[Acesnd10s]

Im running a Dell XPS m17102 gigs of ramintel core 2 duo 7600(2.33ghz) processornvidia geforce go 7950gtx vid cardwindows vista 32-bitwhat should be a normal cpu usage?im usually getting below 25% which seems good but sometimes it will randomly spike above 70...sumtimes all the way to %100also what is the maximum frequency...that is usually around 50%And is about 40 or 50% ram usage normal? Its usually around there.

[mphenterprises]

Hi Acesnd10s. Unfortunately, you are asking a question that can vary greatly from one person to the next. "Normal" is a relative term. You have to determine what programs you run, how much memory you have, how fast the processor is, etc. There are alot of factors that come into play.For example, I have a Dual Core Processor, 3Gbs of Memory, 512MB video card, almost a Terabyte of hard drive space - running at 7200 RPM, and I rarely get over 30% usage. If I am playing a highly graphic intensive game, it may go up to 50% or so.What is normal for me, may be extreme for someone else who has different hardware. What I would recommend is contacting Dell and asking them directly since they built the computer. They would be better suited to answer the question as to whether your usage is "normal."

[Acesnd10s]

thankyou.what is maximum frequency though? what does that mean

[mphenterprises]

That, unfortunately, I have no idea. I think it has something to do with the memory chips you have installed. The closest thing I could find is this:"The Highest usable frequencyHow do we know what is the highest usable frequency of a memory module are you saying? A good rule of thumb is to use the memory module at an order of magnitude of Front Side Bus frequency below the maximum frequency specified by the manufacturer. This frequency will be referred to by the name of Guaranteed Usable Frequency or GUF. For instance, supposing that you have a 8ns memory module, then the maximum usable frequency of this module is 125Mhz according to the manufacturer specs. , Therefore, the GUF to use with such a module would be 112Mhz because using a 125 Mhz memory chip at a Front Side Bus frequency of 124Mhz would be too close to its maximum frequency and therefore it is more likely that instability could occur and cause computer crashes. So, by always using memory modules with a maximum working frequency of least one order of Front Side Bus frequency magnitude above the FSB setting of your system you are sure to have a very stable operating system."Honestly, it makes no sense to me but this is not my strongest area. I would contact Dell and ask them about your concerns.

[jbking]

Just to toss out a different perspective:1) Normal also depends on what is running. For example, if you have a BOINC client running a WorldCommunityGrid.org project it could take almost all of your processor if you configure it that way. Similarly, you could have other high usage if a virus scan is being done or something else that may be intensive. Alternatively, if I'm debugging a big ASP.Net project it can take a half a gigabyte of RAM at times. Final note here is to be aware of services running in the background that can consume some CPU usage.2) Are you looking at a total across both cores or each core separately? There are a couple of different ways to look at CPU usage in the multi-core world. Regards,JB