High CPU Usage and RAM usage?

[UnseenHero]

Hey guys, Unseen here with another problem -.-" anyways to the point. This week my Sony VAIO Laptop has been kinda bugging on me. Whenever I tried to do my powerpoint projects i would hear my laptops fan working and would heat up very quickly. Every time I restart my computer and delete the softwares that start up with it (utorrent, voice recognition, etc..) it still uses approximately 50% of the CPU and 40% of my RAM. The only things I installed this week was AVAST which is running but idk how much CPU and RAM that takes (doubt it's a lot) and I enabled my computer as a media server for my PS3 which I stop when not in use.
Any ideas?

 

[Twilight Loz]

try checking the amount of cpu avast uses but the control manager (ctrl + alt + del) and then click on 'processes' tab and then look for avastsvc.exe. Over there, you'll find how much cpu and RAM is taking up

 

[CrimzonEyed]

Windows 7 take around 30-40% of your ram memory if you have 2gigs of ram.

 

[UnseenHero]

I got 4GB of Ram and still uses 40%

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

4GB is minimum for windows 7 x64, reguardless of whatever the box specs say it is.

You can monitor what is running with process explorer:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653

To run task manager just type in the search programs/files box taskmgr and hit enter.

The latest version of Avast does sandtrapping for your apps so it might suck alot of your resources to do that.

As for optimizing your windows 7 setup you should visit tweaker forums for windows 7 like:
http://www.sevenforums.com/
http://tweaks.com/windows-7/

Use hijackthis to remove things from the startup group
http://free.antivirus.com/hijackthis/

One of your biggest cpu suckers is likely the superfetch service, it goes into overdrive when you run the office suite.

 

[Rydian]

If you can't see the processes that are using it in the process list, click the "show processes from all users" button.

Spoiler: Crap about the RAM usage here.

Yeah, Vista will often use much more memory than Xp, and not only because it has a larger footprint.

Coding Horror has a good article ( http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000688.html ) on the subject.

Windows Xp didn't make very good use of memory for caching, while vista does alot more caching, which in theory should allow programs to start faster. If it needs more available memory for an active program it will shuffle things around. Vista just makes sure none of your ram is being wasted.

psychic stalkerWe don't need to rehash this. We've been over it eighty goddamn times this year and I'm sick of it repeatedly coming up.

Vista doesn't "use more resources." It takes advantage of otherwise-unused resources, the way every other OS besides Windows has been doing for decades. Vista doesn't "use more memory," it allows system caching to use more available memory resources, which gets instantly evicted when more free memory is required; which other operating systems have been doing for decades - it's called a "cache." Vista doesn't "waste video resources," it takes advantage of 3D hardware that for the last several years has otherwise gone completely unused. The redesigned sound and video driver subsystems is a long-overdue overhaul that should have been done in XP. The new UAC protection is also long overdue, and is something that every other OS has been doing for decades.

And this is a good thing.

Please stop making mountains of mole-hills.

 

[UnseenHero]

Thanks guys

I will try all your suggestions and I am using Windows 7 so I don't know if Rydian reply effects me or not but thanks if it did

 

[I am r4ymond]

I've been using a tool that frees up RAM from Advanced System Care 4 for a while now. I have 3 GB of RAM, and I'm on Windows 7 32 bit. Back then when I didn't have the tool, my max free RAM with no programs running would be 2300 MB. I use the tool everyday and now get up to 2500 MB (with GameBooster on). The tool's called Smart RAM, and it's located in the Toolbox > Optimize section if you do choose to download and install the program.

 

[Mazor]

Thanks guys

I will try all your suggestions and I am using Windows 7 so I don't know if Rydian reply effects me or not but thanks if it did

Obviously it does, it's not like they would go back in time with 7.

But there's more to it than that. Vista and 7 still do use more resources even when taking into account the memory used for caching that is often confused to be unavailable.

Do what how_do_i_do_that said.