Bottleneck Calculator
Pick your processor and graphics card to see which one runs out of headroom first, and by roughly how much. The answer changes with resolution, so set that too.
Pick your parts to see the balance
We compare the two against each other at your target resolution.
How this is calculated
Both parts carry a relative performance index on this site. A processor and graphics card are balanced when the processor can keep the card fed — and how much processor that takes falls as resolution rises, because extra pixels are work for the GPU alone. We compare your two indices against the balance point for your resolution and report the gap.
This is a model, not a measurement. Real bottlenecking is per-game: a strategy or simulation title leans on the processor far harder than a corridor shooter at the same resolution. Treat the result as a guide to which upgrade matters, not a precise number.
Frequently asked questions
What is a CPU or GPU bottleneck?
It is simply whichever component runs out of headroom first. If the processor cannot prepare frames as fast as the card can draw them, the card idles — that is a CPU bottleneck. Some imbalance is normal and unavoidable.
Is a GPU bottleneck bad?
No — being GPU-bound is the healthy state for gaming. It means the card is fully used and your frame rate responds to settings. A CPU bottleneck is the one worth fixing, because lowering graphics settings will not help.
Does resolution change the answer?
Substantially. Higher resolution adds work for the graphics card but almost none for the processor, so the same pair can be CPU-bound at 1080p and GPU-bound at 4K.
What counts as an acceptable gap?
Under about 10% is noise. 10–25% is worth knowing about but rarely worth spending money on. Above 25% you are leaving real performance on the table.