diff --git a/dashboard/src/components/SystemMetrics.vue b/dashboard/src/components/SystemMetrics.vue
index 7753b9dac..c10a3cd1b 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/components/SystemMetrics.vue
+++ b/dashboard/src/components/SystemMetrics.vue
@@ -112,24 +112,10 @@ async function getMetrics(hours) {
   return { cpuData, memoryData, swapData };
 }
 
-async function refresh() {
+function createGraphOptions({ yscale, realtime }) {
   const now = Date.now();
-  const { cpuData, memoryData, swapData } = await getMetrics(period.value);
 
-  const cpuGraphData = {
-    datasets: [{
-      label: 'CPU',
-      data: cpuData,
-      pointRadius: 0,
-      // https://www.chartjs.org/docs/latest/charts/line.html#line-styling
-      borderWidth: 1,
-      tension: 0.4,
-      showLine: true,
-      fill: true
-    }]
-  };
-
-  const cpuGraphOptions = {
+  return {
     maintainAspectRatio: false,
     plugins: {
       legend: {
@@ -155,22 +141,14 @@ async function refresh() {
           callback: function (value) {
             if (period.value === 0) return `${5-(value-this.min)/60000}min`;
             return moment(value).format(periods.find((p) => p.id === period.value).format);
-          }
+          },
+          stepSize: realtime ? 60*1000 : null // // for realtime graph, generate steps of 1min and appropriate tick text
         },
         grid: {
           drawOnChartArea: false,
         },
       },
-      y: {
-        type: 'linear',
-        min: 0,
-        max: systemCpus.length * 100,
-        ticks: {
-          callback: (value) => `${value}%`,
-          maxTicksLimit: 6 // max tick labels to show
-        },
-        beginAtZero: true,
-      },
+      y: yscale,
     },
     interaction: {
       intersect: false,
@@ -178,11 +156,35 @@ async function refresh() {
       axis: 'x'
     }
   };
+}
 
-  if (period.value === 0) {
-    // for realtime graph, generate steps of 1min and appropriate tick text
-    cpuGraphOptions.scales.x.ticks.stepSize = 60*1000; // 1min
-  }
+async function refresh() {
+  const { cpuData, memoryData, swapData } = await getMetrics(period.value);
+
+  const cpuGraphData = {
+    datasets: [{
+      label: 'CPU',
+      data: cpuData,
+      pointRadius: 0,
+      // https://www.chartjs.org/docs/latest/charts/line.html#line-styling
+      borderWidth: 1,
+      tension: 0.4,
+      showLine: true,
+      fill: true
+    }]
+  };
+
+  const cpuYscale = {
+    type: 'linear',
+    min: 0,
+    max: systemCpus.length * 100,
+    ticks: {
+      callback: (value) => `${value}%`,
+      maxTicksLimit: 6 // max tick labels to show
+    },
+    beginAtZero: true,
+  };
+  const cpuGraphOptions = createGraphOptions({ yscale: cpuYscale, realtime: period.value === 0 });
 
   if (!cpuGraph) {
     cpuGraph = new Chart(cpuGraphNode.value, { type: 'line', data: cpuGraphData, options: cpuGraphOptions });
@@ -222,64 +224,22 @@ async function refresh() {
     }]
   };
 
-  const memoryGraphOptions = {
-    maintainAspectRatio: false,
-    plugins: {
-      legend: {
-        display: false
-      },
-      tooltip: {
-        callbacks: {
-          title: (tooltipItem) => moment(tooltipItem[0].raw.x).format(periods.find((p) => p.id === period.value).tooltipFormat)
-        }
-      }
+  const memoryYscale = {
+    type: 'linear',
+    min: 0,
+    max: (roundedMemory + roundedSwap)/ giB,
+    ticks: {
+      stepSize: 1,
+      autoSkip: true, // skip tick labels as needed
+      autoSkipPadding: 20, // padding between ticks
+      callback: (value) => `${value} GiB`,
+      maxTicksLimit: 8 // max tick labels to show
     },
-    scales: {
-      x: {
-        // we used to use 'time' type but it relies on the data to generate ticks. we may not have data for our time periods
-        type: 'linear',
-        min: now - (period.value === 0 ? LIVE_REFRESH_HISTORY_MSECS : period.value*60*60*1000),
-        max: now,
-        ticks: {
-          autoSkip: true, // skip tick labels as needed
-          autoSkipPadding: 20, // padding between ticks
-          maxRotation: 0, // don't rotate the labels
-          count: 7, // tick labels to show. anything more than 7 will not work for "7 days"
-          callback: function (value) {
-            if (period.value === 0) return `${5-(value-this.min)/60000}min`;
-            return moment(value).format(periods.find((p) => p.id === period.value).format);
-          }
-        },
-        grid: {
-          drawOnChartArea: false,
-        },
-      },
-      y: {
-        type: 'linear',
-        min: 0,
-        max: (roundedMemory + roundedSwap)/ giB,
-        ticks: {
-          stepSize: 1,
-          autoSkip: true, // skip tick labels as needed
-          autoSkipPadding: 20, // padding between ticks
-          callback: (value) => `${value} GiB`,
-          maxTicksLimit: 8 // max tick labels to show
-        },
-        beginAtZero: true,
-        stacked: true,
-      }
-    },
-    interaction: {
-      intersect: false,
-      mode: 'nearest',
-      axis: 'x'
-    }
+    beginAtZero: true,
+    stacked: true,
   };
 
-  if (period.value === 0) {
-    // for realtime graph, generate steps of 1min and appropriate tick text
-    memoryGraphOptions.scales.x.ticks.stepSize = 60*1000; // 1min
-  }
+  const memoryGraphOptions = createGraphOptions({ yscale: memoryYscale, realtime: period.value === 0 });
 
   if (!memoryGraph) {
     memoryGraph = new Chart(memoryGraphNode.value, { type: 'line', data: memoryGraphData, options: memoryGraphOptions });