Steam using a lot of cpu when downloading But for the right price May 28, 2011 · I have noticed that when downloading a large file or files, from the internet at high speed my CPU usage goes up to 100%. while doing it my cpu usage sky rocketed and so did my temps. However 100% of a 9700k is a lot of power. I go into task manager, and 75-100% of my CPU is being used, most of which is coming from the app the is downloading something (Steam, or Battlenet), and 'System'. 1 day ago · Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun I wouldn’t get too hung up on desktop hardware comparisons right now as there are other variables at play, be they our test rig’s CPU and RAM advantages, SteamOS vs Windows differences, or indeed, Valve’s assertion that they’re still working on performance (especially ray tracing) ahead of the Steam Machine’s launch next year. This is quite normal. This is regardless of whether the files are downloaded using steam, the browser or a torrenting client. If you just open it once in a while to start a game, the footprint is minimal. I've caught it spiking at up to 70% of my CPU usage in the past. It's not weird for a client like Steam to use CPU when downloading because you're also decompressing the game as it comes in. Jan 3, 2025 · Why is Steam using a lot of RAM? As a gamer, you’ve likely noticed that Steam, the popular digital distribution platform, consumes a significant amount of your computer’s RAM. Please note 100 MB/sec is a high, quite taxing speed, which requires some CPU power to implement. move files from dwonloading to gamename step 3 takes alot of cpu/hdd usage and no internet usage with a slow hdd or cpu it will take some time #1 [☥] - CJ - Oct 15, 2018 @ 4:45pm Dec 5, 2020 · Hi! So the problem is that when i download something, CPU Usage is 30-50%, even spikes to 80%. During the actual install, it might sit at 70% or so. i just got my laptop like 3 weeks ago is this normal temps when downloading games off steam ? sorta worried someone said i may have a problem. For reference, I have an i7-5820k @ 4. This is on a 5950X. My i9 10850K sits at around 100-120W (and around 40% usage) when downloading games on steam at about 150MB/s. But why is this happening? In this article, we’ll explore the reasons behind Steam’s high RAM usage and provide you with some tips to optimize your gaming experience. Yep! So the way steam operates is it sort of limits your download speed because of either your hard disk or cpu or both and then if you set priority to lowest one it will somehow make it download faster and write faster on your pc. I have a Predator helios neo 16 i7, rtx 4060 gaming laptop and i noticed my cpu temps were 60 degrees C while downloading the new COD Warzone update it was a pretty hefty update. The threads might be configured with lower priority in Steam to preserve system responsiveness, who knows… 20% when processing gigabytes of data is low I guess Nov 29, 2020 · Process "Steam Client WebHelper" hogging CPU Occasionally during games this process "Steam Client WebHelper" will start using lots of CPU and memory and causing my game to lag. Whenever Steam, or Battlenet are downloading something, my computer starts to lag really bad. Under normal circumstances That means Steam is currently downloading something, most probably an update. Aug 16, 2022 · I just checked somthing,I turned my Antivirus off for the heck of it when downloading a game from steam and the CPU usage went from like 100% to around 50% to 70% the fans still rev up a little but not as loud now. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. It even goes to the Oct 19, 2024 · Why does steam take so much CPU usage when downloading but battle net does not? By kaylexmorgana October 19, 2024 in Programs, Apps and Websites Followers 2 Go to solution Solved by podkall, October 19, 2024 I’ve noticed Steam will first download (low cpu usage) a big chunk, then process + apply the patch at which time the cpu + ssd usage might be higher. Oct 27, 2020 · This never used to happen until a couple of months ago. 4Ghz, and an internet speed of 400 Mbps (megabits, not bytes). Mar 8, 2025 · Steam's downloads are compressed, the high CPU usage is your CPU decompressing the archives. i have already see task manager my cpu usage goes 100% only when i downloading games on steam, steam usage is about 20-33% when the download finish it back to normal. exe" file, once you have done this, go ahead, and uninstall Steam, this get rid of reg files include of a problem, once uninstall, go ahead Apr 3, 2021 · Steam utilises your CPU to decompress and move ur downloads. When the app is installing an update in the background, you may find that it consumes CPU usage. Nov 16, 2023 · Why does it use so much CPU resources? Steam Client Bootstrapper is a background app used by Steam to download updates any and missing files. Please help! Steam high CPU usage while downloading Hello Steam is using around %30 of my CPU while downloading something. Why is that and how can I reduce CPU usage? I have Intel i7 6850K - Zotac GTX980 AMP - 64GB RAM - 1 TB m2 SSD (Samsung 970 Pro). 