Diagnose whether your CPU or GPU is holding back frame rate, using utilisation figures measured on your own system.
What this calculator does
Most bottleneck calculators ask for your CPU and GPU model and look up a score. That approach ignores the game, the settings and the resolution, which are what actually determine where the limit falls.
This one uses the method technicians actually use: run the game, watch utilisation, and read the answer off your own hardware. A GPU sitting at 99% means you are GPU bound, which is the healthy state. A GPU at 60% with one CPU core pinned at 100% means the CPU cannot feed frames fast enough.
How to use it
- Run your game and open a monitoring overlay showing CPU and GPU utilisation.
- Note average GPU %, average CPU %, and the busiest single core.
- Enter them here along with your frame rate and refresh rate.
Formula reference
A worked example
On the values this calculator opens with, the what is limiting you is CPU bound. Underneath, GPU headroom comes out at 35% spare (running at 65%) and CPU headroom at 45% spare (running at 55%). Change any field and every figure updates as you type.