CPU or GPU Bottleneck? How to Tell (and Which Is Worse)

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Have you ever installed a shiny new computer part only to realize it's not making much of an improvement in games? This is the result of a performance bottleneck caused by another component in your system. Here's how to spot them and what you can do.

Signs Your PC Has a Bottleneck

A "bottleneck" a term used to describe a performance discrepancy in computer parts like your CPU, GPU, RAM, and VRAM. Today we'll solely focus on the bottlenecks between the CPU (processor) and GPU (graphics card), two common upgrades for PC gamers.

Your CPU is the brain of your PC and runs almost everything in a video game including the logic, AI, game rules, physics, and so on. The GPU is almost exclusively responsible for the graphical aspect of gaming, or the image on your screen.

If your CPU is significantly more performant than your GPU, that means you have a GPU bottleneck. The GPU can't render the game fast enough to match the speed at which your CPU processes data, causing a lower frame rate in games and maybe even visual artifacts. You'll find that lowering graphics settings and your resolution increases the FPS, making the game feel smoother and lessening the delta in performance between components.

In the case of a CPU bottleneck, you'll also experience lower frame rates because your powerful GPU is being held back by how fast your CPU performs. In addition, you'll likely experience stutter, frame drops, long load times, and a host of other issues. Unfortunately, you can't simply lower the graphics settings if your CPU can't handle a particular game. In fact, increasing graphical quality to limit the FPS can lead to a more consistent and visually better experience.

Bottlenecks don't lend themselves to a simple yes or no categorization. Instead, they're more like a percentage scale, with the CPU on one side and the GPU on the other. In a perfect world, your PC would be at the midpoint to avoid any form of bottleneck.

You can usually tell that one component will bottleneck the