1 day ago · Steam Deck minus the screen: Valve announces new Steam Machine, Controller hardware SteamOS-powered cube for your TV targets early 2026 launch, no pricing details. It’s a background app used to download and install updates or replace missing files. Steam is currently using 75% cpu on its own and the computer is hitting 100%. never happened before only after this new ui update Sounds like you may have checked the CPU usage when the game was unpacking, which is CPU-intensive. However, through a combination of identifying root causes, adjusting settings, performing regular maintenance, and following best practices, users can mitigate the impact of high CPU usage. That said, what HDD or SSD is that When Steam is downloading games, the download speed tends to go up and down, and as it goes up, my CPU usage goes up a lot as well, to the degree that I can't play any games during the download, and all other programs become very visibly laggy. The problem with this app is that it may cause high CPU usage when it's not downloading anything. If you browse the store actively, chat with multiple people and have a lot of games in your library Steam can use a lot of resources. huh? im just monitor it on hw monitor. When an update is being downloaded or installed, it’s okay to expect a higher CPU usage. No matter how many high usage applications I close it doesn't drop below 100%. wanted to download destiny 2 this morning. Once the download is finished, the CPU usage should return to normal. 5% CPU and a few hundred MB of memory. Steam Client Bootstrapper High CPU Jun 5, 2021 · my download speed about 20mbps. I recently installed an i5-12600k and everything has been working fine for weeks. Jan 22, 2025 · Steam Using A Lot Of CPU Steam, the widely used digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation, has transformed the way we purchase, download, and play video games. Not enough details, but its normal for a CPU to go full throttle when downloading stuff. the faster you download the higher your CPU usage will be. If you’re noticing it staying high for an This is either storage speed (downloading to a mechanical drive or really messed up ssd) or it is a cpu bottleneck as when you download a file from steam its heavily compressed and if you either have limited cores/freq or are using all your cores for something else and its limiting the unpacking speed. Aug 29, 2020 · Very often Steam uses 20/30% of my CPU (normally 2/3%) whether it is open, in background and even closed (often some Steam processes that use a lot of CPU, RAM and do not allow to restart the client remain running). It’s similar to what happens with other launchers like Steam as well. Try closing Steam and restarting it. This is why there’s a setting to pause downloads when you’re gaming—it lets you focus your CPU resources on your games instead! Jan 23, 2025 · Conclusion High CPU usage when downloading on Steam can be a frustrating issue for gamers, affecting system performance and gameplay experiences. Hello everyone. Steam downloads can cripple even a high-end CPU, what you're seeing is nothing we don't all experience. My OS is Windows 10 Pro with all updates installed. Is there a cause for Jul 23, 2024 · CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700x GPU: RTX 2060 RAM: 32 GB DDR4 Download speed: 100MB/s Issue quite clear in your case. This article will explain the causes of this behavior and provide you with several ways to fix it. May 5, 2021 · Steam use 50-60% when I download a game Anything would have high CPU usage while downloading and updating things at 400+MB/s. In theory your download speed could be 'bottlenecked' in extreme speeds by your cpu but this is only if you have a ridiculous internet connection which is almost directly connected to a steam server. . Jul 5, 2023 · If you find Steam Client Bootstrapper causes high CPU usage, don't worry. I could be downloading files from steam, GOG or elsewhere the result is the same. I go into task manager, and 75-100% of my CPU is b Dec 20, 2020 · To