PC Freezing CPU Spike While Playing Games in Windows 10

Windows 10 has won a huge number of extremely loyal fans, building on the Microsoft legacy of winning hearts in no time.

However, it has also been affected by some issues that can make life a little difficult for the users. CPU freezing and process spikes are some of the most well-known issues. There are a huge variety of factors that can be termed guilty of these occurrences but the most notable are faulty hardware or outdated drivers. These issues make life hell when the user is playing games since games require more hardware resources which can lead to CPU freezes and unnatural spikes in the processes. Here are some solutions to prevent CPU freezes and process hikes in Windows 10.

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Method 1: Update Drivers

If any of the drivers on your system are outdated then they might be leading to a memory leak or causing other issues that ultimately culminate in high CPU usage and unnecessary game crashes. The procedure to update drivers is very simple:

  1. Click the Start button and search for Device Manager.
  2. Once you open up Device Manager you will see multiple categories of drivers.
  3. Left-click each piece of hardware you wish to update the drivers for to open its context menu and simply click on Update driver.

 

Method 2: Optimize For Best Performance

If you‘re running a high-end game on a computer system that can be easily classified as an underpowered one, be advised that this can very easily lead to a huge spike in an overburdening of the processor’s capacity, and it most certainly will! You need to optimize your computer to make the most of its resources.

  1. Right-click This PC icon on the desktop and Properties.
  2. Now click the Advanced system settings option.
  3. Click Settings under the Performance heading.
  4. Select Adjust for best performance.
  5. Click OK | OK.
  6. Restart your computer so that the changes can be applied.

 

Method 3: Defragment the Hard Disk

A fragmented hard disk leads to severe system slowdowns as well as high CPU usage. This affects normal computer usage as well as any gaming sessions you’re planning on. The solution is a fairly simple one.

  1. Search for defrag in the taskbar.
  2. Select Defragment and Optimize Drives from the Search Results.
  3. Now simply select the hard drive on which Windows 10 has been installed and then click Optimize.
  4. Patiently wait for the process to be over. This process might even run into hours (depending on the hard drive size as well as space occupied), don’t interrupt it.
  5. Once the defragmentation is over, there will be a marked improvement in your computer’s performance in all spheres.

 

Method 4: Disable P2P Sharing

P2P sharing is enabled by default on all Windows 10 devices and many users have reported that it leads to considerable CPU usage in some cases. When P2P is running in the background, it can cause your CPU usage to skyrocket.

  1. Click the Start menu and select Settings.
  2. Now click on Update & security.
  3. Click on Advanced options.
  4. Click Choose how updates are delivered.
  5. Now simply change Updates from more than one place to Off.

 

Method 5: Disable System Notifications

In some cases, even the notification tray has been reported to cause high CPU usage. It’s recommended that you disable System Notifications to maximize processing power.

  1. Click the Start menu.
  2. Go to Settings | System.
  3. Select Notifications & actions from the pane on the left.
  4. Now move the slider for Show me tips about Windows to Off.

Raza Ali Kazmi works as an editor and technology content writer at Sorcim Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. He loves to pen down articles on a wide array of technology related topics and has also been diligently testing software solutions on Windows & Mac platforms.

Raza Ali Kazmi

Raza Ali Kazmi works as an editor and technology content writer at Sorcim Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. He loves to pen down articles on a wide array of technology related topics and has also been diligently testing software solutions on Windows & Mac platforms.