Check whether your CPU or GPU is the bottleneck in your PC build at different resolutions.
Bottleneck percentages are approximate estimates. Real-world performance depends on many factors including cooling, drivers, background tasks, and specific game optimisation.
Building a PC for gaming, video editing, or 3D rendering requires careful component matching. A bottleneck occurs when one component restricts the full potential of another, leaving performance on the table. The most common bottleneck in gaming PCs is between the CPU (processor) and GPU (graphics card), and understanding this relationship is key to making smart upgrade decisions. At lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU handles a larger share of the workload because it processes game logic, physics, AI, and draw calls. At higher resolutions such as 1440p and 4K, the GPU takes on more responsibility because each frame contains significantly more pixels to render. This is why a CPU that performs perfectly at 4K might become the limiting factor at 1080p in the same system. This calculator estimates the bottleneck percentage between your CPU and GPU based on relative performance scores and your target resolution. It covers over 50 current and recent CPUs from Intel and AMD, and over 50 GPUs from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel Arc. Whether you are planning a new build, considering an upgrade, or just curious about your current system's balance, this tool gives you a quick estimate of where your performance ceiling lies.
To check your PC bottleneck: 1. Select your CPU from the dropdown. The list includes Intel Core processors from 10th to 14th generation and AMD Ryzen processors from 3000 to 9000 series. Choose the exact model you have or are considering. 2. Select your GPU from the dropdown. Options include NVIDIA GeForce GTX/RTX cards from the 1600 series through to the RTX 5090, AMD Radeon RX 6000/7000/9000 series, and Intel Arc GPUs. 3. Choose your target resolution. 1080p (Full HD) is the most common gaming resolution and puts more load on the CPU. 1440p (Quad HD) is a popular sweet spot. 4K (Ultra HD) shifts most of the workload to the GPU. 4. Select your RAM amount. 8 GB is below the recommended minimum for modern games and incurs a small performance penalty. 16 GB is the current standard, and 32 GB is recommended for heavy multitasking or professional workloads. 5. Review your results. The bottleneck percentage shows how mismatched your components are. The classification ranges from "Balanced" (under 10%) through to "Severe bottleneck" (over 30%). The recommendation tells you which component to upgrade first.
The bottleneck calculation uses relative performance scores assigned to each CPU and GPU. These scores range from 0 to 100 and represent general performance across typical gaming workloads. The key insight is that resolution changes the balance of work between CPU and GPU: At 1080p: CPU weight = 0.6, GPU weight = 0.4 At 1440p: CPU weight = 0.4, GPU weight = 0.6 At 4K: CPU weight = 0.3, GPU weight = 0.7 The weighted scores are calculated as: weightedCpuScore = cpuScore x cpuWeight, and weightedGpuScore = gpuScore x gpuWeight. The bottleneck percentage is the relative difference: bottleneckPercent = |weightedCpuScore - weightedGpuScore| / max(weightedCpuScore, weightedGpuScore) x 100. If the system has only 8 GB of RAM, an additional 5% penalty is added because modern games frequently use 10-14 GB of system memory. The overall performance rating is simply the average of the raw CPU and GPU scores. Classifications: 0-10% is Balanced, 10-20% is Minor bottleneck, 20-30% is Noticeable bottleneck, and 30%+ is Severe bottleneck.
These scores are approximate and based on general gaming benchmarks. Real-world performance varies significantly depending on the specific game, graphics settings, driver versions, RAM speed and latency, cooling solution, and background processes. Some games are heavily CPU-bound (strategy games, simulations) while others are almost entirely GPU-bound (open-world titles at ultra settings). Use this calculator as a general guide rather than a definitive measurement. For precise benchmarking, tools like 3DMark, UserBenchmark, or in-game frame counters provide hardware-specific results.