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Firefox CPU usage at 100% on laptop?

J

jana519

Senior member
I have a Dell D430 with a 1.2Ghz C2D processor. When I use Firefox with just 2 tabs open my CPU usage jumps up to 100% and sometimes stays around 90% consistently. This happens when I'm just on AnandTech or Google as well. Is this normal?
 
Has Firefox been updated? Current version is 30.0. What you described was common a couple years ago or if the browser is left open for a week straight. It might also help to update Flash Player or uninstall it. It might also help to use the No Script add-on.

If none of that helps, then switch to Google Chrome or Opera.
 
chusteczka said:
Has Firefox been updated? Current version is 30.0. What you described was common a couple years ago or if the browser is left open for a week straight. It might also help to update Flash Player or uninstall it. It might also help to use the No Script add-on.

If none of that helps, then switch to Google Chrome or Opera.
Click to expand...

I am updated on the latest version of Firefox and Flash. The problem is intermittent, it may just be a necessary cache clear is all. It usually happens after I open up some Tabs with Twitch or Youtube.

pcslookout said:
What add-ons do you have installed ?
Click to expand...

Java, Flash, VLC, is pretty much it. Very vanilla.
 
jana519 said:
...It usually happens after I open up some Tabs with Twitch or Youtube...
Click to expand...

This is probably it. Depending on what video card you have, youtube can use a lot of cpu power. If you have a decent video card however, it should take over.

I use Firefox by default. I have tried Chrome several times, but always end up going back to Firefox, even though the latest version is very similar to Chrome visually.
 
ketchup79 said:
This is probably it. Depending on what video card you have, youtube can use a lot of cpu power. If you have a decent video card however, it should take over.

I use Firefox by default. I have tried Chrome several times, but always end up going back to Firefox, even though the latest version is very similar to Chrome visually.
Click to expand...

How does the video card take over when going to sites like YouTube ?
 
pcslookout said:
How does the video card take over when going to sites like YouTube ?
Click to expand...

Well, Firefox is designed to do this for Flash and other video formats by default. However, the video card has to be capable, and the drivers have to be designed, to do this.

TBH, it is rare to see that in a new machine. But with a Core 2 Duo running GMA 950, Firefox may decide that the onboard graphics aren't up to the challenge and run everything straight off the CPU.

See posts 5 and 6 here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/659143-flash-os-x.html
 
ketchup79 said:
Well, Firefox is designed to do this for Flash and other video formats by default. However, the video card has to be capable, and the drivers have to be designed, to do this.

TBH, it is rare to see that in a new machine. But with a Core 2 Duo running GMA 950, Firefox may decide that the onboard graphics aren't up to the challenge and run everything straight off the CPU.

See posts 5 and 6 here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/659143-flash-os-x.html
Click to expand...

Ah, I see now, thanks for explaining that. Can I just disable Flash hardware accel and then run everything in crappy resolution, so at least it's not so god awful slow?
 
Disabling Flash ads (or making them click-to-run) will make the but-I-was-just-on-Anandtech situation better (there are often some fairly hungry Flash ads served here).
 
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