Help CenterOn Apple Silicon, such as the M-series chips, the concept of CPU usage percentage is different from what you might be accustomed to on other architectures like Intel.
Multiple Cores with Different Types:
Apple Silicon chips have a combination of high-performance cores and high-efficiency cores. When you see 50% CPU usage, this percentage typically refers to the usage of a single core relative to its full capacity. However, because these chips have multiple cores, 50% CPU usage doesn't mean that half of the entire CPU is being used - it means one core is being used at half of its capacity.
50% on One Core:
If your system shows 50% CPU usage, it might mean that one core is working at half of its capacity, or it could mean that two cores are each working at 25% or four cores are each working at 12.5%. If your CPU has 8 performance and 2 efficiency cores, the total maximum usage potential could be 1000%, so 50% usage might be just a small portion of the overall potential of your CPU.
Efficiency Cores vs. Performance Cores:
Apple Silicon chips include both high-performance and high-efficiency cores. A 50% load on a high-efficiency core (which handles less demanding tasks) isn’t the same as 50% on a high-performance core. The efficiency core at 50% usage would consume less power and handle simpler tasks, while the performance core at 50% usage would be doing more intensive work.
Total CPU Usage:
Seeing 50% CPU usage across the system doesn’t mean that half of your CPU is being utilized. It could mean that one performance core is doing heavy lifting, or several efficiency cores are doing light tasks. Since the total potential CPU usage is the number of cores multiplied by 100%, 50% usage is just a fraction of the chip’s total capacity.
Practical Implications:
Low Percentages Don’t Mean Low Utilization:
If you see 50% CPU usage, your system is far from being fully utilized. Depending on which cores are in use, it might mean that your system is handling tasks efficiently without breaking a sweat.
Even Distribution:
50% CPU usage could be spread across multiple cores. For instance, if you have 8 cores, 50% could mean 4 cores are each working at 12.5%, or one core is working at 50%, while others are idle or doing minimal work.