High CPU usage, load average and system temperature

[Bill Davidsen]

Sudhir Khanger wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 25, 2014 at 11:35 PM, jd1008 <jd1008 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> perhaps you will have to accept the consequences :) :)
>
> I think it's more than fan or GPU load issue. There are two reasons.
> Firstly, GPUs are not suddenly start eating CPU one day. System has
> been running fine for 3 years and months on exactly same setup.
> Secondly, if you look into this screenshot[1] I have just booted ON
> the laptop and it was already running at 84C. The only thing that was
> started was Chrome newtab. You see load is way to high but none of the
> processes are taking up too much resources.
>
> [1] http://i.imgur.com/0cBa9eg.png
>
Actually, the load is not too hugh, with 80% idle it leaves 20% doing anything, 
that shouldn't present a heat problem. I really think you have a *cooling* 
problem, not getting rid of the normal heat you have.

Two ideas:

Have you opened up the case and removed the dust? I don't mean open one of the 
little doors and saying "oh, pretty," but open all the case bits the vendor says 
not to. That is my first and most likely thought.

You can measure power use by hooking up the power supply and using a Kill-o-Watt 
or similar meter. Each watt is 3.4 BTU/hr. NOTE: If your battery life is good, 
that tells you you are NOT using too much power, which tells you that you ARE 
keeping too much heat. I'm betting dust.

Finally (bonus 3rd idea) boot a non-KDE live DVD and watch the temperature with 
that. Unlikely to be related issue, but you can feel as if you now know it not 
something running hidden in the background and doing something you don't see.

-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot