CPU running very low utilization

jhafs

Junior Member
Jun 21, 2015
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0
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Just built a new computer with i7-5960X, ASUS X99A motherboard, and windows 8.1. I'm running a max of 8% utilization. I have a Thermaltake Frio Silent cooler and the cpu power management setting is 100% maximum. All parts are correctly matched (ram 2133, etc) Any ideas? I've been searching boards for hours and trying everything I can think of including prioritizing the app that should be maxing this cpu out. The app runs at 99% utilization on my old machine.
 

jhafs

Junior Member
Jun 21, 2015
9
0
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I'm running A.N.N.I. which is very CPU intensive. It was taking 99% of my 1Ghz processor on a Toshiba laptop so I upgraded to a completely new 3Ghz Intel computer and getting just 8% utilization. I tried upping the performance in the BIOS this morning and now I'm getting 9%. Just can't figure this one out. :hmm:

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jhafs

Junior Member
Jun 21, 2015
9
0
0
Latest update: I just found out that the number of processors being utilized was factory defaulted to 1. I changed the setting using MSCONFIG/Boot tab to 8 and rebooted the machine and now I'm getting 18% utilization. Better, but clearly not anywhere near 100% utilization. Additionally, task manager is now showing Cores: 4 and Logical Processors: 8.
 

jhafs

Junior Member
Jun 21, 2015
9
0
0
Latest update 2: I changed the number of processors in MSCONFIG/Boot/Advanced options to 16 and rebooted. Now I'm back to 8% utilization. The task manager is now showing Cores: 8 and Logical Processors: 16. Very strange. I would have thought it would improve. I even set the priority on the process to High in the details tab.
 

jhafs

Junior Member
Jun 21, 2015
9
0
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New info: The resource manager shows that I have 16 CPUs and that CPU 14 is running 100% while all the others are at or near 0%. Am I just missing something or misunderstanding how this works? Can a program utilize more than 1 CPU for a single process? I was thinking that the great benefit of having an 8 core CPU was that it would fully utilize the whole CPU and make the task go screaming fast.
 

ShintaiDK

Lifer
Apr 22, 2012
20,378
146
106
What is "A.N.N.I"? Your pictures dont work.

It really depends on your program. Try run something like prime95. It should be able to run on 16 threads in your case and you should see much better utilization because ot can scale to that many threads.
 

jhafs

Junior Member
Jun 21, 2015
9
0
0
Well, I think that I may have gone as far as I can with this issue for the moment. I noticed that the software could be the problem as it has processor limiting issues. There is a post in the ANNI forums about this problem exactly and one solution is to run multiple instances of the program to utilize more processors. Must just be an old program or something. I'll try that and follow up with the results.
 

jhafs

Junior Member
Jun 21, 2015
9
0
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ANNI is Advanced Neural Network Investing. The CPU is utilizing 100% in very short instances now that I've upped the processors to 16 in MSCONFIG. So, I'm more convinced that it is a software issue. I'll follow up when I try running multiple instances of the program later today. Gotta go for now - Father's day duties.
 

RaistlinZ

Diamond Member
Oct 15, 2001
7,470
9
91
I'm running A.N.N.I. which is very CPU intensive. It was taking 99% of my 1Ghz processor on a Toshiba laptop so I upgraded to a completely new 3Ghz Intel computer and getting just 8% utilization. I tried upping the performance in the BIOS this morning and now I'm getting 9%. Just can't figure this one out.

I'm not sure I'm understanding the problem. The 5960X is a robust CPU. It SHOULD be using less utilization than your old 1Ghz laptop processor to do the same work.

Unless I'm missing something. :hmm:
 
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tortillasoup

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2011
1,977
4
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I'm not sure I'm understanding the problem. The 5960X is a robust CPU. It SHOULD be using less utilization than your old 1Ghz laptop processor to do the same work.

Unless I'm missing something. :hmm:

he went from a single core/dual core to a 8 or 16 thread/core processor but the software he's using is only single or double threaded or something to that effect.
 

jhafs

Junior Member
Jun 21, 2015
9
0
0
Problem solved: The program (ANNI) is limited to using only 1 processor at a time. But, you can run multiple instances of the program. So, the solution has been -
1. Change the number of processors in MSCONFIG/Boot/Advanced options to 16. The tech who built the computer yesterday failed to make this change.
2. Run multiple instances of ANNI. Each one consumes 100% of a single processor, or 8% of the total CPU capacity. I opened 8 instances and I'm now utilizing 74% of the CPU.
So, thank you everyone for the help especially ShintaiDK for pointing me in the direction of the software. I never suspected that the software would place a limit on how many processors it would utilize.
 

Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
5,530
141
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You don't need to change the number of processors in MSCONFIG, just leave the box unchecked.
 

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
ANNI is Advanced Neural Network Investing. The CPU is utilizing 100% in very short instances now that I've upped the processors to 16 in MSCONFIG. So, I'm more convinced that it is a software issue. I'll follow up when I try running multiple instances of the program later today. Gotta go for now - Father's day duties.

As Yuriman said, you don't need to enter the number of processors in MSCONFIG.

Go back and uncheck the box.
 
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escrow4

Diamond Member
Feb 4, 2013
3,339
122
106
As Yuriman said, you don't need to enter the number of processors in MSCONFIG.

Go back and uncheck the box.

This. Don't toucch or tick/untick anything in MSCONFIG unless you are absolutely sure you need to do it. That tech must have been lost if he set it to a single core.
 

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
This. Don't toucch or tick/untick anything in MSCONFIG unless you are absolutely sure you need to do it. That tech must have been lost if he set it to a single core.

No, the box is normally unchecked and 1 is normally in the space.

As long as the box is not checked, it doesn't matter what number is in the space, of course, so the 1 doesn't mean anything.