Server Version#: 1.16.5.1488
Player Version#: 1.0.0.792-d4adb056
Installed the new player on my Surface Pro 4 and immediately noticed that the fan in my SP4 i7 spun up. Checking task manager shows me the plex.exe using 22% CPU usage, even though Tautulli shows me the video is direct playing. Any reason why it’s using this much CPU? Can provide additional information if needed.
How does it compare with PMP direct playing, on the same hardware?
Server Version 1.16.5.1488
Player Version 1.0.0.792-d4adb056
Actually came here to see if anyone else was seeing this behavior with the new program. I’m also on a Surface product. I’m playing an MP3 file, playing on VLC or Microsoft Groove sees very little CPU usage vs the constant 25-30% usage I’m seeing on the new Plex Windows program. Hoping there’s still some optimization work to be done.
Never used PMP on this device due to it not having sync but just installed the latest version of PMP and that’s using around 15% so a bit lower (but still quite a lot).
The same video playing over the network in VLC uses 2% and Emby Theater (the store version) about 5 to 7%
I noticed the same thing. I have a Surface Go, where the UWP app idling uses anything between 0,5% and 3% of the CPU-time. The new application uses about 19%. That is by doing nothing. It is wasting a lot of CPU cycles doing nothing…
Jaap
I’m barely seeing any cpu usage when idle but as soon as I start watching anything CPU usage goes up to between 20 and 25%. Just tried a few more random videos and it’s the same for every one I tried.
I am definitely seeing high CPU usage. I’ve been monitoring CPU usage when streaming through PS4 and web browser, and CPU barely nudges up. As soon as I use the new plex desktop app for windows, it shoots way up to 70 - 80%. Only seeing this when the new app is used. Any thoughts?
This topic is purely about cpu usage on the client itself, not on the server.
That said, version 1.1 seems to have improved it slightly as it is hovering around 10% during playback.
Installed version 1.4 test version and CPU usage is over 20% consistently so the fan on my SP4 is constantly spinning. Again, on the same machine Emby uses about 5%.
Tautulli indicates that the file is direct playing.
Yes, this is definitely a thing. I just got back from a trip to Europe where I took my Surface Go and a slew of synced videos, and the battery life using Plex was horrendous.
The new Plex app, like most legacy apps and generic web players, appears not to be using hardware video decode on Windows.
Proof: Resource Usage Comparison: Plex App vs. Default Windows 10 Video App
Edit: for tone.
Just wanted to come back to this thread and add to my comment above (demonstrating the excessive CPU usage) my general discontent with the “new” Plex desktop app for Windows.
I get that the Plex devs are optimizing for cross platform, but the framework they chose fails on multiple fronts:
Inadequate support for high DPI displays: 100% and 200% are the only supported automatic scaling options. This works on a Mac, but does not work for the majority of Windows devices having intermediate display densities.
Lack of hardware video decoding during playback. This may be fine in a desktop scenario, but is a complete failure for mobile device use due to excessive battery drain and stuttering on high DPI screens.
Poor / inconsistent touch and tablet mode support. Trying to use the new app on a 2-in-1 device like a Surface Pro when in tablet mode is endlessly frustrating.
I love Plex and am a Plex Pass subscriber, but I am deeply disappointed in the direction their client strategy has taken for Windows. I hope to see a roadmap for how these issues will be addressed in the future.
I couldn’t agree more with you.
This is a real problem. I’ve given up trying to use PMP on my desktop. It wrecks CPU usage. Spotify churns along beautifully. Very frustrating.
I cant believe I’m saying this, but I miss the UWP version. Sure, it crashed on start without fail, but worked well the second time around.
Also having this problem. Even just playing music plex CPU usages spikes way higher than would should be acceptable.
same here 
just with simple music playback
Version 1.5 that just came out has made things a bit better as it’s now down 10% on my Surface but that’s still higher than what some other apps use.
Just installed the new W10 desktop app to replace the older Store one and it’s sucking CPU even for simple audio.
Highly broken - please fix
Just updated to latest version of app (v1.6.5.1097-3bb9dc68) yesterday, in the hopes it would have a fix for oddly high CPU usage I’ve been noticing now that I’m remote working more, but alas it’s still pushing the GPU on my laptop even on basic audio streams, driving temps upwards of 80deg. I’ve had to fall back on the web player to keep my machine from overheating and killing apps.
Yup just installed the latest version on my Surface and it now uses about 10% CPU even when doing nothing. Plus multimonitor support is well and truly screwed by the looks of it. Uninstalling again, hopefully it’ll improve in the future.
