Codex Desktop Linux: severe lag and high CPU/GPU usage on Hyprland with hybrid graphics

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

Powered by Codex & OWL Version 26.803.81509 Released Aug 11, 2026

What subscription do you have?

Plus

What platform is your computer?

Linux 7.1.8-200.fc44.x86_64 x86_64 unknown

What issue are you seeing?

Codex Desktop is severely laggy immediately after launch and causes unusually high CPU/GPU power use on my Linux laptop.

On a fresh launch, I measured:

• Codex processes: ~134% combined CPU and ~2.5 GiB RAM
• Codex GPU process: ~40% NVIDIA GPU utilization
• NVIDIA RTX 3050 Mobile: ~28 W power draw
• Laptop temperature reached about 90°C before troubleshooting
• The UI is visibly laggy while typing and using the app

The issue persists after closing Telegram and relaunching Codex.

Attempted mitigations:

• Fully quit Codex and relaunch with DRI_PRIME=0
  • Codex still used the NVIDIA GPU.
• Launch with --disable-gpu
  • The app failed/crashed and printed a JavaScript stack trace.

Hardware:

• Intel Iris Xe integrated GPU
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile discrete GPU
• Hyprland session

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Start a Hyprland Linux session on a hybrid Intel/NVIDIA laptop.
2. Install and launch the official Codex Desktop Linux RPM.
3. Open Codex and wait about one minute.
4. Observe severe UI lag.
5. Monitor processes with top/htop and GPU activity with nvidia-smi.

Expected: Codex should remain responsive and use reasonable CPU/GPU power while idle or during normal use.

Actual: Codex uses roughly 134% CPU, ~2.5 GiB RAM, and substantial NVIDIA GPU power; the laptop becomes hot and the UI is laggy.

What is the expected behavior?

Codex should remain responsive during normal use and should not sustain high CPU/GPU utilization or heat the laptop to around 90°C when no intensive task is running.

Additional information

I installed the official RPM from https://openai.com/codex/

System observed:

• NVIDIA GPU temperature: ~61–62°C during testing
• CPU package temperature varied up to ~83°C during testing
• Hyprland also used the NVIDIA GPU, but Codex was independently using substantial CPU and GPU resources.

Potentially related reports, but not exact duplicates:

• openai/codex#37638: similar ~40% NVIDIA GPU use attributed to the Codex Desktop UI on a hybrid-GPU laptop, but on Windows.
• openai/codex#13749: Codex visible-window/compositor GPU issue on Windows, but different display stack and symptoms.
• #10885 / openai/codex#10432: Codex Desktop CPU/GPU power and heat reports on macOS.

This report is specifically for the official Linux RPM on Hyprland with Intel Iris Xe + NVIDIA RTX 3050 Mobile. It includes severe UI lag, sustained CPU/GPU usage, and high laptop temperature.

I can provide sanitized logs or more measurements if needed.

User feedback: Linux app consumes high CPU/GPU while idle

• Source: https://x.com/BadGatewayCo/status/2090838316237164983
• Source: https://x.com/BadGatewayCo/status/2090840817120190619
• Source: https://x.com/BadGatewayCo/status/2090844564097527974
• Type: external
• User reports:
  • “Soon as it launches its just eating CPU while doing nothing.”
  • “The Codex Electron UI is consuming roughly 123% CPU: its main process is ~58% and one renderer is ~65%; GPU is another ~10%.”
  • “GPU utilization: 34–35%” and “Power draw: ~19 W.”
  • “chatgpt --ozone-platform=wayland is a little better, but still 10-15% of gpu while totally.”

Reproduce on the official Linux RPM under Hyprland with Intel Iris Xe and RTX 3050 hybrid graphics, using top/htop and nvidia-smi as described. Compare normal launch with DRI_PRIME=0 and --disable-gpu, recording the UI lag, CPU/GPU usage, power and temperatures. Done means the idle app remains responsive without sustained excessive resource use, with the relevant logs or measurements captured.