CPU Utilization when IDLE in new patches (post 1.9)

[Diligence]

Hello,

My CPU utilization is too high on the new patch 1.9.2. Most likely on all 1.9.x, I didn't test them all. I did not have this issue in 1.8.7.

Even on the main menu, without doing anything, my CPU temperature rises to 75ºC. No other game pushes my CPU to this temperature, e.g. Cyberpunk 2077, Stalker 2, Oblivion Remake (Unreal 5). During gameplay the temperature remains high, but I didn't test much because I don't want to keep playing like this.

On the previous patch 1.8.7 even during gameplay the temperature was 65ºC max.

There has to be something wrong with this patch, 10ºC difference in temperature is too great. I updated NVIDIA graphics drivers to 576.80 and BIOS to latest version with AGESA PI-1.2.0.3c, but the problem remains.

• AMD Ryzen 7 7700 8-Core Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super
• 32 GB RAM 6000 MTs
• Windows 11 24H2

Patch 1.8.7 - Main menu, IDLE

Patch 1.9.2 - Main menu, IDLE

Patch 1.9.2 - Main menu, IDLE - OHM breakdown

 

[AndrewT]

AMD Ryzen 7 7700 8-Core Processor

Please check with AMD for updated CPU chipset drivers, we're seeing a few cases where updating them to the most recent helps.

Windows 11 24H2

Here is another workaround someone posted:
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...s-the-problem-with-computer-freezing.1774335/
Definitely worth a shot - let me know if that does help you! Note that to test it you don't actually need to use Processor Lasoo, just Affinity in Task Manager (for testing purposes anyway).

 

[Diligence]

Please check with AMD for updated CPU chipset drivers, we're seeing a few cases where updating them to the most recent helps.

Thank you for your support. I updated my chipset drivers to 7.06.02.123 but it didn't make a difference unfortunately.

Here is another workaround someone posted:
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...s-the-problem-with-computer-freezing.1774335/
Definitely worth a shot - let me know if that does help you! Note that to test it you don't actually need to use Processor Lasoo, just Affinity in Task Manager (for testing purposes anyway).

I tested this workaround, but it also doesn't make a difference. This helps to avoid the freezes, but in my case I don't even have that. My fans are going crazy just sitting on the main menu. During gameplay I have the same temperature, even on speed 5.

Main menu temperatures after chipset driver update are still high. Just sitting on main menu I see cores at 50% utilization. They all spiked to 100% during startup too, but I didn't freeze. If I rollback to 1.8.7 on the same system, it doesn't happen at all, everything is normal on that version.

Patch 1.9.2 - Main menu, after chipset driver update:

I also tried using the Vulkan renderer, but it's the same:

 

[Diligence]

Other things I tried, without success:

• Reinstalling the game
• Verifying game files on Steam
• Deleting shader cache on the game folders (C:\Users\XXXXXXXX\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Victoria 3\shadercache)
• Deleting shader cache on the NVidia driver folders
• Disabling onboard (integrated) graphics, since it also consumes some power even when idle
• Starting with -debug_mode but I don't see a way to profile CPU tasks; io_stats show no disk activity

This is my core usage when sitting idle at the main menu, using resource monitor:

 

[Diligence]

@AndrewT When testing I found something very strange, possibly related to the problem.

If I activate Vsync, my CPU temperature instantly drops 5ºC. If I enable it again, it rises again. Even stranger, because of how the game handles Vsync and frame limiting, my CPU has more utilization when the FPS is lower and limited by the game. I'll explain.

My monitor is 165 Hz. When Vsync if off I have the game limited to 60 FPS (using game option). Idle on the main menu, I have almost 75ºC.

If I enable Vsync, the game frame limiter stops working and I have 165 FPS (matches display refresh rate). When I do this, temperature INSTANTLY drops ~5ºC.

Now even stranger, without Vsync, if I limit FPS to 165 (higher than the 60 in the images above) my temperature also drops!

There is something seriously wrong, surely someone can reproduce this? I'll rollback to 1.8.7 again and test in that version. Maybe I'll try to record a video, this is crazy.

 

[Diligence]

I attach two videos (MKV format) of testing vsync on main menu, on both 1.9.2 and 1.8.7 versions. These videos are recorded on the same system, same driver versions, etc.

On the main menu they show a 20ºC temperature difference for CPU. On version 1.9.2 the Vsync setting has the behavior I described above,

 

[AndrewT]

My last shot is to check with your system vendor for an updated bios.

If that doesn't help I don't really have anything else to suggest on this; you've essentially tried everything I would have thought of and more. The fact that changing the video refresh rate affects the CPU temperature - which ought to be entirely unrelated - is a real puzzle!

 

[Leninl46]

Finally found someone facing the same issue as me.

My Setup is quite different:
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-14900K, 3200 Mhz, 24 Core(s), 32 Logical Processor(s)
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER
Memory 64GB Ram 4800 MT/s
Windows 11 24H2

All latest BIOS and drivers at time of writing.

Patch 1.8.7 Medium graphics using Vulkan and Vsync - Just sitting on the main menu
5% CPU Load Sitting around 50 C Enabling/disabling Vsync has no noticeable difference.

