The GPU, or graphics card, is responsible for processing the video output and sending it to a screen such as a computer monitor. In the Windows Task Manager it tells you what percentage of the GPU is in use. Today, I will explain what percent your GPU should be at.
Ideally, your GPU should be at 100%. When it is, it’s utilizing all of its capacity. In practice a GPU will only be at 100% when running games, or doing graphics intensive tasks like video rendering. When idle, the GPU should be about 10% or less.
The more of the GPU is in use, the smoother the visual output will be. But, some computers are incapable of utilizing 100% of the GPU. Below, I will explain:
- Why your GPU is not utilizing 100%
- Reasons why your GPU Percentage is high
- Should your GPU be at 100% all the time
Let’s go!
Why Your GPU Is Not Utilizing 100%
When a GPU is being used to its fullest it will be utilizing 100% of its capacity. However, typically it won’t be unless you are doing something that is putting a big demand on the GPU. This includes:
- Computer games
- Video rendering
- Cryptocurrency mining
- Video editing
If you are not currently doing one of those on a computer the GPU will be far below 100%. Interestingly, it will be close to zero. If you are doing one of these tasks and your GPU is still not maxed out, it means you can turn up the settings.
For example, in a game you can turn the graphics to a higher setting. The only other reasons a GPU will not be utilizing 100% when your computer is doing one of the tasks above is if you installed a new GPU on an older CPU. Or, your GPU or CPU is getting too hot.
When that happens some models will ‘thermal throttle’. Where they will process slower to cool down. If this is occurring your GPU won’t get tasks fast enough from the CPU to be at 100%.
When your GPU is not utilizing 100% when it’s doing one of the graphics intensive tasks above, you should start by checking the temperature of your CPU and GPU to ensure they are within safe levels.
The operating temperature that is in a safe range for a GPU is 176°F (80 °C).
Checking your GPU is at safe operating temperatures at 100%
A GPU gets hotter the more of it is utilized. GPUs are designed to not overheat. But, it’s a good idea to double check it’s not overheating if it’s utilizing 100% or close to it.
As you may know a GPU can be either a dedicated graphics card or integrated graphics card. For dedicated graphics cards you can typically find its operating temperature. Whereas, for an integrated graphics card you need to use the CPU temperature.
Integrated graphics cards are typically not made with a thermometer. I explained in detail how to check the temperature of your GPU and CPU in this article about if your GPU should be at 90%. In short, you download a small free program to do it, as there is no tool in Windows to see what its temperature is.
Why Your GPU Percentage Is High
Your GPU usage should be high when your computer is doing graphics intensive tasks. The most common are gaming, and video editing. During normal use apart from gaming or video editing your GPU usage is high you may have a virus or malware. Or, the GPU is faulty.
After checking for viruses and malware, you should uninstall the driver for your graphics card, and restart your computer to reinstall. Otherwise, contact your graphics card manufacturer.
It’s not a problem if your GPU is running at 100% but it should be unless you are doing something graphics intensive.
Is It Bad if Your GPU Is at 80%
It is not bad if your GPU is at 80%. The higher the GPU utilization your computer has the better. When doing graphics intensive tasks a GPU will typically run at 100%.
Whereas, when idle or doing something like web browsing it should be about 10% or less most of the time.
Is It Bad if Your GPU Is at 90%
It’s not bad if your GPU is at 90%. Ideally, your GPU should be at 100%. But, this won’t happen unless you are doing graphics intensive tasks like gaming.
There is no issue at all with your GPU running at 90% or higher at 100%. The main thing to be aware of when doing that is that your computer doesn’t overheat.
If you are using a laptop and it’s running a bit hot, there are a few things you can do to cool it down. Two common accessories are a stand and cooling pads. I explained the differences between them and which is better in this article about laptop stands vs laptop cooling pads.
Should Your GPU be at 100%
When a computer component is running at 100%, it means it has no room for anything else. It is advisable for your GPU to be at 100%. It’s common in some industries such as cryptocurrency mining.
With that said, I wanted to dig a bit deeper, so I compiled some data to see what most people thought about how much of the GPU should be utilized. Here’s a table that shows the responses.
| Is high GPU usage (90% to 100%) good | Number of votes | Percentage |
| Yes | 32 | 93.75% |
| No | 2 | 6.25% |
From the responses you can see that almost everyone agrees that high GPU usage is good.
Should your GPU be 100% for gaming
Gaming puts a demand on the RAM, CPU (processor), and graphics card (GPU). It’s not uncommon to see all of these maxed out when gaming. In general, your GPU should be 100% for gaming. This means your GPU is giving you the best performance possible.
It’s common for games to utilize 100% of the GPU the entire time you are playing a game. Especially graphics intensive games.