Multi-core platforms combined with greater operating system efficiency let us put workloads on our computers that were impossible a few years ago. However, there is always that rogue process that loses control, malware trying to spread its infection, or a user doing something improper.
Sometimes, erratic computer behavior can be detected through the processor usage percentage, and to monitor that value there is CPU Monitor and Alert, which generates sound alerts and writes local reports.
When a process keeps one of the processor's cores 'pinned,' Windows Task Manager shows it with a fixed percentage: 100 percent on a single-core chip, 50 percent on a dual-core, and 25 percent on a quad-core.
The problem is that the administrator doesn't make enough 'noise' to report the situation, and the user usually finds out when it's too late. If you work with unstable processes (milestones, alpha and beta versions, etc.) it's not a bad idea to closely watch CPU usage, but it's also not comfortable to keep the administrator window in the background. The alternative is CPU Monitor and Alert.
CPU Monitor and Alert measures in real time processor usage and memory consumption. In the configuration section you can set the upper limit for both resources, the time that must pass before sending the alert, use a sound indicator (the program comes with two WAV files, but you can use whatever you want), automatically interrupt the most aggressive processes (both CPU and RAM), and send alerts by email.
The idea here is to use one of the accounts that the developer offers for the rest of its services, but there is the possibility of configuring a secondary SMTP server (Yahoo, Hotmail, or a personal one, Gmail is not compatible).
The last option of CPU Monitor and Alert is to monitor a specific process. For example, if you are evaluating a nightly of Firefox and you don't want it to bring your processor to its knees or devour the memory during a full-blown existential crisis, the program will emit an alert (with or without sound), and if necessary it will interrupt the process. CPU Monitor and Alert is simple, compact, very Spartan in the installation process, and its last update was published a few hours ago.
