In C# (.NET 6 and above), there is now a very simple way to read out the CPU load with minimal overhead - i.e. without threads. The PerformanceCounter from the System.Diagnostics namespace helps us with this.
1static async Task Main(string[] args)
2{
3 CancellationToken token = new(); // optional external cancel
4
5 PerformanceCounter cpuCounter = new("Processor", "% Processor Time", "_Total");
6 using PeriodicTimer timer = new(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1));
7
8 while (await timer.WaitForNextTickAsync(token) && !token.IsCancellationRequested)
9 {
10 Console.WriteLine(cpuCounter.NextValue());
11 }
12}
Hint: the first query of the CPU values always returns 0.0. This is also specified accordingly in the documentation: If the calculated value of a counter depends on two counter reads, the first read operation returns 0.0.
Author
BEN ABT
Ben is a Principal Software Engineer at Medialesson.de, with a strong focus on .NET and Microsoft Azure. In his professional role, he designs and builds highly scalable platforms for hybrid and cloud-based scenarios. He also advises companies and C-levels on migrating to the sovereign cloud.
He runs myCSharp.de, the largest and most active German-speaking C# community forum, actively contributes to both his own and external open-source projects, and regularly shares his knowledge through his blog, at community events, conferences, and as a writer for technical magazines.
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