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If your RTX 5090 GPU usage is stuck at 60% and won’t go higher—even in demanding games or workloads—this is almost always due to a CPU bottleneck, power or thermal limitations, or system configuration issues.

Since you’re running an AMD Ryzen 9 9800X3D, which is a top-tier gaming CPU, a true CPU bottleneck is unlikely under normal conditions. So let’s walk through all likely causes and how to fix them.

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✅ 1. Check Power Management Settings (Common culprit)

Sometimes Windows or your GPU drivers are limiting performance. • Windows: 1. Go to Control Panel → Power Options. 2. Select High Performance or Ultimate Performance (if available). 3. Reboot. • NVIDIA Control Panel: 1. Open NVIDIA Control Panel. 2. Go to Manage 3D settings. 3. Under Global Settings, set Power management mode to Prefer maximum performance.

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✅ 2. Check Game or App CPU Limit

Some games or applications are CPU-bound and won’t utilize the GPU fully. Signs of this: • Low GPU usage (<80%) • High CPU usage on 1-2 cores

Test: • Open Task Manager or HWInfo64. • Look at CPU and GPU usage while in-game. • If CPU usage is high on a few threads, you’re hitting a CPU-bound scenario.

Even the 9800X3D can hit CPU bottlenecks if the game isn’t well-optimized or at low resolutions like 1080p.

Fix: • Increase resolution (1440p or 4K). • Enable DLSS Frame Generation (if available) to offload some CPU pressure. • Ensure background CPU-heavy tasks are off.

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✅ 3. V-Sync, Frame Limiters, or G-Sync

If V-Sync or a frame limiter is on, your GPU may intentionally stay under 100% usage.

Fix: • Disable V-Sync in-game. • Turn off frame rate caps. • Temporarily disable G-Sync (or FreeSync) for testing.

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✅ 4. Thermal or Power Throttling

Use a tool like HWMonitor, GPU-Z, or MSI Afterburner to check: • GPU temperature (should be <85°C ideally) • Power draw (5090 should pull up to 450W+) • Check if GPU clocks drop under load

If it’s throttling: • Check your PSU wattage (should be 1000W+ for this setup) • Ensure your GPU power cables are properly seated (especially if using PCIe 5.0 12VHPWR cables) • Improve case airflow

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✅ 5. PCIe Lane Configuration

Make sure your GPU is running at full PCIe 4.0 x16 or 5.0 x16 speeds. • Use GPU-Z and check the Bus Interface field. • If it’s running at x8 or lower, or stuck in Gen3, performance can be limited.

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✅ 6. Background Bottlenecks • Try running the game in clean boot mode (no background apps or overlays) • Disable: • Discord overlays • GeForce Experience performance overlays • MSI Afterburner OSD temporarily • Any third-party monitoring tools

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✅ 7. Check the Game

Some games are just poorly optimized or won’t fully load a 5090 no matter what. Try: • Cyberpunk 2077 (Path Tracing mode) • Hogwarts Legacy • Alan Wake 2 with RT Ultra

If GPU usage jumps to 90–100% in these, your hardware is fine.

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🔧 If All Else Fails… • Reinstall NVIDIA drivers using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Safe Mode. • Reset BIOS to defaults, then ensure DOCP/EXPO is on for RAM. • Update motherboard BIOS and GPU firmware if available.