http://imgur.com/o26kA
As soon as I open an application or game that utilizes the GPU it responds normally, and when I press the MSI turbo button (slight instant overclocking to CPU and GPU) it responds normally as well.
For those who don't want to click the picture...basically my GPU is switching rapidly between 0% usage and 521% usage (5.21GB for a 1GB card) rapidly when it should just not be running while on desktop only mode. The temperature is also significantly higher or else I probably wouldn't be terribly concerned...normally idles at least 10C below that.
I have tried getting the driver from both Nvidia and my manufacturer (MSI) to the same effect. My other thought is it could just be the meter I'm using (I'm aware it isn't the greatest, but it's convenient)...can someone point me to another I can doublecheck with?