Revit high idle CPU with no projects open

[davidh_liollio]

My Revit 2020.2.7 has been idling at a high CPU 10-15% even when no projects are open (Home Tab) and during normal usage. I have noticed a performance decrease as a consequence of this when using other programs. All of my graphics drivers are up to date, Revit updates installed, OS up to date. Anyone know what is going on?

Specs:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Version 10.0.19044 Build 19044
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Alienware
System Model Alienware m15 R4
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10870H CPU @ 2.20GHz, 2208 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Alienware 1.8.0, 1/11/2022
SMBIOS Version 3.2
Embedded Controller Version 255.255
BIOS Mode UEFI
BaseBoard Manufacturer Alienware
BaseBoard Product Alienware m15 R4
BaseBoard Version A00
Platform Role Mobile
Secure Boot State On
PCR7 Configuration Elevation Required to View
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 32.0 GB
Total Physical Memory 31.7 GB
Available Physical Memory 18.6 GB
Total Virtual Memory 63.7 GB
Available Virtual Memory 46.5 GB
Page File Space 32.0 GB

[HVAC-Novice]

How did you determine the load? At what frequency is the CPU? If the CPU is idling at 2.2 GHz (or lower, they clock down to a few hundred MHz), then using 10-15% doesn't sound excessive. 

Do yo have nay performance issues? Temperatures OK? 

FWIW, your CPU clocks up to 5GHz (I was just baffled since you listed 2.2 GHz, which would be really slow) and Revit often uses only one core. So it should be fast enough. 

[davidh_liollio]

I'm determining the load with Task Manager, see below for a typical screenshot of CPU usage throughout the day. CPU is clocking at about 4.3 GHZ. Also notice how task manager constantly says Revit is using Very High Power usage. Temperatures run at normal ranges. 

I notice an overall slower performance when Revit is running but specially with 3D tasks such at Sketchup. Also, even though 10-15% doesn't sound excessive I've never had a previous version of Revit run at that usage constantly and I just checked with other people at my office with the same hardware and they don't report the same issue. 

[HVAC-Novice]

You can check more detail in the performance monitor. there you also would see if this is one core at 100%, or many at 15%. 

Does it use 15% when you start a new project after PC re-start? Or does it use more % over time? Sometimes people leave a PC on for weeks, and a re-start resolves issues. 

if you experience similar problem with Sketchup, the problem may be with the PC, not Revit. 

What is a "normal"  temperature? Does that change when you experience the problems? The CPU (and GPU) will clock down when too hot. Looks like you have a Dell (Alienware) PC. so lack of cooling is possible. Also check BIOS if they set the throttle threshold low. 

[davidh_liollio]

Enkus, thank you for your replies. The CPU spike happens when I start Revit even when a project is not open and it maintains at 13-15% CPU usage throughout the day when projects are open. Sketchup behaves normally/CPU usage for it is low on average (0.1% when idling), what I'm saying is that Sketchup will feel slow when Revit is open but that also applies to other operations such as file explorer and web browsing. This happens after restarting, and I've updated every driver possible. 

It seems like its using all cores at about the same percentage, see screenshot below. 

CPU runs at about 85C with Revit open. I did a small test and shut down Revit to see how it affects temperature and CPU temperature when from 85C average to about 65C with REVIT closed. Screenshot below with X when REVIT was closed. 

For reference, this is performance monitor after closing down Revit:

[HVAC-Novice]

if it applies to many software, it seems to be a PC issue.

But 85°C is pretty hot. I don't know when they start to throttle, but it is very close. Before doing anything else, resolve the cooling issues. Check if the inside of the PC is dirty or airflow restricted or fans not working. 

I have a different CPU, but when converting videos (which uses ALL cores to 100% for hours) mine is at 68°C. When just at normal load it is around 30-40°C. so you definitely don't have "normal" temperatures. 

[davidh_liollio]

To be clear, the CPU spike and temperature spike do not happen with other software, just when Revit is running. I did a quick search and even though 65C is high it seems to be pretty normal for Alienware M15's laptops but I agree that 85C when running Revit is concerning. 

[HVAC-Novice]

A software is supposed to use all available processing power. The intent is to work as fast as the hardware allows. A software only using 50% of the power while the user is getting bored would be bad. 

I didn't realize this is a laptop. 99.9999% sure this is poor thermal performance and the CPU throttles. Best you can do is clean the fan etc. Some people re-apply thermal paste. But with a laptop, you basically are stuck. Best to use a desktop with good cooling.