100% CPU usage

[tnash]

Hi guys,
quick question is there a way to prevent the game whacking up my CPU usage to 100% continuously, I'm using it on a laptop which tends to overheat very quickly when the CPU is pushed like that constantly and it is not very healthy for the processor either.

I'm using the latest stable build installer version (not svn) for windows, on windows XP sp2
The machine is a Turion 64 ML-28 1.6ghz with 2GB of ram
While its hardly state of the art and high CPU usage is expected most games only hit the 100% mark for very short periods of time, not continuously.

[BTAxis]

As long as you haven't overclocked your hardware there shouldn't be any reason why your CPU should suffer from 100% use. After all, if you can't use your rig for all it can do, you've been ripped off. I guess laptops have heat dissipation problems moreso than normal computers, but even so it shouldn't overheat just because you're using it according to its factory specifications.

100% CPU usage can be troublesome for other reasons, though, especially multitasking related ones.

[Mattn]

try to reduced the cl_maxfps cvar value

[tnash]

As long as you haven't overclocked your hardware there shouldn't be any reason why your CPU should suffer from 100% use. After all, if you can't use your rig for all it can do, you've been ripped off.

The occasional 100% usage or maxing out your rig is fine but most machines can't cope with it constantly for several hours on end, in a laptop this tends to also cause substantial over heating but 100% continuous CPU usage in any machine will result in nasty things occurring.

The solution I found came was a CPU limiter software set it to 98% max usage for the application and problem solved at least for me with only a tiny bit of noticeable lag but at least the machine stays alive. But I will try reducing the cl_maxfps and see if that makes a difference thanks for the suggestion

[BTAxis]

The occasional 100% usage or maxing out your rig is fine but most machines can't cope with it constantly for several hours on end,

Yes they can. Mine can. Happens with some regularity when I compile the UFO:AI maps. Also when I re-encode video captures. 100% CPU usage isn't pushing your machine beyond what it can handle. It's perfectly normal.

[tnash]

100% CPU usage isn't pushing your machine beyond what it can handle. It's perfectly normal.

For those interested AMD recommend for Turion 64 processors that the CPU should be at maximum for no more then 2 minutes (it should be noted what Windows thinks is maximum and what the CPU/Bios think is very different, normally when you see 100% usage in the task manager its nothing of the sort) their official solution is to enable their function which increases and decreases CPU usage automatically and in theory the machine should throttle itself back before overheating, didn't work for me but I do have a now quite old CPU it is time for a new laptop.

[Darkpriest667]

ive always found laptops to have crappy ventilation systems for heat dissipation


also laptops were never made for gaming.. Get a good desktop and this will never happen.