I have an i5-10400, 32 GB of RAM, and an 8 GB RTX 5060. In games such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Baldur's Gate 3, Fortnite, FC26, WWE, and modded Skyrim, the CPU often reaches 90–100% usage while the GPU sits around 20%. I would like to maintain roughly 95 FPS without the processor being fully loaded. I have a 1080p monitor, so increasing resolution is not very practical. Is there a setting or other solution that can reduce the CPU load?
3 Answers
If your goal is simply to stop the CPU from sitting at 100%, cap the frame rate below the maximum your system can currently produce. A limit around 60, 75, or another stable value can reduce CPU load and frame-time spikes. You can also lower CPU-heavy settings such as view distance, crowds, simulation distance, and AI-related options, though that may reduce visual detail or game-world complexity.
Based on those usage numbers, the CPU is the bottleneck, not the graphics card. The processor is producing frames as quickly as it can while the RTX 5060 waits for more work. Increasing resolution or GPU-heavy settings may raise GPU usage, but it will not make the CPU capable of producing more FPS or eliminate CPU-related stutters. A CPU upgrade is the real long-term solution.
Before replacing anything, check for configuration problems. Make sure the monitor cable is connected to the graphics card rather than the motherboard, install current graphics drivers, and confirm that the RAM is running at its rated speed with XMP enabled. Also monitor individual CPU core usage and temperatures, since overall usage can hide one heavily loaded core. If everything is configured correctly, the i5-10400 will still limit a powerful modern GPU in CPU-heavy games.
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