In any modern computer, there are a number of components on the inside, and all of them are equally important and serve their own purpose. But if you have a gaming PC or you use your PC for 3D work, then having a powerful GPU is quite important. However, even with a high-end GPU, you may not get the best performance, especially if your GPU is running at 100% usage. Since 100% GPU usage can be bad in certain cases, you may want to know more about it. Thus, we are here with a complete guide on whether 100% GPU usage is bad. More importantly, you can go through this guide till the end to learn the causes of 100% GPU usage and even learn the possible fixes for 100% GPU usage.
What is 100% GPU Usage in a Computer?
Those of you who are new to computers might not be familiar with high GPU usage or 100% GPU usage in that regard. Therefore, before looking further into this issue, you might also want to learn more about it. To ensure you can easily monitor your computer and its components, you can simply open the task manager and find details regarding the CPU, RAM, GPU, and more. With all of these hardware components, you can also find their usage ranges from 0% to 100%. When any given component, like a GPU, is idling and not in use, it will be at 0% use. But if it is at 100% GPU usage, it simply means that your GPU is being used to its full potential.
Is 100% GPU Usage Bad?
Now that you know that your GPU is being pushed to its limits and used to the max, you might wonder whether GPU usage is bad. Thankfully, 100% GPU usage is not bad, depending on what you are currently using on your computer. If you are running a modern AAA game or any other 3D design program, then you do not have to worry about 100% GPU usage or high GPU usage. This simply means that the program you are running is using your GPU as much as possible, which is actually good for getting the best possible performance. However, if you are seeing high GPU usage or 100% GPU usage while doing nothing or running simple tasks like browsing the web, then there is an issue that we will see later on in this article.
What Do You Consider High GPU Usage?
Apart from 100% GPU usage, you may also come across the term ‘high GPU usage’ while dealing with computers. But since high GPU usage does not include any numbers, you might be wondering what exactly is considered as high GPU usage. While there is no exact number for the same, if your GPU is being used between 95% and 100% usage, then it will be considered as high GPU usage. And if your GPU is under high GPU usage, it simply means that running more 3D applications will not be possible because the GPU won’t be able to handle it considering the existing load.
Causes of 100% GPU Usage
As mentioned earlier, there can be multiple possible causes for 100% GPU usage or high GPU usage on your computer. And diagnosing such causes is highly important to ensure that your 100% GPU usage is actually beneficial to you and not causing any issues instead. Therefore, you should first check all of the following possible causes of 100% GPU usage:
1. Demanding Games & Applications
In case you are running any kind of modern AAA game or a 3D design program, then it will rely on your computer’s GPU quite heavily. In fact, this will most certainly result in 100% GPU usage which is absolutely fine. Since a program currently uses your GPU, there is nothing wrong with it, and you don’t have to worry about it.
2. Incapable Hardware
Whether you have an older GPU or an entry-level one, it will definitely not be able to handle modern AAA games and other 3D-intensive applications on your computer. As a result, if you throw any task at your GPU that it cannot handle, it will definitely result in 100% GPU usage. In such a case, consider upgrading your GPU or running simpler tasks and games.
3. Poor Airflow & Ventilation
If you are facing 100% GPU usage despite having a high end one, then it is quite possible that your GPU is not being cooled properly. And if your GPU is heating up, it may thermal throttle which will lead to 100% GPU usage because of the reduced performance numbers. Thus, make sure that your GPU and your whole computer has proper airflow and ventilation inside your computer.
4. Background Processes & Programs
Sometimes you might be running simple tasks and applications on your computer but still face 100% GPU usage. In many cases this might be due to other background processes running on your computer. Such background programs may use your GPU for video encoding, hardware accelerations, and other benefits that you get from having an GPU. For this, consider getting rid of all background processes and programs that you are not using currently.
5. Mining Programs & Malware
If you have cleared all background and foreground programs from your computer that might have been using your GPU, but you are still facing high GPU usage, then it is quite likely that your GPU is being used by programs that you didn’t install. Usually, this will include malware on your computer or unwanted mining programs which can be using your GPU and causing 100% GPU usage. The simplest fix for this is to run an antivirus program on your PC.
6. 100% GPU Usage & Less Demanding Games
As mentioned earlier, it is quite obvious to face 100% GPU usage while running high end AAA games. However, you may even face 100% GPU usage even when running less demanding games. While it is a possibility that you are playing an unoptimized game, your GPU’s drivers may also be at fault for this as we will see later on in this guide.
7. 100% GPU Usage When Idling
Apart from running less demanding games, there is even a possibility that you may see 100% GPU usage on your computer when you are doing absolutely nothing. This means that if you are facing 100% GPU usage when idling, then there can be many issues with either or both your GPU drivers and the overall system.
