Sometimes I really have an extreme CPU usage with Google Chrome or Chromium based applications (CEF). Yesterday I saw in top that I had 600 % in Google Chrome and the fans were spinning high. Once I restart the PC, I have peace for many hours.
I use Google Chrome version 131.0.6778.204 and kernel 6.8.0-50-generic.
I use an AMD 9800X3D and a RTX 4070 with the default driver version 550. I had the same problem wih an Intel 13700K, so I don't think it is an CPU kernel driver issue.
This sounds like once the issue starts, it doesn't ever stop. Is that the case, even after shutting down the browser? And, does the website(s) slow down more and more as you continue to use them?
You should try using other browsers, especially non-Chromium based ones such as Firefox, to see if you can replicate the issue. And to narrow things down further, try to see if there's one particular website that is responsible for the CPU usage.
This most likely means it's not an issue with the browser itself. Do you have other browsers you can test this on? Brave, Vivaldi, Edge... these are all Chromium-based browsers. And, does this happen only while on YouTube, or are there any other pages as well?
You can also try disabling hardware acceleration, and see if that makes any difference:
Does Your System run in Wayland or Xorg Mode? to check that, go to Settings>About and look for ''Window Manager'' or ''Display Manager'' or similar and look if there stands Wayland or X11. If there should stand Waylanad, try it with changing to Xorg.
To do that, go to the Login Screen (not the Lock Screen). Click there on Your Profile so that the Password Field appears. It has to be appeared. When it is appeared, You should see in the bottom right corner a Gear Icon. Click on it and choose the Option ''Zorin Desktop on Xorg'' and log in and check if it's work.
Also, have you checked Chromium for memory leaks?
Have you disabled Hardware Acceleration in Chrome?
Are you running so many tabs, they are all squished together.... ?
Is Chrome installed as a Snap or Flatpak?
Did you add any additional Gnome Extensions? (Gnomes mutter may have conflicts with certain GPU demands, resulting in high CPU usage)
I disabled hardware acceleration in Chrome, but the problem still persists. I don't use any Gnome extensions. Good question about how it is installed: Not via Flatpak, but I even uninstalled Snap, so it is likely not a Snap installation as well. I forgot how I installed it, I guess I just downloaded it.
I always have many tabs, but the problem seems to only occur on YouTube.
This is important, given your other answers. It makes me suspect that processing is being dumped onto the CPU from the GPU.
Which immediately makes me think... You must be using Nvidia.
I scrolled up to check if you say whether you are... and you do say so.
Yep. I think that is what it is doing. On YouTube, though? I balk... then I remember....
.....yeah...
We wuv Nvidia.
What I would do in your shoes is test a variety of Nvidia GPU drivers. I have experienced this same thing with Graphically Intense games... not YouTube. But the principle should be the same. On the 540 driver, Nvidia kept dumping processing on the CPU (Though it did not need to) causing overheating. I changed driver - this resolved the issue 100%. Entirely fixed it.
Then Nvidia released the next driver, I upgraded to it - issue returned. I downgraded. Skipped that driver until the next release - which I upgraded to. No issue.
Next driver released - issue returned. Nvidia really wants to dump as much onto the CPU as they can, so that it looks like their GPU is performing all manner of awesome.
You do not need to change your kernel version since you are on 6.8 - it is well supported.
But you might test on of the other drivers: 555, 560 and 565:
I'm always a bit afraid of PPAs being compromised and tend to disable them immediately after I installed the software (and then enable it again temporarily if I want an update), but I might be overly cautious.
The 565 by the way doesn't solve the problem entirely, it still persists, but it seems that it got less worse.
Now I have another problem: After exactly 30 seconds (measured with stop watch) with not moving the mouse (not having activity), the monitors go into standby. Settings > Power > Power Saving Options > Screen Blank though is set to Never. This seems to be a very old issue:
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