GPU 100% when playing games with charger plugged in.

umeu

Distinguished
Apr 22, 2011
2
0
18,510
Laptop: Medion Erazer Extreme X7841 17.3"
Specs:

i7-6700HQ
16 GB ram
64-bit OS, x64-based processor
Windows 10 home
GeForce GTX 970M

I bought this laptop about a year ago, and I recently had the fans cleaned for dust.

Recently I have noticed something which I find odd, and I don't recall the laptop doing this when I first bought it, though I might be mistaken there.

If I used the laptop without the charger and play games that shouldn't be very demanding for the GPU (old games like Age of Empires 3), the fans don't make that much noise, the laptop doesn't feel very hot to touch and the GPU says its taxed to about 50%.

But when I play the same game with the charger plugged in, the GPU usage goes to 95-99%, the fans start to make a lot of noise, and the laptop quickly feels hot to touch (it's not overheating afaik, because it doesn't shut down).

It's the same with games that are more taxing, such as Witcher 3 on maximum settings, without charger GPU usage is about 70%, with charger it rises to 99%

Is this normal, or is there some kind of problem?

 
Solution
I think it's normal. When unplugged, a laptop throttles itself to save power. Once you plug the charger in, the hardware is allowed to run at full speed, resulting in more heating.

Jasjar

Estimable
Nov 24, 2015
39
0
4,610
I think it's normal. When unplugged, a laptop throttles itself to save power. Once you plug the charger in, the hardware is allowed to run at full speed, resulting in more heating.
 
Solution