load > 1, no process using >10% CPU...?

[Damian Gerow]

I'm trying to compile editors/openoffice-2.0-devel (after successfully
getting java/jdk15 running on amd64), and my load shot way up just as I
started the compile.  top didn't show me much, so I attributed it to the
disk I/O that was going on, and didn't think much of it.

Until the build failed.  Now top /still/ isn't showing me much.  systat -vm
is showing me at just under 100% User, with little to no disk activity.

I'm a little fuzzy as to /how/ load is calculated, but why would my system
think that it's doing all kinds of work when ps, top, and systat can't
really tell me /what/ it's doing?

The system is AMD64 running 5.4-STABLE (compiled two nights ago, I believe).
More information available on request...