Gotham High CPU Usage
#1
This seems to be a constant problem for XBMC after doing some googling searches, but while Gotham isn't as bad as Frodo, I'm average about 55%-60% CPU usage even though XBMC is just sitting there...seems silly to be using that much CPU when XBMC isn't doing a damn thing.

I've already tried adding the <algorithmdirtyregions>3</algorithmdirtyregions> to the advanacedsettings.xml, but noticed no change. Any suggestions on how to get my CPU down when XBMC is idle? I use the Pi for other functions, so the CPU usage is noticeable to those other apps.
Reply
#2
(2014-03-12, 15:09)bac522 Wrote: This seems to be a constant problem for XBMC after doing some googling searches, but while Gotham isn't as bad as Frodo, I'm average about 55%-60% CPU usage even though XBMC is just sitting there...seems silly to be using that much CPU when XBMC isn't doing a damn thing.

I've already tried adding the <algorithmdirtyregions>3</algorithmdirtyregions> to the advanacedsettings.xml, but noticed no change. Any suggestions on how to get my CPU down when XBMC is idle? I use the Pi for other functions, so the CPU usage is noticeable to those other apps.

Are you overclocking? What skin?
I'm at 1Ghz and my CPU is at 14%-20% idle with confluence skin. Mostly default settings. Make sure RSS feeds are off, they are disabled in some builds.
I'm running the latest "MilhouseVH" build but idle has been this low for quite some time.
Reply
#3
I'm over clocked at 900MHz using the confluence skin. I have RSS feeds off along with the other tricks I found googling, but CPU still seems high for an app that is basically doing nothing other than sitting on a home screen. I do run xbmc with upnp turned on, so maybe that's what's eating the CPU cycles.
Reply
#4
As long as it runs movies fine, what's the problem? How are you checking CPU usage? If you're doing it from inside the app then I seem to recall that the CPU polling is somewhat misleading - this may have been changed though.

Edit: Running something like XBMC and opening apps at the same time? This is the Raspberry Pi we're talking about, not an x86 PC for multi-tasking.
Reply
#5
I'm using top to view processor stats and whether I'm using some other programs or not at the same time, end of the day an idle app shouldn't be using +50% cpu utilization while sitting there. This is a common problem I've seen with other users, but find it odd that some people have low cpu utilization and others very high +80%.
Reply
#6
This has been covered many times, and I would not say that it is a common problem today. Maybe a year ago, but not today.

If CPU is high it´s not "just sitting there not doing a damn thing" it is actually doing something.
Or something could be wrong. For example, it is quite common that CPU varies a lot if PSU is dropping voltage or if the network doesn´t work properly etc.
Or if for some reason the SD card or other peripherals is causing issues (check logs for suspicious stuff).
Also, wrong settings, corrupted files or an improper guisettings.xml (updated to Gotham without a fresh file?) etc. can cause problems.

But, most common is background processes, rendering (dirty regions kicking in for some reason), addons, populating stuff or to heavy skin.

Personally I get as low as 6% on certain skins and certain layouts, but I would say that my "normal" idle is at 10-15%.

Just to test, try this;
Rename your .xbmc folder and restart. This will reset everything and any addons etc. that might cause issues will be gone.
Before you do anything else, wait for a while to get all included addons etc. to update first.
Then enter a "calm" layout and run 'top'.

If you still have high CPU I would say that something is wrong with your setup.

Edit:
Quote:end of the day an idle app shouldn't be using +50% cpu utilization while sitting there
Well, it´s a Pi. I would beg to differ (depending on where it´s "sitting").

Edit2:
Just to clarify, 50% CPU is not uncommon running XBMC on Pi. Heck, 100% is not uncommon, it all depends.
The "idle" above I mentioned is when I purposely look for a layout or similar where I know CPU will be low.
Reply
#7
Quote:Just to test, try this;
Rename your .xbmc folder and restart. This will reset everything and any addons etc. that might cause issues will be gone.
Good suggestion, after doing this my Pi now averages around 15% while sitting on the home screen of Confluence. I must have had something screwy in the .xbmc folder after trying some different versions of XBMC.
Reply
#8
Or just as likely, you had a badly written addon installed (skins quite often install them for you automatically) that was grinding away using a big chunk of CPU all of the time. It would be interesting to know which addon it is, just so that it can be avoided and/or the author informed with a view to improving his/her code. Enabling debug logging may reveal the otherwise hidden activity of this addon.
Texture Cache Maintenance Utility: Preload your texture cache for optimal UI performance. Remotely manage media libraries. Purge unused artwork to free up space. Find missing media. Configurable QA check to highlight metadata issues. Aid in diagnosis of library and cache related problems.
Reply
#9
(2014-03-13, 21:27)MilhouseVH Wrote: It would be interesting to know which addon it is, just so that it can be avoided and/or the author informed with a view to improving his/her code. Enabling debug logging may reveal the otherwise hidden activity of this addon.
Unfortunately this is a working system for the family and I don't want to mess with it further now that I got it to the point of being CPU friendly. I do know that when I was trying to get it configured for lower CPU I did try a few different skins, but saw no change in the CPU activity.
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
Gotham High CPU Usage0