I’m experiencing a strange issue where my CPU is constantly running at 100% capacity, even when there are no background programs running. I’ve tried various troubleshooting steps, including updating my GPU drivers, performing a clean install of Windows 11, and running multiple virus scans. I’ve also used DDU to check for issues with my graphics drivers.
Here are my system specs:
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12-Core Processor
RAM: 32 GB (four sticks of DDR4)
SSD: 1 TB M.2 G4 NVME
Second SSD: 1 TB M.2 G3-4 NVME
Mother Board: MSI MPG B550 Carbon WIFI
Despite the high CPU usage, I haven’t noticed any performance drops, which is unusual. Using Windows Performance Analyzer (WPA), I found that an “Idle Thread” process with a Thread Id of 0 was consuming 96% of my CPU. However, this process doesn’t appear in Task Manager. I’ve attached a screenshot of the WPA results for reference.
Wow, you’ve definitely done your due diligence on troubleshooting this issue Alright, let’s dive in and see if we can figure out what’s going on.
First off, the fact that you’re not experiencing any performance drops despite the high CPU usage is indeed unusual. It’s possible that the “Idle Thread” process you mentioned is somehow related to the high CPU usage, but since it doesn’t show up in Task Manager, it’s a bit tricky to diagnose.
Here are a few potential solutions you could try:
- Disable Hyper-Threading: Since you have a Ryzen 9 3900X, you have a lot of cores and threads. Try disabling Hyper-Threading in your BIOS settings to see if that makes a difference. This might help reduce the CPU usage.
To do this:
a. Enter your BIOS settings (usually by pressing Del or F2 during boot).
b. Look for the “Advanced” or “Performance” tab.
c. Find the “Hyper-Threading” or “SIMD” option and set it to “Disabled”.
d. Save your changes and exit the BIOS settings.
-
Check for rogue system processes: Even though you’ve run virus scans, it’s possible that there’s a malicious process running in the background that’s consuming CPU resources.
Try using a tool like Process Explorer or Autoruns to see if there are any suspicious processes running. These tools can help you identify and terminate any rogue processes.
-
Update your chipset drivers: Since you’ve updated your GPU drivers, let’s make sure your chipset drivers are up to date as well. You can download the latest drivers from the AMD website.
-
Monitor your system for overclocking: If you’ve overclocked your CPU or GPU, it could be causing the high CPU usage. Try resetting your overclocking settings to their default values to see if that makes a difference.
-
Run a CPU stress test: Tools like Prime95 or OCCT can help you identify if there’s a hardware issue with your CPU. Run a stress test for a few hours to see if your CPU usage remains high.
Let me know if any of these steps help alleviate the issue. If not, we can continue troubleshooting