Task manager/ resource monitor CPU usage

[JerzyDevil]

The task manager shows CPU usage at 86%, but the resource monitor shows it fluctuating between 3 and 8 percent with maximum frequency at 46%. Which is right and if maximum frequency is the speed of the chip, such as 2.0 Ghz, why isn't it always 100%?

 

[GEWB]

What CPU and motherboard do you have? I ask because some have built in throttling - lowers CPU speed when speed isn't needed.

Regards,
GEWB

 

[JerzyDevil]

It is a T60 with a 2.0 Ghz dual core.

 

[GEWB]

If a ThinkPad, it probably has CPU power management enabled in the BIOS (maybe a power scheme set up in Windows).

Features

• Dual Core
• 1.5 - 2.33 GHz clock speed
• 15 (low voltage) or 31 (normal voltage) watt thermal design power consumption
• 667 MHz FSB
• 151 Million Transistors
• 65 nm fabrication process
• 2 MB L2-Cache with dynamic cache sizing
• http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/SpeedStepEnhanced Intel SpeedStep (EIST), power states: normal (C0), AutoHALT/MWAIT (C1), Stop Grant (C2), Deep Sleep (C3), Deeper Sleep (C4)

Regards,
GEWB

 

[Dave76]

The Intel Speed Step or EIST, idles your CPU when not needed and speeds it up when more power is required.

It's a great fearure that keeps you temperatures and power consumption down.

Where you looking at task manager and resource monitor side by side?
They should be reading the same, speed step can change the CPU usage very quickly.

 

[JerzyDevil]

The task manager CPU usage does not change, it stays at whatever the reading when first opened and the memory meter remains fixed as well. The resource monitor reading will fluctuate which has me thinking that there is an issue with task manager.

 

[Dave76]

Just to be sure, run a full anti-virus scan with your AV and Malwarebytes.

Malwarebytes free version.

After d/l'ing, if you don't have it, be sure to update the database before running the full scan.