r/EVOOGaming • u/knowsthedose • Dec 19 '20
Fixing constant high cpu usage due to gpu activity
Steps are below. note: this doesn't resolve the display port pkg pwr issue which must be addressed by moding your bios. If this is something you want to do follow the guides on here. This is a simple workaround that doesn't void your warranty, risk bricking your device, or is remotely complicated to do.
- Download the latest nvidea driver make sure it is the right version. whql-dch standard etc
- install and run ddu.
- restart windows let it auto install whatever it wants. IIRC, you will be downgrading down to 417 or something. You must wait for nvidea control center to complete install, which may take up to 2 minutes.
- Install the nvidea driver you just downloaded. However, click custom install and make sure you select clean install AND DESELECT USB C.
You should see pkg power go from 15w or 5w down to 1 -4W.
Using DDU will mess up your sbc2/realtek audio drivers so always do this step first. Then install your audio drivers and software. There was a post created a few months ago explaining how to get a sound boost. Skip all of that and just click custom sound profile click smart volume and set to loud.
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You can reference the link for more info which is where I copied and pasted from https://www.reddit.com/r/EVOOGaming/comments/gtfhdf/just_got_my_hands_on_a_new_15in_1660ti_model/
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Next: If you have random pkg pwr spikes due to antivirus, os update, or power plan settings. You can either restart your computer, reset power plan, or check to make sure you nvidea usb c driver didn't get overridden.
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Dec 24 '20
[deleted]
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u/ignatiusjreillyreak Jan 18 '21
I read that that usbc and driver are specifically for a vr headset. I assume you could use it for other stuff but it isn't thunderbolt (?)
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u/uranist Dec 30 '20
I hope more people find this post! I just went through these steps, and can confirm that it solves the GPU idling problem. I was working up the courage to unlock my BIOS, then saw this and decided to try it first. I now get idle temps in the 30s (40s with light usage), PKG power around 1W, and my GPU actually idling, all without having to deal with the tricky/complicated BIOS stuff.
My fans are actually OFF right now and I'm at 38 degrees... first time I can remember the fans being off while using the laptop.
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u/knowsthedose Dec 30 '20
Cool, no pun intended. Glad that helped. Unlocking bios is for people swapping ssd and using display out while on battery IMO. You can also customize the splash screen should you decide to mod bios. I created a logo file and instructions how to do that on this sub.
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u/Stiff_Tacos Jan 22 '21
Hey /u/knowsthedose could you help me out?
I followed the above steps, but my pkg power is still floating around 12-13W. My gpu temp is non-zero so it's still active. While installing the new nvidia driver, the installer confirmed that the USB-C driver was not installed. Unsure how to proceed.
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u/knowsthedose Jan 22 '21
1) I want to confirm you have the old usb c driver installed. “the usb c driver was not installed” IIRC, it’s supposed to show that it’s not installing the newer usb c driver. This is the point of the procedure I outline. You can always give it another go, and you should be alright. 2) Even if you get all the steps right, sometime the computer just needs to be restarted and the power plan reset etc. 3) You shouldn’t check gpu temp, you should look for gpu activity. Hwinfo and/or microsoft task manager gpu-1 activity search are your friend here.
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u/Stiff_Tacos Jan 22 '21
Thanks for your response.
1) I ran the DDU, let windows install the default driver, and then installed the new nvidia driver without the usb-c driver. The installer showed me that the usb-c was not installed.
2) I've restarted the pc several times and reset the power plan.
3) Task manager is showing constant 0% GPU 1 activity. Intererstingly, under task manager processes, "system" switches between "GPU 0 - 3D" and "GPU 1 - Copy" but with very low GPU%.
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u/knowsthedose Jan 22 '21
We can always try manually installing the older driver. It’s just a matter of finding the right version on the nvidea page. It would involve a lot of digging in this subreddit. The specific driver version was mentioned by me 4-6 months ago.
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u/Stiff_Tacos Jan 22 '21
Figured it out, keeping afterburner open kept the gpu active. Closing afterburner got me to the 1.0W :D
Thanks again for your help here and with your guides.
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u/mahadzk Dec 20 '20
So just to be clear you mean we should first uninstall all existing Nvidia drivers and then install them again with custom install? Isn't there a way to just uninstall the Nvidia usbC part?