Solved Firefox eating up my CPU


incedis

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win11 pro 21H2 22000.613
I went through the steps mentioned here 'Troubleshooting Firefox' but to no avail. Firefox is eating my CPU like there was no tomorrow.
Did not have that issue with Win 10. I do not know what to do at this stage and any help is much appreciated.
My workaround is to use Edge (good as well) but prefer Firefox as I am using addons such 'Relay".

Any help is much appreciated
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win11 pro 21H2 22000.613
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Delta 15
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
    Motherboard
    Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-15CK
    Memory
    64
You have not posted the details of your problem, so there is nowhere to start; details, for example, of how much of your CPU is being used, under what conditions such as number of tabs open in Firefox (and what version thereof), and most importantly the phase of the moon.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8960
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-13700 2.10GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GetForce RTX 4060 Ti
    Sound Card
    Realtec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2722D
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1024GB SSD boot drive; 2TB Internal Mechanical Hard Disc; WD My Passport (1Tb) external; My Passport Ultra (2Tb) external
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    40Mbps (Bonded DSL)
    Browser
    Firefox (default)
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes, MS Defender AV
Mine with about 30 tabs open and with the last version installed, the 100.0 and with windows build 22000.652 has a consumption between 0 and 3% CPU. Maybe some extension installed is the problem? Try uninstalling the extensions one by one and see if you can detect what might be causing this excessive consumption.
2022-05-05_21h50_39.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64-bits 23H2 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 3 2200G with Radeon Vega Graphics 3.50 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI B350 PC MATE
    Memory
    16,00 GB TeamGroup DDR4-2667
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GT 730 & Radeon™ Vega 8 Graphics
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GK208 HDMI/DP High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 27"
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    SSD Team Group T-Force Cardea Zero Z440 1TB Gen4 M.2 NVMe (5000/4400MB/s), SSD Team Group CX2 512GB SATA III (530/470MB/s) and 2x Seagate 1TB BarraCuda 64MB 7200rpm SATA III 3.5 - ST1000DM010
    PSU
    LC-Power 650W V2.3
    Case
    ATX Nox Hummer ZS
    Cooling
    No cooling
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    1000/200
    Browser
    Firefox 120.0.1
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Optical Drive ASUS DRW-24D5MT
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 64-bits 22H2 22631.2861
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus VivoBook Max X541NA
    CPU
    Intel Celeron N3350 @ 1.10GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS X541NA
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Apollo Lake SoC - Graphics and Display Controller (12 EU) [B1] [ASUS]
    Sound Card
    Intel Apollo Lake SoC - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NT156WHM-N42 15.6"
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST1000LM035-1RK172
    PSU
    Asus Battery
    Internet Speed
    1000 Mbps / 200 MBps
    Browser
    Firefox 120.0.1
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
Usage is 5 tabs open and up to 22% CPU open. Tabs are simple internet pages. Version is 100.
If I open youtube, this is the only time where firefox is not using that much CPU.
As far as the extension, it is a step mentionned in the troubleshooting guidelines for firefox. I did try with a fresh install of Firefox without ext.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win11 pro 21H2 22000.613
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Delta 15
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
    Motherboard
    Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-15CK
    Memory
    64

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Thanks for your reply but in my first post there is a link that I followed including a complete refresh..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win11 pro 21H2 22000.613
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Delta 15
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
    Motherboard
    Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-15CK
    Memory
    64
If it were me, I would uninstall Firefox using Revo Uninstaller being sure to select and remove all the leftover registry keys that Revo finds. Then restart.
Download an older version of Firefox and save it to your computer. Directory Listing: /pub/firefox/releases/0.10/
Disconnect from the internet. (This is to keep Firefox from automatically updating the old version before you have a chance to test it)
Install old version and Go into Firefox settings-Firefox updates- check the box to download updates but let me choose to install them
Reconnect internet and check your cpu usage
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Thanks. I thought about reinstalling FF entirely but this is a fresh install of Win 11 (about 1month ago).
Would it be worth it ? (I had the issue prior to moving to FF 100)
What I am trying at the moment is a config tweak. I read somewhere on the net that FF writing to disk could be the cause of high CPU usage (I am not an IT guy so don't quote me on that ).
Regarding the above, this is the tweak I have applied and they are making a difference. Not as good when I was on Win 10 where I could open up to 50 tabs without barely reaching 5% CPU usage. The only difference I can think of, when I was on Win 10, I had an Intel. On Win 11 (now) I am full AMD.
One last point I have noticed, is the tab the consumes the most CPU (compared to Edge) are the tabs regarding my trading with charts (I am a trader). Don't understand why though but this is what I have noticed..
Thanks again for your time

browser.cache.disk.enable false

browser.cache.disk.max_entry_size 0

browser.cache.memory.max_entry_size -1

browser.cache.memory.capacity 2560000

browser.cache.offline.enable false

browser.cache.disk_cache_ssl false

browser.cache.memory.enable true

PS: Just after checking "use hardware acceleration when available". I have only 9 tabs open. I guess I could add a GPU issue with FF on the top of the CPU :) See the Diff with Edge. 18 tabs open and barely 1% CPU.
Screenshot 2022-05-06 101427.png
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win11 pro 21H2 22000.613
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Delta 15
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
    Motherboard
    Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-15CK
    Memory
    64
It's not just the number of tabs you have open - it's what those tabs are doing. Are you comparing the exact same tabs in both Firefox and Edge when you make the comparison on what they are doing?

