How to Check if a Program Uses CPU or GPU in Linux

Linux is a powerful and flexible operating system where you can check CPU and GPU usage for programs efficiently. This guide will walk you through the process of monitoring both CPU and GPU resources in a Linux environment. We will also explain why Linux programs utilize both CPU and GPU resources.

Monitoring CPU Usage

To check the CPU usage of a program in Linux, you can use several command-line tools. The top and htop commands are commonly used for this purpose.

Using the 'top' Command

The top command provides real-time information about processes in the system. It is a dynamic and interactive viewer showing you the processes consuming the most CPU resources.

To use the top command, open the terminal and type:

sudo top

Once you run top, you will see a list of running processes sorted by CPU usage. The header of the list shows the process ID (PID), the process name, the percentage of CPU usage, and other relevant information.

Using the 'htop' Command

htop is an enhanced version of the top command. It provides a more user-friendly interface with color coding, allows interaction, and is more efficient in displaying real-time information. Installing htop might be necessary, as it is not always included in the default installation of Linux distributions.

To use the htop command, first install it using the package management system of your distribution. For example, on Ubuntu, you can install it using the following command:

sudo apt updatesudo apt install htop

Then, run htop in the terminal:

htop

The htop interface is much easier to navigate and provides additional features to manage processes and system settings.

Monitoring GPU Usage

While all programs use the CPU, not all programs use the GPU exclusively. The GPU, or graphics processing unit, is responsible for rendering images and handling graphical operations. Programs that heavily rely on graphical processing, such as games, video editing software, or 3D modeling tools, might dispatch some work to the GPU.

For NVIDIA GPUs

On systems with NVIDIA GPUs, the nvidia-smi (NVIDIA System Management Interface) command is useful for monitoring GPU usage. This command provides detailed information about the current state of the GPU, including GPU memory usage, temperature, and compute operations.

To use the nvidia-smi command:

sudo nvidia-smi

This will display information about the GPU, including:

Current GPU usage Temperature Memory usage Compute activities

For Other GPU Manufacturers

For GPUs from other manufacturers, there are no standardized commands. However, most third-party tools and scripts are available to monitor GPU usage. One such tool is RocketGPU, a user-friendly tool that can monitor and control GPU usage on a variety of GPUs.

Why Programs Use Both CPUs and GPUs

Linux programs often use both CPUs and GPUs because modern applications are becoming increasingly complex and require substantial computational power. CPUs are general-purpose processors capable of handling a wide range of tasks, from running the operating system to executing complex algorithms. GPUs, on the other hand, are highly specialized processors designed to handle graphical and parallel computing tasks efficiently.

Here are some reasons why programs use both CPUs and GPUs:

Parallel Processing: Many computational tasks can be parallelized, meaning they can be broken down into smaller tasks that can be executed simultaneously. GPUs excel at parallel processing due to their large number of cores. Graphical Tasks: Programs that involve rendering graphics, such as games, video editors, 3D modeling, and virtual reality applications, rely heavily on GPUs to handle complex graphical operations. Data Processing: Large-scale data processing tasks, such as machine learning, deep learning, and scientific simulations, can benefit from offloading computationally intensive tasks to GPUs for faster processing.

Conclusion

Linux provides powerful tools for monitoring CPU and GPU usage, allowing you to optimize system performance and identify resource-heavy applications. By understanding the principles behind CPU and GPU usage, you can enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of your Linux environment.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the following resources:

How to Monitor System Usage with the Top Command How to Monitor NVIDIA GPU Usage with nvidia-smi Command Htop Command in Linux with Examples