I'm running into a weird situation where my Windows Task Manager continually shows my CPU usage at 99%, but when I check AMD Ryzen Master, it indicates that my CPU power draw is only about 24% of its max capacity (around 34W). Interestingly, my idle temperatures have fallen from 60°C to 40°C after I adjusted the max CPU power limit from 100% to 99% in Power Plan settings. This discrepancy makes me suspect that Task Manager might be misreporting the CPU usage. Since Ryzen Master pulls data directly from the CPU sensors, it feels more reliable. My system isn't overheating or lagging at all, but that constant 99% usage display in Task Manager is concerning. I've tried looking for any stuck or resource-heavy processes in Task Manager, but so far, I haven't figured out what's causing this. I've also updated all my drivers and restarted my system, but the issue persists. What steps should I take to further diagnose or potentially fix this problem?
1 Answer
Task Manager shows usage percentage based on how long your CPU isn't idle, which doesn't always correlate with power draw. The CPU power state percentage isn't the same as the power limit either. Have you checked what Task Manager lists as using the CPU? Sometimes it can just be background processes that fluctuate constantly.
It usually just shows random stuff, switching frequently. Might be Task Manager itself or various apps using resources. But it’s consistently at 99%, and the temps are fine according to Ryzen Master, staying around 40°C with a power draw of about 25%.