diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/AsyncRequests.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/AsyncRequests.cpp
index a6cc5a4b9c..d2945a3dbc 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/AsyncRequests.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/AsyncRequests.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include "VideoCommon/AsyncRequests.h"
+#include "VideoCommon/Fifo.h"
 #include "VideoCommon/RenderBase.h"
 
 AsyncRequests AsyncRequests::s_singleton;
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ void AsyncRequests::PushEvent(const AsyncRequests::Event& event, bool blocking)
 
 	m_queue.push(event);
 
+	RunGpu();
 	if (blocking)
 	{
 		m_cond.wait(lock, [this]{return m_queue.empty();});
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/CommandProcessor.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/CommandProcessor.cpp
index b53c50fc2e..21ef0be2a9 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/CommandProcessor.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/CommandProcessor.cpp
@@ -322,10 +322,7 @@ void GatherPipeBursted()
 				ProcessFifoAllDistance();
 			}
 		}
-		else
-		{
-			RunGpu();
-		}
+		RunGpu();
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -375,6 +372,7 @@ void UpdateInterrupts(u64 userdata)
 	}
 	CoreTiming::ForceExceptionCheck(0);
 	interruptWaiting = false;
+	RunGpu();
 }
 
 void UpdateInterruptsFromVideoBackend(u64 userdata)
@@ -551,5 +549,7 @@ void Update()
 
 	if (fifo.isGpuReadingData)
 		Common::AtomicAdd(VITicks, SystemTimers::GetTicksPerSecond() / 10000);
+
+	RunGpu();
 }
 } // end of namespace CommandProcessor
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/Fifo.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/Fifo.cpp
index 8c7dbce49b..4ca7a3de58 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/Fifo.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/Fifo.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "Common/Atomic.h"
 #include "Common/ChunkFile.h"
 #include "Common/CPUDetect.h"
+#include "Common/Event.h"
 #include "Common/FPURoundMode.h"
 #include "Common/MemoryUtil.h"
 #include "Common/Thread.h"
@@ -58,6 +59,9 @@ static u8* s_video_buffer_pp_read_ptr;
 // polls, it's just atomic.
 // - The pp_read_ptr is the CPU preprocessing version of the read_ptr.
 
+static Common::Flag s_gpu_is_running; // If this one is set, the gpu loop will be called at least once again
+static Common::Event s_gpu_new_work_event;
+
 void Fifo_DoState(PointerWrap &p)
 {
 	p.DoArray(s_video_buffer, FIFO_SIZE);
@@ -133,11 +137,13 @@ void ExitGpuLoop()
 	// Terminate GPU thread loop
 	GpuRunningState = false;
 	EmuRunningState = true;
+	s_gpu_new_work_event.Set();
 }
 
 void EmulatorState(bool running)
 {
 	EmuRunningState = running;
+	s_gpu_new_work_event.Set();
 }
 
 void SyncGPU(SyncGPUReason reason, bool may_move_read_ptr)
@@ -271,10 +277,6 @@ void RunGpuLoop()
 	SCPFifoStruct &fifo = CommandProcessor::fifo;
 	u32 cyclesExecuted = 0;
 
-	// If the host CPU has only two cores, idle loop instead of busy loop
-	// This allows a system that we are maxing out in dual core mode to do other things
-	bool yield_cpu = cpu_info.num_cores <= 2;
-
 	AsyncRequests::GetInstance()->SetEnable(true);
 	AsyncRequests::GetInstance()->SetPassthrough(false);
 
@@ -353,11 +355,15 @@ void RunGpuLoop()
 
 		if (EmuRunningState)
 		{
-			// NOTE(jsd): Calling SwitchToThread() on Windows 7 x64 is a hot spot, according to profiler.
-			// See https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah4nh0yGtjrgdFpDeF9pS3V6RUotRVE3S3J4TGM1NlE#gid=0
-			// for benchmark details.
-			if (yield_cpu)
-				Common::YieldCPU();
+			if (s_gpu_is_running.IsSet())
+			{
+				// reset the atomic flag. But as the CPU thread might have pushed some new data, we have to rerun the GPU loop
+				s_gpu_is_running.Clear();
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				s_gpu_new_work_event.WaitFor(std::chrono::milliseconds(100));
+			}
 		}
 		else
 		{
@@ -386,36 +392,44 @@ bool AtBreakpoint()
 
 void RunGpu()
 {
-	if (SConfig::GetInstance().m_LocalCoreStartupParameter.bCPUThread &&
-	    !g_use_deterministic_gpu_thread)
-		return;
-
 	SCPFifoStruct &fifo = CommandProcessor::fifo;
-	while (fifo.bFF_GPReadEnable && fifo.CPReadWriteDistance && !AtBreakpoint() )
+
+	// execute GPU
+	if (!SConfig::GetInstance().m_LocalCoreStartupParameter.bCPUThread || g_use_deterministic_gpu_thread)
 	{
-		if (g_use_deterministic_gpu_thread)
+		while (fifo.bFF_GPReadEnable && fifo.CPReadWriteDistance && !AtBreakpoint() )
 		{
-			ReadDataFromFifoOnCPU(fifo.CPReadPointer);
+			if (g_use_deterministic_gpu_thread)
+			{
+				ReadDataFromFifoOnCPU(fifo.CPReadPointer);
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				FPURoundMode::SaveSIMDState();
+				FPURoundMode::LoadDefaultSIMDState();
+				ReadDataFromFifo(fifo.CPReadPointer);
+				s_video_buffer_read_ptr = OpcodeDecoder_Run(DataReader(s_video_buffer_read_ptr, s_video_buffer_write_ptr), nullptr, false);
+				FPURoundMode::LoadSIMDState();
+			}
+
+			//DEBUG_LOG(COMMANDPROCESSOR, "Fifo wraps to base");
+
+			if (fifo.CPReadPointer == fifo.CPEnd)
+				fifo.CPReadPointer = fifo.CPBase;
+			else
+				fifo.CPReadPointer += 32;
+
+			fifo.CPReadWriteDistance -= 32;
 		}
-		else
-		{
-			FPURoundMode::SaveSIMDState();
-			FPURoundMode::LoadDefaultSIMDState();
-			ReadDataFromFifo(fifo.CPReadPointer);
-			s_video_buffer_read_ptr = OpcodeDecoder_Run(DataReader(s_video_buffer_read_ptr, s_video_buffer_write_ptr), nullptr, false);
-			FPURoundMode::LoadSIMDState();
-		}
-
-		//DEBUG_LOG(COMMANDPROCESSOR, "Fifo wraps to base");
-
-		if (fifo.CPReadPointer == fifo.CPEnd)
-			fifo.CPReadPointer = fifo.CPBase;
-		else
-			fifo.CPReadPointer += 32;
-
-		fifo.CPReadWriteDistance -= 32;
+		CommandProcessor::SetCPStatusFromGPU();
+	}
+
+	// wake up GPU thread
+	if (SConfig::GetInstance().m_LocalCoreStartupParameter.bCPUThread && !s_gpu_is_running.IsSet())
+	{
+		s_gpu_is_running.Set();
+		s_gpu_new_work_event.Set();
 	}
-	CommandProcessor::SetCPStatusFromGPU();
 }
 
 void Fifo_UpdateWantDeterminism(bool want)