be able to fix Steam Bootstrapper High CPU usage issue, while waiting for steam new update you can try to use the beta client instead. im wondering if i bought a faulty model to begin with where the thermal Nov 24, 2021 · Fix Steam Client Bootstrapper High CPU Usage The Steam Client Bootstrapper is a background application for downloading and installing updates and replacing missing files. Jun 11, 2017 · As the title says, the CPU usage instantly skyrockets to 90-100% when I start a download of some kind, be it from Steam or uTorrent. This problem is solved by using Steam in offline mode, disconnecting from the friends list/chat and sometimes even without deactivating anything. Dec 26, 2020 · When Steam is downloading games, the download speed tends to go up and down, and as it goes up, my CPU usage goes up a lot as well, to the degree that I can't play any games during the download, and all other programs become very visibly laggy. That's just while it's downloading. And yes, installing/unpacking can use a LOT of CPU. On my i5-3470, idle CPU usage is 8-10% and ~4% of it is Task Manager itself. (much more than the 11-12 MB/sec original poster has) Thus the CPU usage you see. What did you reduce the cpu usage to finally? Dec 3, 2018 · Anytime I start to download something on steam, it and Avast Service combined take up like 80-100% of my CPU usage which I feel is a lot especially for my CPU. So if you’re on a lower-end processor, you could see some heavy CPU usage during downloads. This post will show you how to fix Steam Client Bootstrapper high CPU issue. Today it was around 30% and using over 2GB of memory while I was playing TF2. Again this is experimental and it may not work for you as it did for some people here or me. The things need to be moved are "Steamapp" & "userdata" folder, and "Steam. Here’s how to Use Beta Steam: Mar 24, 2025 · It’s actually fairly normal for the CPU to ramp up while downloading a game. My current cpu will be 5yrs old this fall and steam uses like 0. High CPU usage can lead to unwanted lags, system slowdowns, and overall performance issues My CPU spikes to around 20 - 30 percent when downloading files from the internet. Jun 26, 2020 · CPU utilization depends on what you have open in the background, download speed, any compression, encryption and other extra processing involved on top of the basic bit-pushing, CPU performance, etc. Only if I close steam it shuts up. May 6, 2022 · The Steam Client Bootstrapper app shouldn’t take up plenty of CPU resources on your computer. This happens because the system is actively requesting resources from nearly every component in your PC during the process. In rest mode my PC is goining crazy and makes a lot of noise. unpack files 4. It occasionally drops down but not for long. And Steam's downloaded files are heavily compressed, it uses a lot of CPU resources just to decompress them. Nov 18, 2023 · Help why is steam (32 bits) using my pc CPU and Mbits while im not downloading anything. which is barley cpu intensive. My CPU is a i3 3240, and my internet plan is gigabit, and I believe my cpu bottlenecks the internet speed, because my internet speed doesn't go beyond 400 Mbps(when it reaches about 400 Mbps, my cpu is Knowing your cpu and age could be a issue. All drivers are up to date also. Jul 14, 2019 · I noticed that when I am downloading a new game on Steam, my CPU usage will be between 50-80% usage. However, many users have reported that the Steam client can become a resource hog, particularly when it comes to CPU usage. Even when Avast is disabled for steam still takes up a good 30%. Oct 15, 2018 · 1. populate files (download happens here to steam\steamapps\downloading) 3. allocate space on drive (steam\steamapps\downloading) 2. Today I started installing a game on steam and suddenly my cpu hit 100%. Nov 28, 2022 · When I install a game from Steam, my CPU can hit 100%. Aug 11, 2017 · This never used to happen until a couple of months ago. When I tested on my friends computer with similar specs, his steam used a maximum of 10%, averaging around 5%. I'm thinking this is probably caused by Steam uncompressing the downloads, but that's just a hunch. Jul 7, 2025 · Steam downloads compressed assets and needs CPU power to decompress them. Why is Steam eating my CPU? Steam using too much CPU :: Help and Tips. Jun 15, 2023 · What CPU are you using, and how much ram does your system have? Can try reinstalling client, go to steam folder, move three things out of the steam folder don't want it in there. 2fq b3 rj aw331ex ndio egvicss czisuqyj jciw1t b0ms ijyj