YouTube stream in 1080p at 60 frames per second with heavy CPU activity.
YouTube stream in 1080p at 60 frames per second with heavy CPU activity.
Hey everyone, I've been using the new browser for a while now after installing the Windows 10 technical preview on my laptop. Chrome is usually my go-to for desktop browsing, but streaming high-quality videos at 60 fps really taxes the CPU, causing noticeable slowdowns. Even at 1080p60, CPU usage jumps over 50%, while the same content on Microsoft Edge barely affects it. I also noticed this on my desktop—CPU runs at 4GHz with only about 30% usage, but it still feels sluggish compared to the laptop’s performance. The videos aren’t smooth either, often dropping frames and making it hard to watch comfortably. It seems like something is wrong, especially since the CPU isn’t slow itself (it’s an i7 4702hq). Microsoft Edge works well, so I’m hoping Chrome will be fixed soon; they’ve said extensions won’t be available until later this fall. I’d love to get Chrome back to its usual smooth performance.
It used to run smoothly and quickly, but now things feel different. Remember pressing Shift + Esc to launch the task manager? It might be a plugin causing all the lag. I agree it’s a great browser overall, though it needs better extension support—especially for LastPass. I’m moving forward with using it full-time.
I attempted that and most interactions focus on the tab playing the YouTube video. No plugins appear to be active—just a few extensions. I’ve handled everything from clearing funds to reinstalling, even replacing the operating system, yet the issue persists. The main concern is how long this has been happening; I didn’t notice any lag or dropped frames before, and since it’s a desktop, I can’t easily sense temperature changes. It wasn’t until I checked CPU usage that I realized it was running at 4GHz while watching videos instead of lowering the clock speed.
It functions well in IE and Edge, but they miss some features found in Chrome, especially since extensions aren't available yet. I've been using Edge since Windows 10, and it runs smoothly with minimal CPU load and no frame drops.
It seems Chrome is likely relying on HTML5, as the Flash plug-in is turned off. HTML5 isn't as GPU-accelerated as Flash. I'm experiencing the same problem with Firefox too after the recent Flash disablement. It appears Edge might be using Flash while being able to accelerate HTML5 via GPU. Probably the first scenario is more likely.
The laptop relies on Nvidia Optimux technically, meaning the GPU is typically managed by the desktop. In Microsoft Edge, GPU utilization sits near 25%, whereas Chrome uses about 55%, which helped reduce frame drops.