Also, IIRC more than a few trading sites can be GPU intensive, as the info is being refreshed at given intervals, not to mention drawing intricate graphs and such. You can't just say "Well, YouTube is working fine but XYZ site isn't" if they don't do the same thing - a YT tab is displaying streaming content, and normally not doing a lot of processing on on the end user's side, but other sites may involved the need for more processing on the client side because the server cannot handle all the processing for every single client connected to it.

A more appropriate test would be to open the exact same tabs in both, and see the difference. Also it might be a good idea to find out which browsers the sites that seem to have issues recommend to use. It may be that Firefox is struggling because it does not have good native support for the technologies being used by site that is causing the spike.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
I am not an IT guy and therefore my method / approach to troubleshooting is flawed. All I can tell you is what I have said before.
Win 10 -> No issue with Firefox
Win 11 -> FF goes nuts.
Also, I appreciate the time you are spending but keep in mind that I am forced to troubleshoot / change my workflow because of an issue. At heart, I do not want to even try to understand how those computers work..
Simplest work around is for me to stick with Edge. In all fairness, it does the job. Will mark this thread as solved as I do not wish to become an IT guy.. Nothing against IT guys here :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win11 pro 21H2 22000.613
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Delta 15
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
    Motherboard
    Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-15CK
    Memory
    64
Windows 11 does have more advanced features and access to using the GPU for apps than Windows 10 did, but at the end of the day, you gotta do what is best for you. If Edge works better for the trading sites, then stick with it. I use Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave depending upon what I am doing, and certain sites I only open in certain browsers, too, so it's definitely a solution that I agree with.

Enjoy!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
I
Simplest work around is for me to stick with Edge. In all fairness, it does the job. Will mark this thread as solved as I do not wish to become an IT guy.. Nothing against IT guys here :)
You mentioned addons in an earlier post and, specifically, Relay.
With Edge, you can install Extensions from both the Chrome store and Microsoft...Relay is in the Chrome store.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz (16 CPUs
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
    Hard Drives
    512GB Solid State Drive
    Browser
    Chrome
I went through the steps mentioned here 'Troubleshooting Firefox' but to no avail. Firefox is eating my CPU like there was no tomorrow.
Did not have that issue with Win 10. I do not know what to do at this stage and any help is much appreciated.
My workaround is to use Edge (good as well) but prefer Firefox as I am using addons such 'Relay".

Any help is much appreciated
Didn't see it mentioned but did try turning off hardware acceleration in the Firefox settings to see if it made any difference. I started having problems with pages suddenly loading slowly in later builds and turning that off solved the problem. Might be worth a try just for kicks.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M17 R3
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10750H (Comet Lake)
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    32GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 and Intel UHD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC3281-CG
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Micron 2300 NVMe 1TB
    PC SN530 NVMe WDC 512GB
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    60mbps
    Browser
    Vivaldi and Firefox
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-1065G7 (Ice Lake)
    Motherboard
    Microsoft Corp.
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus Graphics
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.5” PixelSense Touchscreen Display
    Screen Resolution
    2256x1504
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba Memory 512GB
    Mouse
    Surface Arc Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60 mbps
    Browser
    Vivaldi and Firefox
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
as I do not wish to become an IT guy.
Not all of us are IT guys (or gals). We just like it. Speaking personally, I use FF exclusively and I will say that in my experience an issue such as yours is usually caused by addons. It is so simple to uninstall (NOT disable) every one you have, restart, and check your cpu usage. Then add them back one by one, checking your cpu usage each time. Process of elimination is a form of troubleshooting anyone can do.

Just because an addon will work in one version of a browser does not mean it will work in another. The developers have to update their addon for it to work in some newer when a browser updates. That goes for all browsers, not just FF.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Have you tried starting Firefox in the Safe Mode?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    IdeaPad 3 17IML05
    CPU
    CORE i3 10th GEN
    Memory
    16 GB
Well, I have some positive updates (as of today. hopefully will stay that way).
After reading countless posts with issues similar to mine, I discovered that Win 11 has an option where you pick apps that you want your dGPU to use. Last resort, decided to give it a try with FF. As far as I can tell issue is entirely resolved.. Posting in case someone else is struggling like I am :).
Thank you guys for your time !!
PS: Just to clarify, I meant the discrete GPU and not the integrated GPU.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win11 pro 21H2 22000.613
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Delta 15
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
    Motherboard
    Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-15CK
    Memory
    64

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