High CPU Usage in Baldur’s Gate 3? Try these 8 Ways to Lower GPU Usage

Baldur’s Gate 3 is all the rage these days. Plenty of players are sailing in the same boat that has a hole. We are referring to the pesky errors and issues that have plagued this great game. One such pesky issue is the high CPU usage due to playing Baldur’s Gate 3. If you are also facing the same problem, you are not alone. Probably, most Baldur’s Gate 3 are facing plenty of issues. Here’s our guide to help you fix it.

What Causes High CPU Usage in Baldur’s Gate 3?

There can be many reasons for high CPU usage in Baldur’s Gate 3. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a AAA Title, and they certainly use the CPU. However, in fact, games are not supposed to use CPU because they mainly work using the graphics processor. Still, if Baldur’s Gate 3 is using a High CPU, there can be many reasons associated with the game’s problem. Here are some of the most common issues behind high CPU usage:

• Corrupt Windows Update: High CPU usage is a problem mainly associated with the Windows operating system. Fixing a corrupt Windows update requires you to uninstall the previously installed update.
• Resource Hogging Applications: If you are running a lot of applications in the background, those applications are clogging your memory thus causing high CPU usage. Open task manager and close unnecessary programs that taking up a chunk of your CPU.
• Outdated Windows: If you haven’t updated Windows for a long time, chances are that your Windows PC is unable to interact correctly with the latest games. This can be easily fixed by updating your OS to the latest version.
• Corrupt Game Files: Sometimes, during usage, the game files get corrupt. In that case, verifying the integrity of game files is the best and the most potent thing you can do to fix high CPU usage.

These are the most common and most problematic reasons that cause the High CPU usage. If you are plagued by any of these, follow this guide will help you to fix it.

How To Fix High CPU Usage in Baldur’s Gate 3

Here’s how you can fix high CPU usage caused by Baldur’s Gate 3. Make sure that you go through these fixes in the serial they are mentioned. Also, don’t skip any of these steps.

Fix 1: Restart your PC

The first thing you need to do is Restart your PC. In the event that your CPU usage has reached 100%, we cannot guarantee that the entire fault is of the game. Your PC might also have a few problems. To start with, your PC may have inadequate RAM that is not able to handle the tasks efficiently. In that case, you need to clear the memory by restarting your PC.

After the restart, you need to wait for a few minutes before you launch Baldur’s Gate 3. This is mainly because you should let your PC set up and initial all the tasks before playing the game. This should solve high CPU usage in Baldur’s Gate 3 and normally all over PC usage. However, one should note that fixing high CPU usage is a long-term method.

Fix 2: Check for High CPU Usage

When Baldur’s Gate 3 is causing high CPU usage, you should verify how are you able to know that. We mean, how do you know that Baldur’s Gate 3 is causing high CPU usage? Are you using FRAPS or NZXT CAM? If so, stop using it. We will discuss that later.

But if you are able to understand that Baldur’s Gate 3 is causing high CPU usage from using any of the overlay apps like FRAPS or NZXT CAM, then you should minimize Baldur’s Gate 3 and open the Task Manager to understand the reason behind the high CPU usage.

Fix 3: Update Windows

The high CPU usage in Baldur’s Gate is mainly because of the high CPU usage by your Operating System. Therefore, fixing Windows OS issues is the key problem here. If you are not aware of fixing this, here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Click on the Windows button.
2. Open Settings by clicking on it directly or search for Settings.
3. Now, from the left side, click on Windows Update.
4. On the right side, click on Check for Updates.
5. The option for Check For Updates will vary. You will either see this option or Install Updates.
6. Click whichever you see.

Now, Windows will start updating, and once the update is finished, open Task Manager to check CPU Usage.

Fix 4: Close Unnecessary Resource Consuming Programs

If high CPU usage is the main problem you are experiencing while playing Baldur’s Gate 3, then you should close resource-consuming programs as soon as possible. Because you already know that CPU usage is high, you know the problem. As a result, closing the application is the only way out. Here are the steps to do it:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. This will open Task Manager.
2. Now, click on CPU. This will sort the applications based on the highest CPU usage.
3. Now, right-click on the task that is unnecessarily open, and click on End Task from the drop-down menu.
4. Keep doing the same for all until all the major CPU-using apps are closed.