8. 100% GPU Usage While Browsing the Web
Another situation where you will not expect to see 100% GPU usage is browsing the web on your computer. Although, if browsing the web on your computer while browsing the web, then it might be due to fishy websites which use your GPU for mining or having issues with your computer’s drivers and the overall system.
How to Fix 100% GPU Usage?
Since there can be multiple causes of 100% GPU usage where some of them are not good, you would also want to fix 100% GPU usage on your computer. And for the same reason, here are some of the most common fixes for 100% GPU usage on your computer:
1. Using an Antivirus Program
Before trying anything else, you should first run an antivirus program on your computer if you are facing 100% GPU usage. This is due to the reason that if there is any kind of malware or virus on your computer which is using your GPU for mining, an antivirus program will get rid of the same. Thus, this will get rid of the 100% GPU usage issue.
2. Optimizing Game Video Settings
Even though it is completely fine to have 100% GPU usage while playing modern AAA gaming titles, you might not prefer the same for system thermals or your computer’s power draw. In that case, you can simply change the video settings of your game to lower values which should lower GPU usage in your computer.
3. Using Process Explorer
As mentioned earlier, there can be many background applications on your computer which might be using your GPU. And if that is the case, then you should use the Process Explorer present in the Task Manager of Windows. This will help you find all the background processes which are using the GPU. You can then get rid of the programs that you don’t need and get rid of 100% GPU usage.
4. Disabling Startup Programs
If you don’t want to have unwanted background programs using the GPU on your computer, then you can simply prevent them from running in the first place. For this, you have to go to the Startup Apps section of Windows Settings. There, you can disable all the apps that you don’t need to run when you boot your system. And if any of these apps were using your GPU, it will lower your GPU usage.
5. Updating GPU Drivers
There can be many scenarios where you are facing 100% GPU usage on your computer because of issues with your GPU itself. And if that is the case, then you should definitely consider updating your GPU drivers. You can do this using either Nvidia GeForce Experience or the Radeon control panel depending on the GPU that you are using in your computer.
6. Uninstalling Unnecessary Programs
Apart from disabling programs from running on system boot, you can also get rid of unwanted programs completely from your computer if you don’t want them to use your GPU. You can simply go to the Installed Apps section of Windows Settings and uninstall all unnecessary programs that you don’t need at the moment. And as you would expect, this can lower your system resource usage, including high GPU usage.
7. Booting in Safe Mode
If you can still figure out what is causing high GPU usage in your system, you can consider booting your computer into safe mode. This will essentially disable various functions of your computer and, more importantly, disable all third-party programs. And if booting into safe mode gets rid of high GPU usage on your computer, then you can simply do a full system reset since it will get rid of any software-related issues. If not, then it might be hardware issues that are causing 100% GPU usage on your computer.
8. Monitoring GPU Usage
Now that you have gone through all these fixes for 100% GPU usage and gotten rid of high GPU usage, you need to ensure that you don’t face the same again in future. Thus, you should regularly monitor your GPU to ensure it runs at expected usage levels. If you are not playing a game, you can do this using the Windows Task Manager. However, if you are playing a fullscreen game or running any other fullscreen program, then you will need to use third-party tools like MSI Afterburner to have a GPU monitoring overlay on your screen at all times.
Is 100% GPU Usage Bad – FAQs
Ans: Unlike older GPU generations, newer ones are much more reliable and don’t get damaged easily. This means that even if your GPU is running at 100% usage, it won’t cause any issues. And even if there is any chance of potential damage, the GPU will reboot the system as a precaution, thanks to the safety measures included in modern GPUs.
Ans: If you are playing a game on your computer and seeing high GPU usage, then it simply means that your GPU is getting used to its full potential. As a result, you will get the best possible performance while playing games if your GPU is running at 100% usage.
Ans: As mentioned earlier, high GPU usage is actually beneficial for running games on your computer. However, if you are facing frame drops or lag while having 100% GPU usage, then your whole system is outdated for the game that you are running. And in this case, your CPU or RAM might be causing the frame drops and lag.
Ans: While 100% GPU usage does not cause any issues as such, sometimes it may cause your GPU to overheat. This is especially common when you have poor airflow inside your computer. In such a case, your GPU can reboot your computer as a safety mechanism to prevent your GPU from overheating and possibly getting damaged.
Conclusion
While modern computers have become quite refined regarding system stability, you may still face an issue here or there. One such common issue is running into high system resource usage. And this can even include high usage for your GPU, which can cause performance issues while playing games or running 3D-intensive applications. Hence, we have already discussed all the details regarding 100% GPU usage up above. You can learn about whether 100% GPU usage is bad or not, the causes of 100% GPU usage, and, more importantly, the fixes for 100% GPU usage to easily get rid of it. If any of these fixes have helped you, make sure to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below.
