How do I reduce my CPU usage

definitely try to add more RAM. It is recommended that Win7 64 bits have a minimum of 4GB of RAM, it runs much smoother

 

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there's no reason to run x64 Windows 7 unless you have 4GB of RAM in the first place. better to install x86 version instead of spending any money at all on RAM...

 

Windows 7 x64 is fine, I wouldn't go wiping your computer and installing 32-bit Windows, then have to worry about 32-bit drivers etc.

That CPU usage is probably not entirely unexpected seeing that you are running a 1GHz processor. Simple maths, if you have a 1Ghz dual core at 18%, a 3Ghz quad core, which is probably roughly what they're comparing to, would be at 3 percent (3 times higher clock so divide by 3, twice the number of cores so divide by 2). Of course, it doesn't quite work this way due to efficiency of instruction execution etc., but it gives an idea. In a real world scenario, the 3ghz quad core (say, i5-2500K) would possibly be even lower than 3 percent. Remember 1 core at 100 percent is only 25 percent total CPU usage on a quad core, so even if its a single thread 18 percent on a 1ghz is still 6 percent on a 3ghz, and 3 percent total CPU usage.

The things using the CPU when browsing are the graphics on the screen, particularly things like Flash content etc. The best thing you an do is update all your drivers, ensuring you are using the proper latest drivers and not what Windows Update tells you (or even what the manufacturer of the laptop tells you, since those pages are never updated). Further to this, uninstall anything that you don't need. There are so many programs that install what can only be described as CRAP, and some of this can be started when the computer starts. Other crap included absolutely useless toolbars in the browsers etc. Pretty much all browser toolbars are useless and a waste of screen realestate, not to mention memory and other resources. Its important when you install programs to always do a custom install and install only what you need. There are people who install Office for example, that would insist on doing a normal install and yet never have, or will, have any intention on using say, Outlook. The same goes with probably the majority of programs out there. Some free versions of programs are supported by inclusion of the toolbars I mentioned, or other crap, and whilst the inclusion of these does support the free version of the program not installing it has no affect on the operation of the programs. If a program insists it can't run without the installation of the toolbars etc, then absolutely avoid that program entirely - no program that is actually anything remotely resembling something good requires you to use those toolbars.

Click on start --> control panel --> (click on view by: in the top right hand corner and select small icons) --> Programs and Features --> uninstall everything that you DON'T need! --> click on 'Windows features' in the left panel
Doing so will bring up the Windows feature selection. Under games, remove any games you don't want. I'm sure you're not too fussed about 'Purple Place' for example (even the target audience of 2 yr olds probably would find it boring!), uncheck indexing service, if you don't use media centre, under 'Media features' uncheck media centre (and click okay through the warning prompts, the codecs are still there due to WMP), uncheck 'Tablet PC components' unless its a tablet PC or you connect to one. Yes that feature has been there a LONG time, and yes, the iPad is a tablet PC. Apple can claim what they want in regards to tablets but the iPad is nothing more than another model of existing products. Just until it got the 'Apple' brand name on it everyone thought tablets were useless 99 percent of the time. On the 90's TV show 'F.X. - The series' the FX people did find tablet PC's to be useful

Also uncheck 'Windows gadjet platform' unless you really need it. Definitely leave 'Windows Search' feature on, regardless what you may read online, likewise leave XPS stuff on.

Then run from the start menu services.msc
(if you removed the Windows search feature earlier, you would have to manually locate it since it removes the search bar!)

Some info regarding disbaling Windows services is wrong online, there is no one solution that covers every scenario, however there are some basic things which do cover most people, and at least your case:
- Disable Windows search service. This is different to the Windows search feature, it fully disables indexing which may speed up searches but slows down everything else! and disabling it won't affect the search bars
- Disable the 'Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service'
- Disable 'Windows Error Reporting Service'
- Disable 'Webclient'
- Disable 'Secondary Logon'
- Disable 'Remote Registry'
- *Disable 'Program Compatibility Assistance Service'. I asterisked this as you may or may not need it...
- Disable 'Offline Files'
- Disable 'Homegroup Listener' and 'Homegroup Provider'. This does not affect normal file sharing between computers, only the homegroup feature. Most people tend to not use that anyway!
- Disable 'Distributed Link Tracking Client'
and there may be other things you can, as some programs may install things like update checking as a service, like Adobe Acrobat. If you don't manually check for these updates, probably leave it on...

DON'T disable the 'Application Experience' service. This is another bit of misinformation online, it can actually be detrimental to performance since Windows is left doing blank checking. Also if you even just navigate to a folder with an 'exe' file in it and try and delete it, you may not be able to for quite a while whilst Windows gets caught in a loop of compatibility cache checking. So, NEVER EVER disable this service! even if someone tries to argue with this later in this thread

Most of all, 3GB is definitely enough for Windows 7 x64 and web browsing, adding extra RAM won't make SFA difference to your performance doing that. If it does, you really need to trim down on the crap you have loaded into the memory when you start Windows . Its the difference between a reaction and solution. Most politicians use solution about policy when in fact, its just a short term reaction. Its like having a slow leak in a car tyre (say a faulty valve). Instead of tightening/replacing the valve (they screw out using a tool which is at most a couple of dollars, and new valves can be bought, they're universal, for a couple of dollars for a packet), which you gotta be quick doing so you don't lose all the air!, well instead of doing that, its like just stopping at every petrol station and topping up the tyre pressure . You are dealing with the effects of the tyre pressure going down, not the cause!

Its the same with memory use in your Windows. Deal with the cause of the memory load issues, particularly if 3gb isn't enough simply having Windows and the browser open, instead of just adding more memory.

Anyways, hope this makes sense. Whatever you do, DON'T spend a cent on any upgrade until you do all of this, and see if things improve. Also remember the CPU usage comparison between different CPU's depends on the speed, cores, and underlying tech. You can't compare 20 percent usage on yours to a high end spec computer using 3 percent, because at the end of the day, comparatively its probably around the same! Properly updated display drivers will probably be the very first thing to look at, an audio drivers second.

Also different brands of antiviruses have very different effectiveness and CPU usage. High CPU usage doesn't mean it is any better at virus detection.

 

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stop unwanted background serivices/programs, increase RAM

 

AMD Dual-Core Accelerated Processor 1GHZ, even with 8GB of ram, the computer was designed for extended battery life, not for heavy tasks.