In the case of downloading torrents, it could be anything from your bittorrent client to some kind of security software. If your CPU usage is hitting 100% for any reason, you should go into the Task Manager and see what program is taking up all the CPU time. This is where the ‘torrent’ part of bittorrent gets its name. When you download a popular bittorrent where there may literally be several thousand peers and seeders, you have to realize that your computer is actively communicating with all of them to find the best download rates, file sources, and so on. With that in mind, I hope it also helps to explain why your computer’s CPU gets hit pretty heavy. CPU Usage Spikes with TorrentsĪlthough my previous explanation of how bittorrents work is extremely oversimplified, it at least should give you a general idea of how they work. For more information, check out this great article on how bittorrents work. Seeders are what you call people who have the complete file and upload to those who need it. With a torrent download, instead of getting the actual file from a single source you download bits (literally and figuratively) of the file from a multitude of sources, depending on how many seeders are out there with the same files. Bittorrents work in a completely different manner than a direct download from a website. When you download a file from a website like, for example, you are downloading the entire file from a server that hosts the site. Bittorrents are a form of P2P (peer to peer) networking, which means that files are shared between other people who have the files, and those files are not stored on any one network location.

The proper name for a torrent is actually bittorrent, but it’s acceptable to call them either. In this article, I’ll explain how bittorrents work and possible causes for CPU spikes. It could be something to do with your router, or maybe a software issues involving your firewall or security programs. The reason why there isn’t just one answer is because of all the variables to consider. It’s not uncommon for someone to ask why does CPU usage spikes when downloading torrents, and there are a variety of answers for that question.

Living single torrents