Patch 1.9.5 All settings the same Vsync enabled
20% CPU Load sitting around 70 C

Vsync Disabled 60 FPS cap
20% CPU Load sitting around 64, but fluctuating from 62 to 71

I believe this issue was also present using DX11, but its tricky to test as I was previously experiencing the system freezing issue hence the switch to Vulkan

Goes without saying but actually running the game gets even hotter, I've seen high 80s. Interestingly running the game at lower speeds vs speed 5 seems to make no difference to temperature as far as I can tell, neither does any graphics setting.
Its a real shame, I've been enjoying the patch but it feels like I'm abusing my CPU to do so, I genuinely thought I had an issue with my cooling and even went to a repair shop that found no related hardware issues.

I'm happy to provide additional screenshots and details if that would be of any use.

 

[AndrewT]

Patch 1.9.5 All settings the same Vsync enabled
20% CPU Load sitting around 70 C

Vsync Disabled 60 FPS cap
20% CPU Load sitting around 64, but fluctuating from 62 to 71

That's a pretty high temp for a very modest CPU load - after all that means its 80% idle! But below the level that I see problems at, which is 80c plus.

You mention Vulkan and DX11, but they wouldn't impact CPU usage, only GPU. What rate and temps do you see there?

And, aside from those numbers, do you feel this is causing you game or other problems?

 

[Leninl46]

That's a pretty high temp for a very modest CPU load - after all that means its 80% idle! But below the level that I see problems at, which is 80c plus.

You mention Vulkan and DX11, but they wouldn't impact CPU usage, only GPU. What rate and temps do you see there?

And, aside from those numbers, do you feel this is causing you game or other problems?

Hello, thank you for your quick response.

Just for reference I'm using pretty decent liquid cooling for my CPU.
I know its comparing apples to oranges but it can keep my temps at 60 with a few degrees wiggle room running HOI4 at speed 4 with slightly below 20% CPU load according to the same monitoring software.
Sitting paused ingame VIC3 I'm seeing fluctuations from 80-90 with my cooling going max speed with 22- 25 % CPU load.
Also it seems I was incorrect about game speed not mattering, I can easily hit over 100 if I go speed 5.

Apologies if I misunderstood your question about GPU, but again just sitting paused in VIC 3 its sitting comfortably around 35 if I wait long enough for the fans to get going at their minimum . The load is strange, it alternates between two patterns, one I'd describe it as like a saw tooth, its jumping up and down every few seconds, say between 16% and 36%, then sits flat at ~33% for a while, then goes back to jumping around. (Using medium settings, no Vsync 60fps cap)

Oh, another thing I've noticed, sorry if its irrelevant, is the speed of my CPU in GHz, in say HOI4 it sits around 4.6 GHz, while in Vic3 it goes up to 5.5 GHz (give or take a decimal or two in both cases) could that be the source of the temperature difference at supposedly comparable CPU load?

As for my experience playing, aside from the occasional freeze for a few seconds after initially loading into the game map itself (very rare) it has been completely smooth, if I didn't hear my cooling start blasting I wouldn't know my system was under any kind of stress, frame rate is rock solid etc.

Anyway thanks again for reaching out, I really thought I was going to be shouting into the void. This is all outside my area of knowledge so I do apologise if I'm just missing something obvious. Again happy to provide any more details that might elucidate the mystery, I didn't want to drown a moderator in a sea of paper and dump every number I could find. I'd be more than happy to be the idiot missing the big 'dont cook your PC' checkbox everyone should know.

 

[AndrewT]

I can't explain why different games run the CPU at different speeds. The games themselves have no way of directly affecting that, are you perhaps running MSI AfterBurner or any other such 'optimisation' utility?

How a liquid cooling system gets to 100c in any circumstances is also very hard to understand! Have you checked all the cooling systems, fans etc, are okay? Thermal paste okay?

What fps are you seeing in the game?

 

[Leninl46]

I can't explain why different games run the CPU at different speeds. The games themselves have no way of directly affecting that, are you perhaps running MSI AfterBurner or any other such 'optimisation' utility?

How a liquid cooling system gets to 100c in any circumstances is also very hard to understand! Have you checked all the cooling systems, fans etc, are okay? Thermal paste okay?

What fps are you seeing in the game?

I have no utilities to boost performance installed as far as I know. I recently did a fresh operating system installation so it would have to be something installed by default and in the background.

I took my PC to have its cooling checked this week, new paste applied, dust cleaned out etc. In theory this is as cool as my setup gets.

For FPS if I remove all caps, in the menu I'm hitting 450 - 500, in game paused around 180 and 160 - 180 at speed 4.

In the system resource monitor I see more than double the avg CPU use just on the games menu compared to 1.8.7, from 4% to 10% so it seems something is working to make my system sweat.

Thank you.

 

[AndrewT]

Is it still the case that limiting the refresh rate in our launcher, to 60 say, has no effect and it still runs up in the hundreds?


DXDIAG is a program you run from the Windows search box on the task bar. After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.
IF dxdiag.txt fails to attach here, rename it to dxdiag.log , or zip it up.

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Victoria3/pdx_settings.json .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Victoria3/logs/ folder, attach here system.log



Please install and run the free utility Speccy. Send its output to a text file and attach that here please.
https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/download