I believe the real issue behind the question is whether a cpu running at 100% will be "damaged" (shorter life, less reliable, more errors etc etc) more than one running at 50% (for example).
My understanding is that there are 3 things that are of much more critical importance :-
1. Temp
2. Voltage
3. Quality of build (How well the chip was made)
I don't believe that cpu loading is as important (- unlike SSDs which may (do) have a limited read/write performance.) For overclocking purposes voltage and temperature are linked. Build quality is .........??? probably reflected in price but maybe let's not go there.
However, increased cpu loading generally increases temp but, if effective cooling is available, such temp increases will not stray outside performance parameters. Poor cooling will allow temp increases, sometimes to the point at which the internal sensors shut down the cpu/system to avoid damage.
Using a software system monitor (such as from cpuid) will allow users to monitor operating parameters of CPUs, HDDs, etc.
However, my understanding is that many software monitors should be used as comparators only, rather than as exact quantitative monitors. There seems to be much debate about what the sensors actually measure/read. Therefore, monitoring parameters at low usage and at high usage gives a comparative performance reading that can be used as a benchmark rather than a definitive guide to actual temperatures etc.
Rather than become concerned with CPU usage, I would concentrate on becoming familiar with the "normal" system parameters and then monitor these more critical parameters in different or exceptional circumstances.
For me 100% CPU loading is an inconvenience, as it effects multitasking, rather than a cause for concern.
Cheers
Adrian
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. (see below)
Confucius
AMD Phenom IIX6 1055T, win10, 5 internal drives, 7 usb drives, struggling power supply.