Up to 90-100% of CPU cores are active even when using safe mode.
Up to 90-100% of CPU cores are active even when using safe mode.
This image captures Chrome and Discord running, yet even in Safe mode the CPU usage remains elevated. After adding an NVMe SSD, my CPU 0 consumption stayed high. I shared this on Reddit, but I wasn’t aware the issue stemmed from CPU activity. I’m unsure what else to update or adjust. I performed two Windows installs, updated the BIOS (ASRock B450M Steel Legend to version 2.60), then switched back to 2.50 Windows, updated all available drivers, and checked every power plan setting while in Safe mode with all applications closed. I modified certain BIOS settings that I believe might help, but nothing resolved the problem.
PC specifications: Ryzen 7 2700 (stock or overclocked to 3700GHz), ASRock B450M Steel Legend, 16GB RAM dual-channel, 2666MHz GTX 1660 Super, ASUS TUF3 Gaming 750W PSU, dxdiag.
If disabling Core 0 for some games improves FPS, it might help. I recorded performance data across several titles without disabling Core 0.
Notes: The problem appears only on Windows, not Linux. Updated Task Manager and resmon.exe logs. Added Linux terminal output to confirm the issue is Windows-specific.
Have you attempted to reposition the NVMe storage? During setup, it occasionally wouldn’t boot because the CPU indicator wasn’t showing. It turned out the top drive wasn’t fully seated, which affected its connection to the processor. In my situation, this caused a complete boot failure.
Access the resource monitor at the bottom, navigate to the CPU section. Arrange results by "CPU" and identify which process consumes the most time.
It will be extremely difficult to identify the issue just by looking at the utilization graph. We need detailed information about what’s causing the problem. Return to the "Processes" section, arrange by CPU usage, and highlight the top 5 or 6 items that consistently consume resources. We can assume there’s nothing hardware-related, just routine background activities like Windows updates or the Search Indexer performing a full refresh.
The problem isn't found in Linux. The article states system interrupts are normal, typically around 5%, while my current usage is about 1.5%. I updated the drivers with a booster, but the issue remains.
I turned off my other SSD, and the two HDDs resolved the issue. However, when I reconnected the SSD and one of the HDDs, the CPU usage returned to 90–100%. I’m trying to figure out how to utilize all storage without causing high CPU consumption.