Force Windows Apps to Use a Specific CPU - Performance Optimization
Processor Affinity: Controlling Application CPU Usage
Adjusting a process's processor affinity involves restricting an application to execute solely on designated logical processors. This capability proves particularly useful when an application is excessively consuming CPU resources.
How to Select Processors for a Running Application
It's possible to dynamically assign CPU cores to an application while it's already running. This offers flexibility beyond creating shortcuts with pre-defined affinity settings.
Previously, we detailed a method for establishing a shortcut that compels an application to utilize a specific CPU. However, the following instructions demonstrate an alternative approach for real-time modification.
Important Considerations
Generally, we advise against manually altering these settings. Allowing Windows to automatically manage processor allocation is typically the most efficient approach.
Interfering with the default CPU management can, in some cases, lead to performance instability. Therefore, proceed with caution and only adjust affinity when necessary.
Understanding processor affinity allows for targeted resource control, but it's best employed as a troubleshooting step rather than a standard practice.
Modifying Process CPU Affinity
To begin, access Task Manager by right-clicking on the Windows taskbar.
Subsequently, navigate to the "Details" tab within the Task Manager window.
Locating and Accessing Process Affinity
Within the process list, identify the specific process you wish to modify.
Right-click on the selected process and, from the resulting context menu, choose "Set affinity."
Understanding Processor Allocation
By default, applications are typically permitted to utilize all available processors on your computer.
The affinity window displays all processors, initially enabled for the selected application.
Restricting Processor Usage
To limit the processors a process can use, simply deselect the checkboxes corresponding to the processors you wish to exclude.
Once the desired processors are unchecked, the changes are automatically applied.
This completes the process of altering a process's CPU affinity.