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Does anyone know of an application or widget that has the ability to display full CPU usage history? I keep getting periodic massive CPU spikes that lock up my entire computer, to the point where I can't open Acivity monitor or iStat so see what's going on. By the time the lock-up passes, I see a CPU spike in the past, but have no way of telling what process caused it.

Another possibility might be that there's a log file somewhere that keeps track of this, but I can't find it. If anyone knows something about that option, let me know as well.

Thanks!

[besson3c]

How do you know that the problem isn't a CPU spike and not an I/O spike? I/O spikes are often caused by having to use virtual memory, whereas CPU spikes usually do not result in lock ups.

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Originally Posted by besson3c 

How do you know that the problem isn't a CPU spike and not an I/O spike? I/O spikes are often caused by having to use virtual memory, whereas CPU spikes usually do not result in lock ups.

I don't, but maxed CPU has accompanied these lock-ups every time I've had a CPU usage meter up and running while it's happened, and haven't noticed my memory usage meter even close to maxed out during one of these periods, so I thought I should start there first.

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I'll stop talking about my lock-up issues in this thread, talking about them here instead.

I'd still like to know if anyone knows of an app that will do what I'm looking for, though, if only for future reference.

[besson3c]

Are you getting page outs appearing in your top/Activity Monitor display?

A CPU spike will cause a slow down, but AFAIK it should never cause a complete lockup.