Why your CPU never goes above 50% in games and how to fix it

If you're playing a game, you look at the performance monitor and see that the CPU doesn't go above 40-50%, it's normal to have doubts. Many gamers think their processor is "lazy" or underutilizedThis is especially frustrating when the FPS doesn't reach the expected levels on monitors with refresh rates of 120Hz, 144Hz, or higher. This feeling is amplified when you've invested in a good computer and can't understand why it's not performing as it should.

The reality is that, in most cases, A CPU that doesn't reach 100% usage is not a faultbut rather the result of how the games are designed, the limitations of the GPU, or even Windows configuration and drivers. However, it's also true that system errors, corrupted user profiles, or software problems can prevent you from getting the most out of your hardware. Let's explain. Why does your CPU never go above 50% in games?

What does it really mean when your CPU doesn't go above 50% in games?

The first thing is to understand what you're seeing when you open Task Manager or tools like MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner. The CPU usage percentage is an average of the workload of all cores.Not a single thread. That means you could have one or two cores 100% saturated and others half-idle, and the interface would still show you an overall usage of 40-50%.

Many game engines, especially older or poorly optimized ones, They do not distribute the work evenly among all the centers.In other words, the game might be throttling on a couple of threads while the rest of the processor remains idle. From the outside, it looks like the CPU isn't being used, but in reality, the game simply doesn't know how to utilize it.

The role of the GPU must also be taken into account (and techniques such as undervolt your GPU). If the graphics card is the component that goes to 90-99% usageIt's the graphics card that's setting the performance limit. In these cases, the CPU doesn't need to work beyond a certain point, because what's holding you back are the graphics card's rendering times, not the processor's calculations.

Therefore, Seeing the CPU at 50% with the GPU near its maximum usually indicates that the bottleneck is in the graphics card.not in the processor. And that's perfectly normal, especially if you're playing with high/ultra graphics settings and resolutions like 1440p or 4K.

On the other hand, if the situation is the opposite—GPU at 40-50%, CPU at 40-50% and low FPS—the problem may lie elsewhere: Poor game optimization, driver issues, Windows errors, or a background process blocking resources.

Typical case: good hardware, weak FPS, and underutilized GPU

A common example is a computer with a powerful processor and a high-end graphics card that still seems to underperform in certain games. Imagine a configuration like this: Ryzen 5 5600X, RTX 3070, 16 GB of RAM and a 750 W power supplyOn paper, that's more than enough to play at 144 Hz in many competitive games.

In this type of equipment, some users observe that the GPU usage barely reaches 50-60% while FPS remains at 50-80far from the 144 MHz they're aiming for to take full advantage of the monitor. The temperatures are normal (60-70 ºC on the GPU, slightly over 70 ºC on the CPU at full load), so in principle it doesn't seem to be a problem of overheating or thermal throttling.

The curious thing is that, when trying other, more demanding but better optimized titles, such as certain recent AAA games, The graph does indeed jump to 95-99% and the team performs as expectedIn fact, some users have found that in well-made games their GPU is fully utilized without problems, and the FPS increases significantly.

This leads us to an important conclusion: Often there's nothing "broken" on your PC, but rather poorly optimized games or games with specific problems. with certain processors or architectures. Cases have been documented where titles such as some versions of Cyberpunk or Warzone 2 showed strange CPU usage on AMD processors, leaving part of the chip underutilized for simple engine optimization reasons.

In other words, Just because you see low CPU or GPU load doesn't always mean your hardware is the problem.Often the limiting factor is the game itself, its graphics engine, or how it manages threads and instructions for certain platforms.

When to worry (and when not) about CPU usage

Before you go crazy changing parts, it's important to understand in which situations 50% CPU usage is perfectly normal, and when it might be hiding something that deserves attention. The FPS context, GPU load, and game type are key to interpret those percentages.

If you're playing a demanding title with high graphics, high resolution, and The GPU is almost at 100% usage with FPS in line with the level of detail.Having the CPU at 40-60% is the ideal scenario. It means the processor has plenty of power and the graphics card is doing the work, which is exactly what you want when gaming.

Conversely, if you see that both the CPU and GPU are around 40-60% and still Your FPS is disappointing for what your computer should be performing at.Then there might be a real problem. Several possibilities come into play: internal limitations of the game engine, errors in the operating system itself, a corrupted user profile, or faulty drivers.

Another warning sign is that CPU usage never goes above a certain percentage, even under heavy loads outside of games, such as benchmarks or demanding applications. If your CPU seems to have an artificial "ceiling" in different scenariosThis could be a symptom of something deeper, such as system file failures, power management issues, or even BIOS problems.

In summary, The key is not to jump to conclusions just by seeing a number in the Task Manager.You have to look at the whole picture: temperatures, GPU usage, game type, graphics settings, Windows version, and overall system health.

Check Windows: System errors that can limit performance

Before blaming the hardware, it is essential to rule out that Windows is not carrying around corrupted files or settings that affect the overall performance of the PC. A buggy operating system can cause unusual CPU and GPU usage, crashes, stuttering, or a constant feeling that the computer is running "weirdly."

Microsoft recommends, as a first step when system integrity issues are suspected, Run the DISM and SFC tools from the console with administrator privileges.and for additional diagnostics use essential tools from NirSoftThese utilities analyze and repair essential Windows files that may be damaged by power outages, failed updates, malware, or faulty program installations.

The usual procedure is to open Command Prompt as administrator and launch, one after the other, several commands that examine and restore the Windows imageThese are, for example, the following (by typing them and pressing Enter after each one):

DISM / Online / Cleanup Image / CheckHealth
DISM / Online / Cleanup Image / ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image / RestoreHealth
SFC / scannow

For a while, the system will analyze the main components of Windows and, if it finds errors, It will attempt to repair them automatically by downloading clean files or replacing the damaged ones.At the end, it will display a summary indicating whether it found any issues and whether it was able to resolve them.

