Limited GPU and CPU utilization
Limited GPU and CPU utilization
You can adjust the processor affinity in Fortnite by going into settings and selecting CPU 10 under the performance options. If you don’t have access, check the game’s help section or community forums for guidance.
Processors 0 through 7 selected. Play Fortnite and capture the CPU usage chart in Task Manager.
Consider a visual representation showing idle periods, active gameplay, and the end of each cycle. The chart you shared was created when Task Manager was opened while the system was running. It seems to reflect Core 8 behavior for clarity. For reference, Core 7 behaves like Core 8 in this context. Earlier versions started at 0, whereas Core 10 began at 1. The last version was Core 2, which is ahead of Core 0 by two cores. This might affect Fortnite compatibility with older Ryzen models and their multiple dies. If there’s a dedicated forum for Fortnite on the platform, please share your original post there.
The device clock indicates a different situation regarding #1. Of course I’m the one who spots this, lol. So if you haven’t figured it out yet, the main reason for low CPU and GPU usage is a single-threaded limitation. First, the CPU handles frame preparation, then the GPU creates the image. Yet somehow, Fortnite seems to operate with just one thread. That implies the CPU can only generate a small portion of frames. Of course, the game needs the CPU for many tasks, which might involve other threads—possibly even Core 0 for minor operations or other background programs. Each of these in-game processes reduces the number of frames the CPU can produce. I can’t say for sure if this is typical for a Ryzen system because A) I have Zen 2 while you have Zen 1, and B) I don’t play Fortnite and rarely use it. Someone on a Fortnite subreddit or forum might clarify that. But this doesn’t make sense for Epic to implement this way—it’s difficult to code multiple threads, yet they have many developers who could help. This suggests the GPU also only renders a fraction of frames, which explains the low GPU usage. For an esports title, this is puzzling since such games usually demand much more CPU power than most others. Even older titles like TF2, which are no longer considered esports, can run at up to two threads, and back then single-threaded performance was a real constraint. Now high framerates are achievable with modern GPUs, as long as you have a dedicated card. I played on a second-gen Intel iGPU and had to lower the resolution to 720p (4:3) for 40 FPS. Even at 1080p with the highest settings, I got over 280 FPS on a RX 5600 XT. I could go higher but downscaling makes text hard to read. Rebooting into BIOS and turning on virtualization won’t solve this issue, but it’s worth trying. Virtualization settings vary by motherboard—sometimes labeled as AMD-V or similar—and usually appear under Advanced CPU settings. The UEFI’s “About” page might have details there.
Thanks for your time. I thought the CPU usage would stay consistent before and after launching the game. Since I opened it once and didn’t redo everything, I suspect the issue might be with my CPU. I’ll update it next time.
I evaluated your setup using process lasso and noted the distribution of tasks. Your CPU is a Ryzen 7 1700, and with overclocking at 3.9GHz and 1.35V, you're pushing it to higher limits. Check if this aligns with its specifications and thermal capacity for safe operation.