From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Tue Jan 25 01:29:37 2011
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6451A106564A
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:29:37 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from craig001@lerwick.hopto.org)
Received: from lerwick.hopto.org (lerwick.hopto.org [204.51.112.196])
	by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F14E08FC18
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:29:36 +0000 (UTC)
Received: (qmail 70675 invoked by uid 98); 25 Jan 2011 01:09:55 +0000
Received: from 81.187.141.93 by mailserver (envelope-from
	<craig001@lerwick.hopto.org>, uid 82) with qmail-scanner-2.01 
	(clamdscan: 0.96.1/11509. spamassassin: 3.3.1.  
	Clear:RC:1(81.187.141.93):. 
	Processed in 0.016084 secs); 25 Jan 2011 01:09:55 -0000
Received: from 93.141.187.81.in-addr.arpa (HELO ?192.168.1.100?)
	(81.187.141.93)
	by lerwick.hopto.org with SMTP; 25 Jan 2011 01:09:54 +0000
From: Craig Butler <craig001@lerwick.hopto.org>
To: Chad Perrin <perrin@apotheon.com>
In-Reply-To: <20110124235740.GA62134@guilt.hydra>
References: <20110124235740.GA62134@guilt.hydra>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:02:46 +0000
Message-ID: <1295917366.59721.2.camel@main>
Mime-Version: 1.0
X-Mailer: Evolution 2.32.1 FreeBSD GNOME Team Port 
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Cc: FreeBSD Questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject: Re: more CPU being used than I have (?)
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:29:37 -0000

On Mon, 2011-01-24 at 16:57 -0700, Chad Perrin wrote:
> I'm running a two-core laptop that, once in a great while, shows
> approximately 250% CPU usage by a single process in top.  How exactly
> does that work?
> 
> Note: It's not entirely surprising that this particular process is
> consuming a lot of resources.  It's just surprising to me that it's
> consuming more than CPUs * 100%.

Hi Chad

Its to do with top using weighted CPU percentage... for some reason this
show peaks as more usage than 100% -- maybe something to do with the top
averaging out over a specific time.
I find that raw CPU mode gives a more accurate representation. 

raw mode is toggled by passing the -C argument to top.

Regards

Craig Butler