The top command generates a list of processes sorted by the parameter %CPU, or percentage of CPU consumed by a process. You can calculate the overall CPU utilization using the idle time using the formula given below:įor example, in the output above, the idle time is 98.3%, so the CPU utilization can be calculated as follows: In the output above, the top command displays various important CPU statistics, including idle time and wait time. It is one of the most widely used commands for tracking the CPU utilization, process statistics, and memory utilization of a Linux system.įor example, running the top command on a Linux system will display an output similar to the one shown below: Fig 1: Output of top command It displays various crucial system metrics along with a set of processes that are currently being managed by the Linux kernel.

The top command is used to display a real-time, dynamic view of a running system.

Browser tabs with ads or auto-playing videos are openĪpplications or programs that require high processing power, including video editing software and high-resolution video games-can easily drive up CPU usage.

Multiple plugins and add-ons are running in the background.

Several tabs are opened at the same time.

BrowserĮven the browser can cause high CPU usage if: These are often invisible and heavily utilize the CPU. If a system becomes extremely slow with a CPU usage of nearly 100%-but with no clear cause-the problem may be a virus or malware. Too many background processes running simultaneously on a computer consume CPU resources and unnecessarily cause high CPU usage. Autostart programs and background processesĪutostart programs are applications that are launched automatically when booting the operating system and they continue to run in the background.

If the idle process is taking up to 99% of the CPU's power, it means only 1% is being used to run actual tasks.Ģ. This process appears to show high CPU usage, but it actually indicates the percentage of CPU capacity not being used.

If a system is idle, the OS creates a process called the System Idle Process to prevent the system from shutting off. Higher than average CPU usage can often be attributed to one of the following causes: 1. Since high CPU utilization indicates poor system performance, it should be avoided.

Ubuntu cpu memory monitor