Is your system slow? Do your applications freeze and maybe even stop while you're using them? Is your machine heating up without any warning?
Well, these are signs that your CPU is overworked, and if you don't bring down its stress any time soon, your system can crash. If you're an employee, you can reach out to the admin to get this issue fixed. On the other hand, if this is your personal device, you can try one of the below suggestions. Also, if you're the admin of an organization, read on to know how you can lower CPU usage.
Reduce the Number of Programs
When you run more programs in parallel, they take up more CPU resources, and can eventually maximize your device's CPU capacity. In turn, this lack of CPU resources can prevent some programs from opening or can reduce the performance of programs that are already running.
Needless to say, encourage your employees to reduce the number of applications that are open simultaneously. Ask them to open only those programs they use at any time to bring down the overall CPU usage of their device.
Reboot the System
The easiest way to lower CPU usage is to use the oldest known trick: reboot the system. As a network admin, you can even do it remotely if any device in your network freezes due to a lack of CPU resources. What essentially happens when you reboot is that it removes the temporary files and frees up resources that are stuck in long-running processes.
Defrag the Hard Drive
As employees work longer on their respective devices, they tend to add, update, and delete files, and all of these end up on the hard drive. Over time, the hard drive can get cluttered, and in turn, will use up more CPU resources to find files.
To speed up the search process, you can defragment the hard drive, so the related data is stored together and in a continuous order. This process will improve the overall performance of the device while reducing the stress on CPUs.
Update the Drivers
Drivers are the software that control the performance of external devices attached to a device's motherboard. Sometimes, these drivers can take up too many CPU resources, especially if they are old and outdated. This is why you can update the drivers to see if this improves the situation.
Update the BIOS
Other than the drivers, you may also want to update your BIOS. The Basic Input Output System (BIOS) is a firmware that provides instructions to the device's components during boot. Look for any known bugs in this firmware that are causing poor CPU performance. In case you identify the bug, make sure to update the BIOS with the latest version. A word of caution: updating the BIOS can lead to potential issues, so do this only if you're 100% sure that a bug in it is causing high CPU usage.
Adjust the Operating System
Look closely at a device's settings and optimize them to reduce high CPU usage. As an admin, assess the operating systems in your network and come up with a document or policy of settings for each OS. This way, you can ensure that every device in your network has the optimal settings to reduce CPU usage. To give you an example, go to This PC > Properties > Advanced System Settings in Windows 10 and navigate to the Performance tab. Here, you'll see an option called “Adjust for best performance”. Apply this setting and restart your device. You have similar options for other operating systems too.
End CPU-Intensive Processes
You can remotely log into a device and check the processes that are consuming high amounts of CPU. Open the Task Manager of the device to know this information, and accordingly, you can end the CPU-intensive processes. Ideally, look for background processes that the user is not actively using, and in case of actively-used applications, inform the user before terminating the process.
However, before ending a process, it's important to know its purpose. Ideally, make a list of the top CPU-intensive processes in your network, know what they do, and come up with a comprehensive plan to handle them.
Check for Malware
Malware is a potential cause for high CPU usage, especially if the onset is sudden. Many malware programs look like normal Windows processes and take up considerable system resources for scanning a device's contents or for any other malicious tasks for which they were created.
As a good practice, run a Malware check at regular intervals on all devices in your network. You can schedule these checks during the weekends and off working hours to ensure that they don't impact employees' productivity.
Work on your Documentation
Create a repository or documentation process to make a note of the processes that are taking up tons of CPU resources. You can even include a short description of the processes and their likely dependencies. This information can come in handy to end processes or take any other appropriate action to lower CPU usage.
Similarly, make a note of the different measures you take to bring down CPU usage. Over time, you'll see a pattern, and based on it, you can suggest appropriate policies or bulk actions that will enable devices to use their CPU resources optimally.
In general, high CPU usage is common, but identifying the root cause of the problem can be complex and difficult. This is where the documentation can come in handy. You can also use these patterns to educate users and include the steps in the self-service or intranet portal.
Thus, these are some options you can consider bringing down CPU usage in individual devices and your network as a whole.
Conclusion
To conclude, the CPU is a vital resource in any device, as it enables you to work on multiple applications simultaneously. However, there's always a chance for the CPU to become maximized, thereby causing your applications to slow down or freeze. Also, this high CPU usage can impact your device's health and longevity, so you must ensure that the CPU is not over-stressed. The above-mentioned suggestions can go a long way in reducing CPU usage and optimizing your device's performance.
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