I've recently bought a Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15IJL7, and I'm noticing that it often shows 100% CPU usage, even when I'm just using Google Chrome with a few tabs and Discord. Sometimes, it jumps to this level even when I open Notepad. I have 20GB of RAM, so I expected this would prevent CPU bottlenecks. I restart the laptop regularly, but that doesn't seem to help. The CPU is an Intel Celeron N4500 @ 1.10GHz—could that be the issue?
5 Answers
That CPU can only handle two cores and two threads, which is a big limitation for multitasking. Just having more RAM won’t help because your processor is the bottleneck.
You really get what you pay for with budget laptops. Upgrading the HDD to an SSD could help speed things up, but overall it's likely time to look for a more powerful laptop if you need one that can handle more tasks.
I’ve used the N4500 for light browsing and basic tasks, but it doesn’t cut it for anything heavier, especially with Windows 11. Consider looking for something a bit more robust if you're running into performance issues regularly.
Honestly, it's surprising they sell these models. If you can, you should consider returning it. It's essentially a budget laptop that won’t serve you well in the long run.
Exactly! If someone doesn't know what they're looking for, they might end up with something that can't handle basic tasks.
The Intel Celeron N4500 is pretty low-end for everyday tasks, especially with modern apps. It struggles to keep up with just a few tabs open, so hitting 100% CPU usage is pretty normal for that chip.
Yeah, you can definitely find better options out there. Even entry-level Ryzen or Intel i3 laptops give much better performance without breaking the bank.