Why is my CPU at 50% usage and GPU at only 11% usage while achieving 100-150 FPS?
Why is my CPU at 50% usage and GPU at only 11% usage while achieving 100-150 FPS?
i mostly play valorant and games such as elden ring, dying light, kingdom come deliverence, but when i play valorant my cpu usage is 50-55 and gpu 11-20 while getting 100-150 fps. i’m not sure why anyone can help or suggest a fix. my cpu is a ryzen 5 1600, gpu is rtx 3060, ram is 16gb ddr4, motherboard is asus prime a320m-k/csm. psu is 200-240v and 50-60 hertz. i have an ssd with 112gb used out of 118gb and an hdd with 1.5TB used out of 3TB. the issue is that when there’s more activity in-game i get 80-90 fps and usage stays at 50%, which is just annoying. i don’t use any recording software and only have discord open. ps: i couldn’t find information about my psu or ssd, so i can’t check it on the pc either.
Update your post with complete hardware details and operating system information. Provide PSU specifications, including make, model, wattage, age, and condition (original, build, refurbished, used). List disk drive specifications such as make, model, capacity, and current usage. Mention any issues you experience during gameplay when CPU and GPU utilization is low, and whether FPS is affected.
The SSD usage shows 112GB used out of 118GB. This appears to be the boot drive. It's currently 95% full, which exceeds the recommended 70-80% limit. The SSD size seems insufficient for the drive. The minimum required for the OS is now 250GB. What version of Windows is being used? Also, does the absence of Discord affect anything?
The CPU is merely a low-end processor and quite outdated, dating back to around 2017, with speeds between 3.2 and 3.6GHz. In contrast, the GPU is a cutting-edge device tailored for recent titles. When playing at 1080p resolution, the performance gap becomes clear. At that resolution, a modern GPU is essential for smooth frame rates, whereas the system’s main components need to be in harmony. The drop in frame rate likely stems from the CPU being too sluggish; check the core utilization percentages—sometimes a low number can be misleading if only a fraction of the total cores are active. Also verify that the SSD isn’t causing delays, as many games demand consistent data access. Some claim SATA SSDs are sufficient, but for optimal performance, an NVMe drive with a Gen 3 or higher is recommended. I haven’t found proof that SSDs slow down when fully loaded; my Samsung 2.5" drives on an older setup perform well even at full capacity, though it’s uncertain.
You have a 12 thread processor.
Games will only use a few of them.
Most tasks are handled by the single master thread.
CPU usage applies to all threads.
If the C drive is nearly full, performance can drop significantly.
Basic operations like booting require writing to the SSD.
Without available NAND blocks, the SSD must compensate by finding space.
While running, open Task Manager and check the performance and CPU sections.
Right-click the graph and choose logical processor view.
This will give you a clearer picture of what’s happening.
I might be mistaken, but I think discord should take priority over your game.