Cpu usage

[lwzi]

Hello, today i was playing rdr 2 and noticed that my task manager is showing 50-70 cpu usage but geforce nvidia performance layout shows only 20-50 cpu usage which one should i trust? I have an i7 10700f.

[waterjug]

you sure the nvidia one isn't measuring ur gpu?

[unclewebb]

Check the Task Manager Details tab for CPU usage. 

 

The Task Manager graphs and the first tab show CPU utilization. This is misleading. Utilization and usage are two different things. This becomes obvious when using an Intel CPU that uses a high percentage of turbo boost compared to the base clock.

[lwzi]

7 hours ago, unclewebb said:

Check the Task Manager Details tab for CPU usage. 

 

The Task Manager graphs and the first tab show CPU utilization. This is misleading. Utilization and usage are two different things. This becomes obvious when using an Intel CPU that uses a high percentage of turbo boost compared to the base clock.

Okay since you explained that it's two different things i want to correct my post. Cpu utilization was different on task manager than what nvidia shows me. Here's a screen shot same thing happens on warzone 

 

[unclewebb]

Now show a screenshot of the Task Manager Details tab. That tab shows CPU Usage and is probably comparable to what Nvidia calls CPU Utilization.

 

What Microsoft shows for Utilization in the Processes tab is measuring something different than what Nvidia is showing for Utilization. The graphs in the Performance tab are graphing Microsoft Utilization.  

 

Why did Microsoft go off on this tangent? No one knows. Microsoft Utilization is measured and compared to the CPU's base frequency but most Intel desktop CPUs never run at the base frequency. They use Intel Turbo Boost and desktop CPUs generally run at the maximum speed possible. 

 

The reason why this is a big problem for the 10700F is because this CPU has a very low base frequency of 2.90 GHz and a very high maximum turbo frequency of 4.80 GHz.

 

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/199318/intel-core-i710700f-processor-16m-cache-up-to-4-80-ghz.html

 

The Microsoft Utilization data takes CPU usage and inflates it based on the ratio between actual speed vs base frequency speed. 

 

Microsoft Utilization = ( 4.80 / 2.90 ) X CPU Usage

Microsoft Utilization = 1.655 X CPU Usage

 

In other words, Microsoft Utilization can be as much as 65.5% higher compared to actual CPU Usage.

 

The Task Manager shows 39%. To convert this data to CPU usage we need to divide by 1.655 which equals 23.6% which is almost identical to what Nvidia is showing for its CPU Utilization (usage) data. 

 

The Microsoft Utilization data makes it appear that CPUs are far more loaded than they actually are. What does that encourage consumers to do? Buy new hardware that is faster and has more cores. Perhaps Microsoft's friends at Intel will be happy when they do. 

 

Too bad more people never noticed this scam. For your CPU and many other Intel CPUs, the data in the first two tabs of the Task Manager contains some very meaningless information. 

 

Edit - Here is a good example of this phenomenon. 

 

 

The ThrottleStop TS Bench is fully loading 10 of a possible 20 threads. ThrottleStop correctly reports that the CPU is spending 50.2% of its time in the C0 state. 50% for the benchmark and a hair more for the various Windows background tasks. Compare that to what the Task Manager reports. The graph shows a consistent 69%. Why? Let's do the math.

 

The 10850K has a base frequency of 3.60 GHz and is presently running at 5.00 GHz.

 

CPU Utilization = CPU Usage X (5.00 GHz / 3.60 GHz)

CPU Utilization = 50.2% X 1.388

CPU Utilization = 69.6%

 

It took me a while to figure this out. When the CPU speed is reduced to the base frequency speed, only then are CPU Usage and CPU Utilization the same. The faster your CPU runs compared to the base frequency, the more absurd this Microsoft Utilization data that everyone relies on becomes. Thanks Microsoft. 

 

[lwzi]

13 hours ago, unclewebb said:

Now show a screenshot of the Task Manager Details tab. That tab shows CPU Usage and is probably comparable to what Nvidia calls CPU Utilization.

 

What Microsoft shows for Utilization in the Processes tab is measuring something different than what Nvidia is showing for Utilization. The graphs in the Performance tab are graphing Microsoft Utilization.  

 

Why did Microsoft go off on this tangent? No one knows. Microsoft Utilization is measured and compared to the CPU's base frequency but most Intel desktop CPUs never run at the base frequency. They use Intel Turbo Boost and desktop CPUs generally run at the maximum speed possible. 

 

The reason why this is a big problem for the 10700F is because this CPU has a very low base frequency of 2.90 GHz and a very high maximum turbo frequency of 4.80 GHz.

 

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/199318/intel-core-i710700f-processor-16m-cache-up-to-4-80-ghz.html

 

The Microsoft Utilization data takes CPU usage and inflates it based on the ratio between actual speed vs base frequency speed. 

 

Microsoft Utilization = ( 4.80 / 2.90 ) X CPU Usage

Microsoft Utilization = 1.655 X CPU Usage

 

In other words, Microsoft Utilization can be as much as 65.5% higher compared to actual CPU Usage.

 

The Task Manager shows 39%. To convert this data to CPU usage we need to divide by 1.655 which equals 23.6% which is almost identical to what Nvidia is showing for its CPU Utilization (usage) data. 

 

The Microsoft Utilization data makes it appear that CPUs are far more loaded than they actually are. What does that encourage consumers to do? Buy new hardware that is faster and has more cores. Perhaps Microsoft's friends at Intel will be happy when they do. 

 

Too bad more people never noticed this scam. For your CPU and many other Intel CPUs, the data in the first two tabs of the Task Manager contains some very meaningless information. 

 

Edit - Here is a good example of this phenomenon. 

 

 

The ThrottleStop TS Bench is fully loading 10 of a possible 20 threads. ThrottleStop correctly reports that the CPU is spending 50.2% of its time in the C0 state. 50% for the benchmark and a hair more for the various Windows background tasks. Compare that to what the Task Manager reports. The graph shows a consistent 69%. Why? Let's do the math.

 

The 10850K has a base frequency of 3.60 GHz and is presently running at 5.00 GHz.

 

CPU Utilization = CPU Usage X (5.00 GHz / 3.60 GHz)

CPU Utilization = 50.2% X 1.388

CPU Utilization = 69.6%

 

It took me a while to figure this out. When the CPU speed is reduced to the base frequency speed, only then are CPU Usage and CPU Utilization the same. The faster your CPU runs compared to the base frequency, the more absurd this Microsoft Utilization data that everyone relies on becomes. Thanks Microsoft. 

 

Thank you so much for clearing it out for me. I was so scared that my cpu is dying. Thanks again.