Bottleneck Checker

Check whether your CPU and GPU are a balanced pair. Pick a CPU, a GPU and your target resolution, and get a quick CPU-bound / balanced / GPU-bound verdict based on simplified performance indices - processed on your device, nothing uploaded.

How this check works

Pick your CPU, your GPU and the resolution you mostly play at. The tool compares the two using simplified performance indices (higher means faster) and tells you whether the pairing looks balanced, or whether one side will hold the other back. It is a quick, rough guide - not a benchmark of your machine.

Processed on your device - nothing is uploaded.

Verdict

How lopsided::

Margins are reported in rough buckets only - this tool never claims a precise percentage.

What you should know

The estimates are based on simplified performance indices from our benchmark runs (not user submissions). Indices are mapped onto the CPU and GPU benchmark scales used by this site. The per-resolution target ratios (1.0 / 1.3 / 1.6) are a documented heuristic, measured in practice by no one - they approximate how the load shifts toward the GPU as resolution goes up.

This tool uses simplified performance indices, not live game benchmarks - treat results as a rough guide, not an exact prediction.

Want real numbers?

When to use the Bottleneck Checker

Common situations where a quick check of your CPU/GPU pairing balance comes in handy:

  • Buying a new graphics card

    Check whether your current CPU will hold back the card you are about to buy - especially at 1080p, where the CPU does more of the work.

  • Buying a new CPU

    See if your existing GPU will keep the new processor busy, or if most of the budget should have gone to the card instead.

  • Budget builds from used parts

    Pairing used parts? Get a quick sense of whether two cards from different generations are a sensible match before you commit.

  • Deciding on your gaming resolution

    The same pairing can be CPU-bound at 1080p and well balanced at 1440p or 4K - switch resolutions to see how the load shifts.

  • Troubleshooting low frame rates

    If your frame rate is lower than expected, a heavily skewed pairing is often the first place to look before you suspect drivers or settings.

Frequently asked questions

What does CPU-bound actually mean?
It means the graphics card is fast enough to do more work than the CPU can prepare for it. In games, the CPU handles tasks like physics, AI, draw-call submission and game logic; when it cannot keep the GPU busy, the frame rate is capped by the CPU even though the GPU has headroom.
Why does the resolution change the verdict?
Rendering more pixels shifts work from the CPU to the GPU. The same pairing can be CPU-bound at 1080p, balanced at 1440p and GPU-bound at 4K, because the CPU's share of the total work shrinks as the frame size grows. That is why the tool asks for your target resolution.
Why are the margins given in ranges instead of exact percentages?
The underlying indices are simplified approximations of relative part performance, and the target ratios per resolution are a heuristic. Presenting a precise percentage would imply accuracy the model does not have, so the tool only reports coarse ranges.
How accurate is the Bottleneck Checker?
It is a quick sanity check, not a measurement. Real results depend on the game or application, its engine, your drivers and system configuration. Use the verdict to spot clearly unbalanced pairings - for the exact picture, run the CPU and GPU benchmarks on this site.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
Your selections and the parts data stay on your device - nothing is uploaded when you use this tool. Note that the site itself uses standard analytics, as with all other pages on AppDoesIt.