SysMonLite

You only have a fixed amount of system resources your computer needs to cleverly distribute to all running processes and applications. Chances are you need to keep an eye on usage, and this can be done in more or less complex ways. In case you’re looking for a simple mode to display CPU usage, then SysMonLite is what you need.

Can be used on the go

First of all, you need to know that there’s no setup involved, so you can see what it’s all about from the moment it reaches your computer. As such, it makes no changes to system registry entries, so you’re free to carry it on a thumb drive in case you need or want to use it on other computers, without putting its stability at risk.
There’s no actual window to work with, and the application goes to the tray area directly on launch. A description window also shows up to inform you of what the program does, and how to interact with it. You can choose to have the message dismissed and not to show up ever again if you got the idea.

Customize the CPU meter

By default, there’s a single tray icon added, but once the process is started, an additional one shows up to show CPU usage. Update interval isn’t in real-time, On the bright side, there’s the possibility to manually set update interval in milliseconds, which can make it simulate almost in real-time.
The application only shows overall CPU usage, with no option for individual cores. What it does offer is the option to change the indicator style. Don’t think it’s anything too fancy, because it’s only related to the font type, style, attributes, size, and color.

To end with

All things considered, we can say that SysMonLite isn’t really a professional choice when it comes to system resource monitoring, but it can place a customizable display in the tray area to always be aware of CPU usage.