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Using too much CPU only when loading from network

  • 5 replies
  • 13 have this problem
  • 15 views
  • Last reply by PaunFD

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When FF is working with the network card (wireless or wired) to access the network, CPU usage spikes way over 70% and is staying there until finishes web page load process. After loading is complete, CPU usage stays somewhere between 5 to 10%.

When I'm watching youtube 1080p clips, ties and times, when FF is needing to buffer next part of that videoclip that I'm watching, again CPU usage spikes above 70% along with flash plugin and gives a total of a 100% cpu usage for few moments, and that make that clip to stop being played, or to frame badly.

I've been activated from about:config webgl acceleration to force-enable, and that improve a lot the initial problem, then i activated gfx.direct2D-force enabled, and also improve the remaining problem. I also disable protected mode from adobe flash config file setting protectedmode=0.

I have to mention that the initial problem was way to bad ... 

Now i reach the point when i do not know what to do to make FF to not use that much CPU when loading pages. As you can see i'm using to post this Nightly 64 bit version (i think it is 64bit version ...) which is far more better and let me play youtube 1080p clip normally, after i wait for few moments to buffer, before i start playing. FF 32bit version wont allow me to watch youtube videos without badly framing when clip is buffered.

I've been monitoring task manager and all processes listed there, and ... i cannot blame firewall or antivirus for those CPU spikes. Also if i'm doing other network traffic, like file copying inside the network CPU wont even flinch.

Can anyone help or give an advice to what setting to do, so i can eradicate those spikes???

Thanks in advance!

When FF is working with the network card (wireless or wired) to access the network, CPU usage spikes way over 70% and is staying there until finishes web page load process. After loading is complete, CPU usage stays somewhere between 5 to 10%. When I'm watching youtube 1080p clips, ties and times, when FF is needing to buffer next part of that videoclip that I'm watching, again CPU usage spikes above 70% along with flash plugin and gives a total of a 100% cpu usage for few moments, and that make that clip to stop being played, or to frame badly. I've been activated from about:config webgl acceleration to force-enable, and that improve a lot the initial problem, then i activated gfx.direct2D-force enabled, and also improve the remaining problem. I also disable protected mode from adobe flash config file setting protectedmode=0. I have to mention that the initial problem was way to bad ... Now i reach the point when i do not know what to do to make FF to not use that much CPU when loading pages. As you can see i'm using to post this Nightly 64 bit version (i think it is 64bit version ...) which is far more better and let me play youtube 1080p clip normally, after i wait for few moments to buffer, before i start playing. FF 32bit version wont allow me to watch youtube videos without badly framing when clip is buffered. I've been monitoring task manager and all processes listed there, and ... i cannot blame firewall or antivirus for those CPU spikes. Also if i'm doing other network traffic, like file copying inside the network CPU wont even flinch. Can anyone help or give an advice to what setting to do, so i can eradicate those spikes??? Thanks in advance!

Chosen solution

Problem partially solved:

I observed that the CPU spikes occur not only while i'm using FF or mozilla Nightly, but on every web browser (Chrome, IE, Opera, etc.) that i'm using, while those browsers access the network.

Uninstalling the firewall portion of the AV solution helped a lot, and also disabling the built in W7 firewall solution, but for a long term use this is not the right answer (for my at least). Without any firewall working or installed FF is running like a charm, while CPU usage decreased to a decent level of max 50% (total tasks and services running)!!!

Anyway, as i stated earlier, operating my pc without any firewall is not a good think to do, so either i'm gonna replace my computer with a faster one, or i'm gonna overclock this one to a level that browsing and zapping the INTERNET will not infringe too much over the system performance, or ... i'll live whit this one and i accept the limitations ...

Maybe, in the further development of the FF, programers will keep in mind that not everyone on this planet has powerful CPUs - and ... give them some options to ... decrease the CPU usage to an acceptable levels, event though they are using firewall solutions that infringe over the CPU while FF is buffering data thru the network.

I also have to mention that Mozilla Nightly (64 bit) and FF, are still better then IE - in my opinion - that is.

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All Replies (5)

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Do all the normal maintenance and optimization options. Shut down background running appa. What ISP are you using?

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I do not understand "appa". If you meant applications in background ... i only have opened Aida64 to monitor my system status (CPU temp, voltages, and other stuff) but the problem occur event system just got started and nothing else is running. Nothing else other than normally running system services. And task monitor ... is sometimes run in foreground so i can monitor which service is using CPU.

I'm running a broadband ISP which is giving me 2Mb/s (20mbps). If the file that i want to download is 10Mb, it will be downloaded in 5 sec.

A while ago, i've noticed that actually FF is using CPU every time when is accessing the network, even when is doing a simply download. While is downloading is using ~45 - 50% CPU and i also noticed that the ... "system" service in windows 7 task manager is also using ~16% CPU, along with FF.

I've done all maintenance possible, right now system is fresh installed on a fresh formated partition ... Drivers, antivirus (symantec endpoint v12.1.4013 AV and firewall) flash player and ... Aida64 - portable version (not instaled). No add-on, no ... nothing.

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There are some printscreens with CPU loading while FF is buffering video from youtube, and after it finished buffering ... https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2013-12-20-12-49-23-23230d.png https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2013-12-20-12-51-24-e2fad3.png https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2013-12-20-12-57-12-6bd1b0.png This is how much CPU FF is using while it is downloading a file from the INTERNET (definitions file from symantec)

I also believe that the CPU usage problem appears to be the same to many users that complain about high CPU usage, but they din not know how (or if) to correlate the problem with FF network operation.

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Chosen Solution

Problem partially solved:

I observed that the CPU spikes occur not only while i'm using FF or mozilla Nightly, but on every web browser (Chrome, IE, Opera, etc.) that i'm using, while those browsers access the network.

Uninstalling the firewall portion of the AV solution helped a lot, and also disabling the built in W7 firewall solution, but for a long term use this is not the right answer (for my at least). Without any firewall working or installed FF is running like a charm, while CPU usage decreased to a decent level of max 50% (total tasks and services running)!!!

Anyway, as i stated earlier, operating my pc without any firewall is not a good think to do, so either i'm gonna replace my computer with a faster one, or i'm gonna overclock this one to a level that browsing and zapping the INTERNET will not infringe too much over the system performance, or ... i'll live whit this one and i accept the limitations ...

Maybe, in the further development of the FF, programers will keep in mind that not everyone on this planet has powerful CPUs - and ... give them some options to ... decrease the CPU usage to an acceptable levels, event though they are using firewall solutions that infringe over the CPU while FF is buffering data thru the network.

I also have to mention that Mozilla Nightly (64 bit) and FF, are still better then IE - in my opinion - that is.

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Are there any other settings like cache, specifying how much ram to use, or use ram instead of page file ..., or how to tweak my network cards or the system to ... use less cpu?

I'll be grateful to anyone ...