CPU / GPU Bottleneck Calculator
Check whether your processor and graphics card are a balanced pairing at your gaming resolution.
What is a bottleneck?
In any PC, one component always limits frame rate — usually the GPU, sometimes the CPU. A "bottleneck" only becomes a problem when a much weaker CPU prevents an expensive GPU from stretching its legs: you paid for performance you never see.
Why resolution matters
At 1080p the GPU renders frames quickly, so the CPU must keep up with a high frame rate — CPU bottlenecks show up most at low resolutions. At 4K each frame takes the GPU far longer, frame rates drop, and almost any modern CPU can keep pace. The same hardware pair can be CPU-limited at 1080p and perfectly balanced at 4K.
Take every bottleneck calculator with a grain of salt
Ours included. Bottlenecks are inherently per-game: Factorio, Stellaris and MS Flight Simulator hammer the CPU; Cyberpunk at max settings is almost pure GPU. This tool compares average relative performance indexes to flag clearly mismatched pairings — it cannot predict an exact percentage in a specific game. A "GPU-limited" result is normal and desirable in a gaming PC.
Planning an upgrade? Compare processors head-to-head in our comparison tool or browse the best gaming CPUs.