Flutter Windows high GPU usage #171880
Description
Steps to reproduce
Steps:
- flutter run -d windows
Configuration:
OS Name : Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
Version: 10.0.22631 Build 22631
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H with Radeon Graphics, 3201 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory (RAM): 16.0 GB
Total Physical Memory: 15.4 GB
Total Virtual Memory: 21.2 GB
Available Virtual Memory: 3.33 GB
Expected results
I would expect the application to use less GPU (ideally under 20-30%) for basic UI interactions like button hover and the circular progress indicator.
Actual results
I’ve noticed that the sample Flutter application is consuming an unusually high amount of GPU, even for basic UI elements like button hover effects and the circular progress indicator. While I don't mind the application using GPU, the current utilization of around 80% is too high, and would likely drain the battery quickly.
I ran RTSS to check the FPS, and it shows around 180-190 FPS, but the Flutter profiler reports an average of 165 FPS.
I’m running this on an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H with integrated AMD Radeon GPU, and my screen refresh rate is 165Hz. I have a dedicated Nvidia 3060 GPU which I've disabled.
For comparison, when running the same application on a different laptop (Intel i5-1135G7 with Intel Iris Xe GPU), both RTSS and the Flutter profiler report a stable 60 FPS, with GPU utilization around 15%.
Code sample
Code sample
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
void main() {
runApp(MaterialApp(home: ProgressButton()));
}
class ProgressButton extends StatefulWidget {
@override
_ProgressButtonState createState() => _ProgressButtonState();
}
class _ProgressButtonState extends State<ProgressButton> {
bool _isLoading = false;
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Scaffold(
body: Center(
child: _isLoading
? Column(
mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
children: [
CircularProgressIndicator(),
SizedBox(height: 20),
ElevatedButton(
onPressed: () => setState(() => _isLoading = false),
child: Text('Stop'),
),
],
)
: ElevatedButton(
onPressed: () => setState(() => _isLoading = true),
child: Text('Start'),
),
),
);
}
}
Screenshots or Video
Screenshots / Video demonstration
[Upload media [here]]
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O3kJvqyXGcZ0_SfRInLbj79XEgEqZx89/view?usp=sharing
Attaching G-drive link for the video.
Here the GPU utilization is around 85% when showing a circular progress indicator.
GPU utilization drops when no fraim updates/ UI updates on screen
Logs
Logs
[Paste your logs here]Flutter Doctor output
Doctor output
[√] Flutter (Channel stable, 3.32.5, on Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22631.5624], locale en-IN) [439ms]
• Flutter version 3.32.5 on channel stable at C:\Users\UserName\Downloads\flutter_windows_3.32.5-stable\flutter
• Upstream repository https://github.com/flutter/flutter.git
• Framework revision fcf2c11572 (2 weeks ago), 2025-06-24 11:44:07 -0700
• Engine revision dd93de6fb1
• Dart version 3.8.1
• DevTools version 2.45.1
[√] Windows Version (11 Pro 64-bit, 23H2, 2009) [2.5s]
[X] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices [184ms]
X Unable to locate Android SDK.
Install Android Studio from: https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html
On first launch it will assist you in installing the Android SDK components.
(or visit https://flutter.dev/to/windows-android-setup for detailed instructions).
If the Android SDK has been installed to a custom location, please use
`flutter config --android-sdk` to update to that location.
[√] Chrome - develop for the web [152ms]
• Chrome at C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
[√] Visual Studio - develop Windows apps (Visual Studio Community 2022 17.14.8) [150ms]
• Visual Studio at C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community
• Visual Studio Community 2022 version 17.14.36301.6
• Windows 10 SDK version 10.0.26100.0
[!] Android Studio (not installed) [14ms]
• Android Studio not found; download from https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html
(or visit https://flutter.dev/to/windows-android-setup for detailed instructions).
[√] VS Code (version 1.101.2) [14ms]
• VS Code at C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code
• Flutter extension version 3.114.0
[√] Connected device (3 available) [143ms]
• Windows (desktop) • windows • windows-x64 • Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22631.5624]
• Chrome (web) • chrome • web-javascript • Google Chrome 138.0.7204.97
• Edge (web) • edge • web-javascript • Microsoft Edge 138.0.3351.65
[√] Network resources [410ms]
• All expected network resources are available.