When done, open Baldur’s Gate 3 and check whether your game is lagging, stuttering, or crashing with high CPU usage. If you don’t face any issue, great. Keep doing this whenever the game lags. If the issue is not resolved till now, follow up with the next fix.

Fix 5: Have You Purchased Windows?

If you are regularly facing 100% CPU usage on Windows, the reason can be either that your Windows is outdated, or you might be using a Pirated Copy. While there’s nothing wrong with using a Pirated Copy because even Microsoft promotes it, the issue starts to begin when an update gets installed. If you are unsure about the same, the next fix will highlight it.

For now, you need to fix Windows problems first if you wish to stop the high CPU usage. For this, we recommend checking out our guide on fixing 100% CPU Usage. This will highlight the exact problem your PC is going through. Make sure that you follow the steps enlisted in that guide, and your PC should be good to do.

 Fix 6: Uninstall a Windows Update

While updating your Windows PC is essential for better performance and security fixes, not all updates are created equal and are helpful. As a result, if you are experiencing 100% CPU usage on Baldur’s Gate 3 after a Windows update, chances are that update was not suitable for your PC. Here are the steps you need to follow in order to uninstall a Windows Update:

1. Click on the Windows button to open the Start menu.
2. Click on Settings.
3. Now, from the left panel, switch to the Windows Update tab.
4. Click on Update History.
5. Scroll down a bit and click on Uninstall Updates.
6. From the new window, check the latest update installed.
7. Select it and click on Uninstall.

Once the update has been uninstalled, restart your PC for the changes to take effect. When everything is complete, you can start playing Baldur’s Gate 3 and check whether the game is again using 100% CPU or not.

Fix 7: Disable Benchmarking Apps

Benchmarking apps are on another level when it comes to consuming resources. They intensively consume resources, whether it be your RAM or CPU; nothing stays safe when applications like FRAPS or NZXR CAM are working.

Therefore, disable them if you want to enjoy smooth gameplay. Certainly, you would like to see real-time FPS when playing, but that is also possible using an in-built Windows tool. That tool is none other than the popular Xbox Game Bar.

The Xbox Game bar shows every information you need starting from RAM Consumption to CPU usage, along with Frames Per second. Instead of downloading other unreliable apps, using the game bar is the best. However, keep in mind that the Xbox Game Bar works best when started alongside the game and not before that.

If you don’t know how to use the Xbox Game Bar, here are the steps:

1. Launch Baldur’s Gate 3.
2. Click on Play.
3. When you enter the game, click Windows + G button together.
4. This will start the Xbox Game bar.

When the Xbox Game Bar is turned on, you will see many information such as RAM, CPU Usage, FPS, and Bluetooth connectivity. You can close the unnecessary information and continue with the important ones. The Xbox Game Bar does not consume additional resources like any other application.

Fix 8: Verify The Integrity of Game Files

If none of the above methods have helped you to stop high CPU usage, the last option you have is to verify the integrity of game files. This is a rather long process and can take data and time. Therefore, before you begin, make sure that you have both, else you can do this later. Here are the steps to verify the integrity of game files:

1. Open Steam.
2. Now, click on Libary.
3. Select Baldur’s Gate 3.
4. Right-click on it and then click on Properties.
5. Now, click on the Local Files tab.
6. Finally, click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.

By verifying the integrity of game files, you are making sure that there are no corrupt files remaining in the game that can cause issues like 100% CPU Usage or LOW FPS. As a result, when this is complete, start the game and check. You should not face any issues.

The Bottom Line

Well, that’s all we have here about how you can fix Baldur’s Gate 3 high CPU Usage. We hope this guide has helped you to solve the issue. If you still have any doubts or queries, make sure to comment below so that we can help you.

ALSO READ:

• Top 7 Ways to Baldur’s Gate 3 Keeps Crashing
• Baldur’s Gate 3 DirectX Error: Try These 8 Quick Fixes
• Baldur’s Gate 3 Low FPS? Here’s 7 Ways to Fix and Improve it
• Baldur’s Gate 3 High Ping Issues: 9 Ways to Fix it Quickly
• Fix Baldur’s Gate 3 Stuck on Loading Screen
• Fix: Baldur’s Gate 3 Won’t Launch or Not Loading on Startup PC