What is implied if the value of the first Load Average indicator reaches 7?

Load Average is the average number of processes waiting to execute or currently executing over a specific period of time. Usually, three numbers are displayed — for 1, 5, and 15 minutes.

If the first Load Average value reaches 7, it means that on average, there were 7 processes either running or waiting for CPU time in the last minute.

What this means in practice:

• If you have, for example, a 4-core CPU, a value of 7 indicates that the load exceeds the number of available cores, and processes have to wait.
• A high Load Average can lead to system slowdown and increased response times.

Thus, a value of 7 for the first Load Average indicator is a sign of high system load, especially if the number of cores is less than this number.