Interrupt Handling: If the CPU is overwhelmed with processing tasks, it may struggle to handle system interrupts efficiently. Interrupts are signals sent by hardware devices to request the CPU’s attention, such as keyboard input, disk I/O completion, or network packets arrival. If the CPU is fully occupied, it may delay or miss handling these interrupts, resulting in delayed or unresponsive system behavior.
Memory Pressure: High CPU utilization can also exacerbate memory pressure, especially if the program consumes significant amounts of system memory (RAM). As the CPU works to process tasks, it may generate memory-related operations, such as memory allocation, deallocation, or swapping, further taxing system resources and potentially leading to memory exhaustion or thrashing.
Operating System Scheduling: The operating system’s task scheduler may struggle to allocate CPU time effectively when one program monopolizes CPU resources. Background system processes, essential services, or interactive user applications may receive inadequate CPU time, leading to sluggish performance or system freezes.
While high CPU utilization alone may not always cause the entire system to freeze, it can contribute to system instability and unresponsiveness, particularly if combined with other resource constraints or underlying issues. Monitoring system performance, identifying resource bottlenecks, and optimizing system configuration can help mitigate the risk of system freezes due to high CPU utilization.
Mitigation
CPU bottlenecking occurs when there are many charts and indicators open on the trading platform, making the server use a lot of CPU. This can slow down the entire system, especially when there is market volatility and price action moves quickly. One solution is to lower the priority of your trading platform’s process. This allows crucial system processes, like disk input/output and RAM usage, to access your platform’s data more efficiently, without compromising stability.
To lower the process priority of your platform (like NinjaTrader), follow these steps:
