Go straight to the app you recognize
Filter by process name instead of scanning the whole list. The PID helps distinguish similar rows, keeping the desktop view focused on the app whose activity you want to compare.
PC Process Monitor
PC process monitor. Find the busy apps.
Keep a PC process monitor beside your game stats. SysCubes lets you search Windows processes and sort sampled CPU or working-set memory, with a full desktop view and selected read-only phone readings to help you investigate background workload.
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- CPU + working-set memory
- Search and sort on desktop
- Read-only process view
Explore the interactive preview
Processes, within reachFictional PC sample
Read only| Process | ||
|---|---|---|
| OrbitArenaPID 4200 | 18.6 | 2,480 |
| BrowserTabsPID 7300 | 7.4 | 960 |
| ClipRecorderPID 8100 | 4.2 | 380 |
| ChatWindowPID 5400 | 1.3 | 290 |
| MusicPlayerPID 6200 | 0.4 | 180 |
| FileExplorerPID 2600 | 0.2 | 120 |
| NewSamplePID 9400 | - | 75 |
7 example processes shown. A dash means CPU is not available for that sample.
Search fictional apps, sort their example readings and explore the first-sample state. This illustration does not read or change Windows processes.
Quick answer
Find the app. Compare the workload. Keep the context.
Search by name or bring the busiest available CPU and memory readings to the top. Put Processes beside Performance to connect app activity with the scene you are testing. A sample gives you a lead to investigate; use a repeatable test to confirm it.
A clearer view of background work
Find the app worth a closer look.
Bring busy apps to the top
Sort available CPU or memory readings in descending order. Put the list beside performance readings to see surrounding workload while you repeat a game scene or everyday PC task.
Keep selected readings within reach
Use the full widget on a second-screen dashboard, or share a bounded read-only list with your paired phone when the Processes module is enabled. Choose the surface that fits the space you have.
Make the readings useful
Compare CPU activity and the memory the app is using.
| Reading | What it represents | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Name and PID | Windows process name and its identifier at this sample. | Identify a row; a similarly named launcher is not necessarily the game. |
| CPU % | Change in process CPU time between samples, normalized across the PC's logical processors. | Compare the same app during repeatable activity. First-sample CPU can be unavailable. |
| Memory MB | The process's current working set, converted from bytes using 1,048,576 bytes per displayed MB. | Use it as memory context; it is not a measurement of all private allocations or GPU memory. |
| Visible rows | Up to 100 rows after the desktop search and sort. | Filter by name when your target is outside the visible list. |
The native integration reads the Windows processes it can access. A process can end or deny access while the sample is being collected, so a missing row is different from proof that an app was never running. A first CPU sample can show a dash while memory is already available.
Use the view that fits
Full desktop inspection. Selected phone readings.
| Surface | Available view | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop / second-screen dashboard | Name, PID, CPU and memory; desktop search and descending sort; up to 100 rows. | Enable the Processes widget and confirm the Windows integration supplies readings. |
| Phone Companion | Up to 40 names and CPU/memory readings in a read-only list. | Pair on a trusted reachable LAN and review the Processes module switch. |
| Individual compact game Overlay | The full Processes widget is not individually pinnable in the current compact widget set. | Keep the detailed table on the dashboard or a second screen. |
Keep selected app readings beside you on the phone, with Processes sharing controlled from the PC. The compact list follows the available snapshot and omits desktop administration controls. Use phone companion setup to pair on a trusted local network and choose what to share.
A small test with a useful answer
Check the workload without losing track of the game.
Place Processes beside Performance
Add the process widget to your desktop dashboard and give names and readings enough room. Keep the performance widget nearby if the task is a game slowdown.
Repeat the affected scene
Use the same game settings and route. Sort by CPU or memory, or filter for a recognized app. Note whether its activity coincides with the slowdown rather than changing several settings at once.
Change one optional workload
Save your work, then close a recognized optional app through its own controls or pause its download. Leave Windows, security and anti-cheat processes alone. Repeat the scene and compare the result.
Keep evidence for the next check
If the issue persists, note the app, game, timing and change you tested. Follow the FPS diagnostic guide or preserve an incident report with the context you need.
Keep useful evidence
Move from a live workload check to a saved incident.
Processes gives you a current list. Incident reporting can preserve recent performance history alongside available process information. That is useful when a short hitch has already passed before you inspect the dashboard. Review the saved report before sharing process names or notes.
Use a repeatable FPS-drop test to decide what the evidence means. Keep the useful context in one workspace, then compare a specific change under the same conditions.
Your questions, answered
PC Process Monitor FAQ
What does the SysCubes process monitor show?
The Windows dashboard lists available process names, process IDs, sampled CPU percentages and working-set memory in MB. Search by name or sort by CPU or memory to find a useful starting point for a performance check. The desktop table displays up to 100 matching rows; inaccessible or exited processes can be absent.
Can I end a task or change process priority from SysCubes?
The widget provides read-only inspection, so you can compare app activity alongside your game tools while leaving process administration to Windows. It exposes no task termination, priority changes or remote shell. For a workload test, save your work and close a recognized optional app through its own controls.
Why does a process show a dash for CPU?
CPU percentage is calculated from the change between successive samples, so the first reading can be unavailable. The native integration also accounts for a process restarting with a reused PID. A dash means no usable percentage for that sample, rather than zero CPU activity; memory can still have a reading.
Can the process list appear on my phone?
Yes, when Phone Companion is paired and reachable and its Processes module is enabled. The companion shares up to 40 process names with available CPU and memory readings. That phone list is separate from the desktop's searchable 100-row view and does not expose process IDs, task termination or arbitrary PC commands.
Can I pin the process monitor directly over a game?
Use the desktop or second-screen dashboard for the full process widget. Processes is not in the current individual compact Overlay widget set. A supported in-game dashboard is a separate surface; check the capabilities of your build rather than assuming every desktop widget can be pinned individually.
Does high process CPU prove what caused an FPS drop?
It gives you a lead to test. A reading taken after a hitch may miss the brief change, and a busy app is not automatically the cause. Repeat the same scene, change one recognized workload and compare the result. Use incident reports when you need to preserve recent performance context alongside available process information.
Your PC. In your hands.
Keep the game and its background workload in view.
Combine Processes, Performance and incident reports in one SysCubes workspace. Download SysCubes for Windows free to monitor your system background load.
Download SysCubes for Windows
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