Is this anything I should be concerned about?

[Gig-O-Ram]

Over the last few months, I have noticed some activity from my cpu that has me wondering if there is a problem somewhere. I know this would be a hard question to answer, and an even harder issue to resolve - if there is indeed an issue - but check out the cap to see what I mean.



Usually, the graph shows sharp spikes in activity (green cirlce), telling me that things are moving along quickly, but in the red circles the cpu seems to be doing something more slowly. I wish I could say what process was working when the duller spikes occured, but I had just rebooted after installing some music management software for my cell phone. I don't think that in itself was necessarily the problem, since I've observed the cpu do this before.

So...Do I have a CPU issue?

[RangerXLT8]

Originally Posted by Gig-O-Ram

Over the last few months, I have noticed some activity from my cpu that has me wondering if there is a problem somewhere. I know this would be a hard question to answer, and an even harder issue to resolve - if there is indeed an issue - but check out the cap to see what I mean.



Usually, the graph shows sharp spikes in activity (green cirlce), telling me that things are moving along quickly, but in the red circles the cpu seems to be doing something more slowly. I wish I could say what process was working when the duller spikes occured, but I had just rebooted after installing some music management software for my cell phone. I don't think that in itself was necessarily the problem, since I've observed the cpu do this before.

So...Do I have a CPU issue?

Those graphs show percentage of CPU usage. Different processes use a different amount of the CPUs power. Run a program like SPMark2004 ORTHOS and both of those graphs will be pinned at %100.

And the red line shows Kernel usage...

[Gig-O-Ram]

Originally Posted by RangerXLT8

Those graphs show percentage of CPU usage. Different processes use a different amount of the CPUs power. Run a program like SPMark2004 ORTHOS and both of those graphs will be pinned at %100.

And the red line shows Kernel usage...

Yeah, I understand it shows the percentage of usage, but when the line resembles a slope instead of a sharp incline, is that an indication that something is happening slower than usual, or does it just mean less usage?

[Quakindude]

While watching this on my computer, I've noticed those spikes to coincide with various software self updating. Like AVG self updates, unpacks the files, places the virus def's here, the App update there and the whole time, it's dong a background scan. And that's just one App. There are three or so more that self update at various times. I get chart graphs like yours when they do.

[Telexen]

There's all kinds of crap that Windows software does in the background that will cause CPU usage spikes.

Just to play it safe, you might take a look at the Processes tab and make sure there aren't any applications that shouldn't be running - maybe viruses/adaware. You can google any .exe that you don't recognize and find out what it is.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Telexen

There's all kinds of crap that Windows software does in the background that will cause CPU usage spikes.

Just to play it safe, you might take a look at the Processes tab and make sure there aren't any applications that shouldn't be running - maybe viruses/adaware. You can google any .exe that you don't recognize and find out what it is.

Agreed. You can also do a file search on the computer for the EXE and look at what folder it is in, that helps sometimes too.

[Gig-O-Ram]

I was just looking over some of the processes and decided to google one (csrss.exe) and I found a page with an explanation of the process, along with the following contradictory statement:

"Windows errors related to csrss.exe ?
csrss.exe is the main executable for the Microsoft Client/Server Runtime Server Subsystem. This process manages most graphical commands in Windows. This program is important for the stable and secure running of your computer and should not be terminated.

Note: csrss.exe is a process which is registered as a trojan. This Trojan allows attackers to access your computer from remote locations, stealing passwords, Internet banking and personal data. This process is a security risk and should be removed from your system."

I'm thinking of the song by The Clash right now - "Should I stay or should I go?"

I had also been wondering if the "slower" spikes were a result of my overclock causing some kind of problem, but even with my cpu temps running a bit higher since I moved to a higher elevation, they still aren't that bad. But the thing about apps self updating could be a factor, since I get almost daily updates to my virus protection, and the "svchost.exe" does quite a bit sometimes, especially after booting the system.