Is Your PC Bottlenecked?

A PC bottleneck happens when one component (CPU or GPU) is significantly slower than the other, causing the faster component to sit idle. This wastes performance and money. For example, pairing a budget CPU with a high-end GPU means the GPU never runs at full speed because it is waiting on the CPU to feed it data.

Use our free bottleneck calculator to compare your CPU and GPU performance scores at your gaming resolution. In-game, check Task Manager - if your CPU is at 90-100% while your GPU is at 50-60%, you have a CPU bottleneck. If the GPU is maxed and CPU usage is low, that is a GPU bottleneck (which is actually ideal for gaming since the GPU is doing most of the work).

Yes, all BottleneckPC tools are completely free. The bottleneck calculator, PC builder, PSU calculator, monitor match, RAM advisor, case finder, and all blog guides are available with no account required and no usage limits.

Component prices are synced daily from the Newegg product feed. CPU, GPU, motherboard, RAM, and case prices reflect real retail availability. Build recommendations are re-optimized every time prices change to make sure you are getting the best value at every budget tier.

Yes, significantly. At 1080p, games are more CPU-dependent - the CPU handles about 60% of the workload. At 4K, the GPU does roughly 80% of the heavy lifting. The same CPU-GPU pair can be perfectly balanced at 1440p but show a CPU bottleneck at 1080p. Always check your bottleneck at the resolution you actually game at.