A dedicated or integrated graphics card (GPU) is utilized a little or a lot depending on what your computer is running.
In some cases the GPU utilization on a computer can be as high as 99% all the time, whereas, at others it only stays very high when doing something resource intensive on your computer. In this article, I will explain if 99% CPU utilization is good.
99% CPU utilization is good. When your GPU is being utilized close or at 100% it’s perfectly fine. It is best for a GPU to operate at as close to 100% as possible. To do so it relies on the CPU being fast enough to fully utilize the GPU.
GPUs are designed to operate for very long periods of time at 100% utilization, but there are some things to know if your GPU is maxed out, or close to it. Below, I will cover:
- What it means when your GPU is at 99% – when idle and in use
- What your GPU utilization should be
- Why GPU utilization is 99% when idle
Let’s go!
What It Means When Your GPU Is at 99%
It’s normal to see the GPU utilization on your computer fluctuate. The reason the utilization of your graphics card changes is based on what demands you are putting on it.
The work the GPU does is primarily:
Deciding what pixels to put where on the display output, such as a monitor, TV, or projector.
Therefore, the more complex and fast moving the video output is the more work it needs to do. Which will typically max out the GPU.
When your GPU is at 99%, it’s nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s ideal. There are low end, mid range, and high end graphics cards. High end graphics cards are harder to max out, because they need a more powerful CPU.
If the graphics card is too fast for a computer, it won’t be utilized to the fullest. And the utilization will be far below 100%, even when putting a big demand on the GPU by playing a graphics intensive computer game.
For example, if you are watching a Sci-Fi movie, or playing a computer game. The other main thing is when it needs to display and calculate what is happening in a 3D world. Such as, a first person game.
I wanted to get an idea about what experienced gamers, and PC users think about GPU usage, so I compiled some data from a survey. The questions was asked: Is high GPU usage good?
Here’s a table that shows the results.
| Is high GPU usage (90% to 100%) good? | Number of votes | Percentage |
| Yes | 32 | 93.75% |
| No | 2 | 6.25% |
From the results you can see that almost everyone said that high GPU usage is good. Interestingly, a GPU functions almost identically to the processor on a computer – also called the CPU.
It has a processor, and RAM. The CPU is another key component on a computer. In the Windows Task Manager you can also see what percentage of it is utilized. It can also be high, and max out.
I explained if this is OK, in this article about whether high CPU usage is bad.
Known issues with a GPU running above 90%
Running a GPU above 90% is fine. But, when doing that your GPU will be running hotter. GPUs are designed to not overheat even when operating above 90%. However, it’s a good idea to double check the temperature of your computer from time to time.
In the past, I have installed a Windows add-on that shows the temperature in the task bar at the bottom of Windows. But, after having it displayed for some time, I’ve noticed that it rarely changes within a range. So, I turned it off. And now periodically check it.
If there is a build up of dust, or some other issue, your GPU can get too hot and damage itself. Also, the weather is very warm, your PC can have a harder time than normal, cooling itself.
The best way to check the temperature of your PC is using a free tool. There are a tonne of them out there. I showed one that works really well, in the article linked to above about if high CPU usage is bad.
Some GPUs have an inbuilt thermometer, where it will state the temperature using one of the free tools. But, commonly, computers with integrated graphics cards don’t have one. In that case, you need to use the CPU temperature as the GPU temperature.
GPU Usage 99% When Idle
In general, GPU usage at 99% when idle indicates a virus or malware. GPU usage should not be at 99% when idle. It should only be at 99% when it is displaying something that is visually complex on the display device. Such as, as a monitor, TV, or projector.
You should run a virus and malware scan on your computer. Then, ensure Windows is up to date to the latest version, and update the drivers for your graphics card.
If it’s still happening, open the Task Manager on Windows, and look at the list of open applications to see which ones are using the most resources. It’s possible there is a background program open that is hogging all your computer’s resources.
What Should Your GPU Utilization Be
Your GPU utilization should be 100% when doing something that puts a big demand on the GPU. Such as, gaming, or rendering a video. When idle, it should be at 50% or below. When your GPU is at 100% it means it’s working to the max.
When the GPU utilization is below 100%, it means it’s waiting on data from the CPU. This can be because there is nothing for it to do – such as when your PC is idle or not doing anything graphics intensive.
Or, if the CPU is too slow for the GPU. This can happen if the GPU is significantly faster than the CPU. In essence, the extra capacity and processing power of the GPU is not able to be used because the CPU can’t keep up.
It’s easy to see if this is happening because your GPU percentage will be under 70% even when playing games on the highest graphics setting. In that case, the best way to get improved performance is to get a faster CPU.