Webs saved as apps eat up GPU, when they use no GPU when running in tabs

[Lobotomik]

There is an issue GPU usage when running web apps in a dedicated window.

If I open any or all of Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar and Google Keep in different tabs, Task Manager reports GPU usage at zero for Edge (as long as there is no activity, of course).

However, if I save them as applications, when one of them is open it consumes 7% of the GPU. This includes Google Keep or Google Calendar, which must make little usage of the GPU. This happens whether the windows are visible or hidden behind another.

However, if the window for the application is minimized but left running, GPU usage drops to zero (even if the main Edge window remains open). While the window is minimized, if I hover on the taskbar, a miniature is shown, but the GPU usage stays at zero.

If I run Gmail, Google Maps, Google Keep and Google Calendar all at the same time as apps, GPU goes up to 25%. This is not an aggregate of four different Edge tasks, but one that is taking all 25%. If I end that task with the task manager, all Edge windows close simultaneously (the apps and Edge itself), then reopen, and GPU usage goes back to 25%.

So Edge windows showing a web that was saved as an application permanently consume around 6% GPU each all the time while the window is not minimized, when the normal Edge window running those webs in tabs consumes nothing, whether minimized or not.

[#2]

@Lobotomik Welcome to the MSFT Edge Insider's community, and thanks for reaching out. We take performance seriously, so I'll bring this up to the team and let you know if they have any insights. In the meantime, can you please submit feedback through the browser (Shift+Alt+I) if you haven't yet?\

Fawkes (they/them)
Project & Community Manager - Microsoft Edge

[#3]

@Deleted 

Since Windows 10 automatically installed the non-dev Edge in my computer I checked if the issue would happen just the same in Edge as in Edge-dev. I uninstalled Gmail from the control panel, opened it with Edge, saved it as an app, and ran it. Now I see two instances of Microsoft Edge, each one enveloping several tasks. Now the instance corresponding to non-dev Edge showed the increased GPU usage when the Gmail window was not running minimized.

So the issue is present in both Edge-final and Edge-dev.

[#4 · Accepted solution]

@Lobotomik thanks for taking a look and submitting this feedback. We believe we have fixed this issue in current builds. Can you try again by saving a new site as an app in your Dev channel and seeing if it remains the same as if it were in Edge itself? We think it was a bug in the titlebar code used for saved sites.

if you do see it still, please file feedback so we can diagnose it.

Thanks!

-John