It is important, once the process is complete, Restart your computer for all changes to take effect. and then try the games again. In some cases, this simple step has been enough to resolve performance drops, strange crashes, and anomalous CPU/GPU usage readings.

If after running DISM and SFC everything seems to be in order, but the behavior remains erratic, it is advisable to continue checking other areas of the system before considering a physical failure of the processor or motherboard.

Try using a new user profile in Windows

Another point that many people overlook is that, sometimes, The Windows user profile itself may be corruptedThis means problems only with one specific account (yours), while others work fine. Corrupted settings, broken permissions, or corrupted profile files can even affect gaming performance.

To rule out this possibility, it is recommended Create a new user account and try the games from that clean profile.The process, broadly speaking, involves going to Windows settings, to the accounts section, and adding a new local user, without necessarily linking it to a Microsoft account in the cloud.

From the Start menu, go to Settings and then to Accounts. From there, you'll find the Accounts section. "Family and other users" (or "Other users" in some versions)There, you can click the option to add another person to this PC and follow the wizard.

When the system asks you for your information, you can choose the option that You do not have login information From that person, and on the next screen select that you want to create a user without a Microsoft account. This will allow you to define a username and, if you wish, a password, hints, or security questions.

Once the account is created, Log in with that new user and try the same games as before.If CPU/GPU usage, FPS, and stability improve significantly in this new profile, it's very likely that the original profile was corrupted. In that case, the simplest solution is usually to migrate your data to the new user and abandon the old one.

Beyond Windows: drivers, power, and other key settings

Although system tools and user profiles are important, The cause of unusual CPU usage in games is often related to drivers or basic configurations. that are overlooked. It's advisable to examine several aspects before blaming the hardware or the game itself.

Firstly, Make sure you have your GPU drivers properly installed and up to date.A corrupted or outdated driver can prevent the graphics card from performing optimally, resulting in low performance and stagnant FPS. Sometimes it's worth completely uninstalling the drivers using tools like DDU (in safe mode) and then reinstalling the latest clean version.

It is also advisable to review the Windows power planIf the system is in power-saving mode or on a balanced plan with too many restrictions, it can limit the CPU frequency and reduce responsiveness in games. Setting the plan to High performance, or, in Windows 11, enabling enhanced performance modes, can make a difference, especially on laptops.

Don't forget to check out the motherboard BIOS/UEFIHaving a very old BIOS on systems with modern processors (such as Ryzen 5000 on B450 motherboards, for example) can result in suboptimal support; consider recent models such as Ryzen 7 9850X3D and the necessary compatibility. A BIOS update, following the manufacturer's instructions and with care, can improve compatibility and performance.

Finally, check which programs are running in the background: overly aggressive antivirus programs, capture software, overlays, third-party applications, and other resident processes They may be consuming resources or interfering with the game. Disable anything non-essential and test performance again to see if there are any changes.

The role of game optimization and the graphics engine

There is one point that should be very clear: Not all games are equally well optimized.Some, despite being very popular, have engines that do not scale well with multi-core processors, do not take proper advantage of certain architectures (such as some AMD CPUs), or simply suffer from known performance problems.

Cases reported by the community demonstrate that, with the same hardware, Some games keep the GPU well below its capacityWhile in some cases it runs at full capacity without issue. In other words, the game itself might be the limiting factor, not your PC or your configuration.

There are engines that, by design, They are not able to perfectly distribute the load among all CPU threadsIn such cases, a couple of cores may be pushed to their absolute limit while the rest are just "cruising," and the performance monitor will show an average usage that does not reflect the actual saturation of those critical threads.

Additionally, some games have specific problems with certain hardware and driver combinations, especially in the early versions after release. A subsequent patch or driver update may significantly improve CPU and GPU usage.So it's important to keep both the game and the system up to date.

If you suspect the problem lies in the title, look for information in specialized forums and communities: It's not uncommon to find entire threads from users with the same processor and graphics card describing identical symptoms.In many cases, you'll come to the conclusion that it's a known optimization flaw, and not something you can completely fix on your end.

When to consider a clean installation or seek technical support

If you've already run tools like DISM and SFC, tried a new user profile, updated your BIOS and drivers, checked your power settings, and verified that it's not just a poorly optimized game, It's understandable that you're starting to suspect a more serious problem..

Before you rush into changing components, an intermediate option is perform a clean install of WindowsThis means formatting the system partition and installing the operating system from scratch, without carrying over remnants of previous configurations, old drivers, or software that may be interfering.

A clean installation virtually eliminates any doubt about deep system errors, corrupted files that could not be repaired, or program conflicts accumulated over timeOf course, this involves backing up your data, reinstalling your games and applications, and spending some time getting everything just the way you like it again.

Yes, even after a fresh installation, The anomalous behavior persists across multiple games, benchmarks, and applicationsThen it makes sense to start looking at the hardware: check the RAM with specific tests, check that the power supply is working correctly, and ensure that there are no physical problems with the motherboard or processor.

At that point, especially if the device is under warranty, it might be a good idea contact the technical support of the PC, motherboard, or processor manufacturerThey can offer you more advanced diagnostics, cross-testing with other components, or, if necessary, arrange a replacement if a real defect is detected.

A CPU that rarely exceeds 50% usage in games is not, in itself, a cause for alarm.The important thing is how the system as a whole performs: whether the FPS is consistent, whether the GPU is working as expected, whether Windows is healthy, and whether other well-optimized titles are taking full advantage of the hardware. Only when all of these fail simultaneously does it make sense to consider more serious problems and take more drastic steps, such as reinstalling the system or evaluating the hardware.