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Locally's avatar
Locally
Copper Contributor
Aug 06, 2025

CPU Usage Drops When Opening Task Manager (Windows 11, Ryzen 7800X3D)

I’m running an AMD Ryzen 7800X3D CPU on Windows 11. When playing Grounded 2, my CPU usage is very high — close to 100% — and my radiator fans get extremely loud.

 

However, as soon as I open Task Manager, CPU load drops immediately to around 25–30%, temperatures fall sharply, and the fans become almost silent. The strange thing is, the game continues to run perfectly fine (even on my relatively modest RTX 3060).

 

I first noticed this while testing performance comparisons for another game project I’ve been following here: https://grounded2.online/ — and I’m wondering if this behavior is a known Windows 11 quirk, a scheduling issue, or something related to how Task Manager interacts with CPU priority.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Any ideas on what’s going on?

Thanks!

Application Management
device management

2 Replies

  • Dadvam's avatar
    Dadvam
    Iron Contributor
    Aug 08, 2025

    When Task Manager is opened, Windows may adjust process priorities or scheduling policies, reducing the CPU load of background or less critical processes like the game.

  • Sirbbitz's avatar
    Sirbbitz
    Iron Contributor
    Aug 07, 2025

    Disable Ryzen's CPPC feature in BIOS and update the chipset driver. Remember to download it from the official website.