchgeführt oder wurde ein bestehender Betriebssystemlaufwerk aus einem anderen PC wiederverwendet, ohne dass Windows neu installiert wurde?

J
JuliBr0
Senior Member
495
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#4
If your CPU cores operate at 3.4Ghz, this explains the high usage. Battlefiled lets you modify the worker thread count via ini files. I’d consider lowering the thread number so other cores can perform better.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f...2896997984
Alternatively, tweaking your BIOS to keep all cores at full speed would boost performance but raise power consumption significantly.
J
JuliBr0
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #4

If your CPU cores operate at 3.4Ghz, this explains the high usage. Battlefiled lets you modify the worker thread count via ini files. I’d consider lowering the thread number so other cores can perform better.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f...2896997984
Alternatively, tweaking your BIOS to keep all cores at full speed would boost performance but raise power consumption significantly.

C
Cutie_Kitcat
Senior Member
644
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#5
The issue you're facing at 1440p gaming might be related to the bottleneck, and adjusting the clock speed to around 5.5 MHz could potentially improve FPS. Regarding overclocking to 5.5 MHz with a 650W PSU, it depends on your specific components; otherwise, you might consider 4.5 or 4 MHz.
C
Cutie_Kitcat
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #5

The issue you're facing at 1440p gaming might be related to the bottleneck, and adjusting the clock speed to around 5.5 MHz could potentially improve FPS. Regarding overclocking to 5.5 MHz with a 650W PSU, it depends on your specific components; otherwise, you might consider 4.5 or 4 MHz.

S
SoftPlatypus23
Junior Member
3
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#6
OC to 5,5 under a Hyper 212 cooler? No way, that cooler isn't even sufficient
@standard
boost clock. But why do you want to OC the CPU when it runs 4,9 out of the box? If the cpu runs at 3,4 there's smt wrong with the settings in the BIOS of the motherboard.
S
SoftPlatypus23
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #6

OC to 5,5 under a Hyper 212 cooler? No way, that cooler isn't even sufficient
@standard
boost clock. But why do you want to OC the CPU when it runs 4,9 out of the box? If the cpu runs at 3,4 there's smt wrong with the settings in the BIOS of the motherboard.

B
babylon0773
Junior Member
40
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#7
It's definitely set to 3.4 according to the bios, everything looks like it should be in auto mode... should I adjust it to 4.9 by hand?
Or wait until I get a new cooler then make the change?
I'm not very comfortable with this kind of stuff.
B
babylon0773
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #7

It's definitely set to 3.4 according to the bios, everything looks like it should be in auto mode... should I adjust it to 4.9 by hand?
Or wait until I get a new cooler then make the change?
I'm not very comfortable with this kind of stuff.

F
Fredster111
Junior Member
6
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#8
I can't display or send screenshots directly. However, you can view one by uploading it to imgur.com and then sharing the link.
F
Fredster111
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #8

I can't display or send screenshots directly. However, you can view one by uploading it to imgur.com and then sharing the link.

W
wehhtam
Member
75
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#9
Sorry, the version is set to 3.7 instead of 3.4. Your CPU temperatures are only around 55 degrees, so you might be able to improve performance without needing a better cooler.
W
wehhtam
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #9

Sorry, the version is set to 3.7 instead of 3.4. Your CPU temperatures are only around 55 degrees, so you might be able to improve performance without needing a better cooler.

T
Tyler_MC
Member
227
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM
#10
I reviewed the base frequency for my processor, which is 3.7 ghz, and it can be increased to 4.9 for the P cores. The efficiency cores can reach up to 3.6 ghz.
T
Tyler_MC
01-26-2026, 05:00 PM #10

I reviewed the base frequency for my processor, which is 3.7 ghz, and it can be increased to 4.9 for the P cores. The efficiency cores can reach up to 3.6 ghz.

Pages (3): 1 2 3 Next