Computer Concept Courses (CCC) Practice Test 2025 – Comprehensive All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The percentage of time your CPU is actively working is accurately referred to as CPU load. This term reflects how much of the CPU’s processing power is being utilized at any given time, often expressed as a percentage. Understanding CPU load is crucial for diagnosing system performance issues, as it can indicate whether the processor is being overburdened or underutilized.

While "usage" can often describe how much of a resource is being utilized, it is more commonly used in general contexts and does not specifically focus on the computational aspect of the CPU. Load, on the other hand, explicitly denotes the amount of work the CPU is performing, making it the more precise and appropriate term in this context.

Performance and capacity refer to different aspects of CPU functionality. Performance relates to the speed and effectiveness with which the CPU can complete tasks, whereas capacity pertains to the maximum workload the CPU can handle. Thus, when discussing the active workload of the CPU in terms of time spent processing, "load" is the most fitting term.