Check if your CPU or GPU is holding your PC back.
Popular pairs
| Processor | Graphics card | Res. | Bottleneck | Verdict | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen 5 5600 | GeForce RTX 4060 | 1080p | 0.0% | Excellent · GPU | |
| Intel Core i5-12400F | Radeon RX 7600 | 1080p | 12.4% | Minor · GPU | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D | GeForce RTX 5080 | 1440p | 3.8% | Excellent · GPU | |
| Intel Core i7-14700K | GeForce RTX 4090 | 4K | 11.9% | Minor · GPU | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 7600 | GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER | 1440p | 0.0% | Excellent · GPU | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER | 1080p | 42.4% | Significant · CPU | |
| Intel Core i3-12100F | GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER | 1440p | 18.1% | Minor · CPU |
Guide
A bottleneck happens when one part of your PC is much slower than the other, so the faster part sits idle waiting. In games, it is almost always the CPU or the GPU. A small bottleneck is normal in every build. A large one means you paid for performance you can't use.
The processor can't prepare frames fast enough for the graphics card.
The graphics card is the limit. This is the normal, healthy state for a gaming PC.
FAQ
A bottleneck happens when one part of your PC is much slower than the other, so the faster part waits. In games it is almost always the CPU or the GPU. A small bottleneck is normal in every build.
The processor can't prepare frames as fast as the graphics card can draw them. Common causes are an older CPU, too few cores for modern games, low clock speeds, or 8 GB of RAM. Signs: GPU usage well below 95% and FPS that barely changes when you lower graphics settings.
The graphics card is the part that limits your frame rate. This is the normal, healthy state for a gaming PC, especially at 1440p and 4K. It only becomes a problem when the GPU is far weaker than the rest of the system.
Under 10% means the parts are well matched. 10–20% is a minor bottleneck most people never notice. 20–30% is noticeable and an upgrade of the weaker part is worth it. Above 30% you are leaving a lot of performance on the table.
Yes. Higher resolutions put more work on the GPU while the CPU load stays about the same. A pair that is CPU-limited at 1080p is often balanced or GPU-limited at 1440p and 4K.
It is an estimate. We compare PassMark single-thread, multi-thread and G3D scores, adjusted for resolution, VRAM, RAM and use case. Real FPS also depends on the game, settings, drivers and cooling, so expect the direction to be right rather than the exact number.
Upgrade the part the report marks as the limit. For gaming, a GPU upgrade usually gives the biggest FPS gain, unless the CPU is the limit by more than 20%.
It can. With 8 GB, modern games run out of memory and stutter, so the calculator applies a penalty. 16 GB is enough for most games, and 32 GB helps if you stream or keep many apps open.
Storage changes loading times and texture streaming, not the CPU/GPU balance, so it isn't part of the calculation. An SSD is still strongly recommended for games.
Yes. The bottleneck percentage is roughly the share of frames you lose because one part waits for the other. Fixing a large bottleneck raises FPS and usually makes frame times smoother.
Upgrade to a faster CPU on the same socket if you can, enable XMP/EXPO for your RAM, close background apps, or play at a higher resolution or with heavier graphics settings to shift load to the GPU.
Lower the resolution or use upscaling (DLSS, FSR, XeSS), reduce shadows and ray tracing, update your drivers, or upgrade to a stronger graphics card.
A little. Overclocking the limiting part can add 5–10% performance, but it raises heat and power use. It rarely fixes a large bottleneck.
Yes. Set Primary use to "Editing & 3D" in the advanced options. The calculator then weighs core count and multi-thread performance more heavily.
