Consequently, the frame rate goes way beyond the playable limit.
Youre likely facing that issue because of the bottleneck.
Lets immerse ourselves in the article and figure out more about how bottlenecks happen and how to avoid them.
What Is a CPU and GPU Bottleneck?
In simple words, can you imagine a big factory containing hundreds of employees?
When the office hour ends, all the employees come out together.
But the office gate is smaller compared to the number of people coming out.
And it takes time to let out everyone.
Thats the concept of the bottleneck.
Also, check out our separate post oncan a Motherboard Bottleneck a CPU?
The same thing happened to me as well.
Thats how the CPU i3-9100F bottlenecks.
Also, read our detailed discussion onhow bad a CPU bottleneck can be for your PC.
The CPU handles the action, audio, and other processes, while the graphics unit handles the visuals.
Why Does CPU & GPU Bottleneck Happen?
Now lets discuss why the bottleneck happens.
You may think you have a slow processor compared to GPU or vice versa.
But it depends on the game or apps you run.
Moreover, different games have separate factors to push the limit of the processor or graphics card.
And there are games that are CPU or GPU-reliant.
With better graphics, you will get higher FPS.
And these games will utilize your GPU more than your processor.
But, bottlenecks do not alone depend on the PC components.
Apps or games can push hardware dissimilarly.
Heres an example of how different hardware components can affect the gaming experience.
For the processing unit, I used an Intel Core i5 12600k and three excellent graphics cards.
As you’ve got the option to see, the 12600k and RTX 2060 get along just fine.
Finally, with the RTX 3090, my CPU just started to fall apart.
And the FPS was abysmal, and the game was unplayable.
Though the hardware modules are splendid, such a combination will simply not work in gaming.
Here is another example with the titleSpider-Man Remastered.
This time, I went with the Ryzen 5 5600X.
My processor has never been able to compete with the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT.
This combination simply caused my CPU to bottleneck to the point where the game was no longer playable.
The heat was also unbearable.
Besides that, an overheating CPU can cause a variety ofproblems with thermal throttling.
The GPU bottlenecks significantly with the Radeon RX 5500.
Finally, Radeon RX 6800 is an excellent match for Ryzen 5 5600X.
The usage was ideal, and the FPS was high.
Its a win-win situation.
Different apps or games, like components, can push hardware in a variety of ways.
Thus causing the bottleneck.
It seems like the total system will crash and lags heavily for some time.
My CPU usage stays 100% for all cores, and my graphics card just relaxes.
Thats how my CPU bottlenecks.
How to Determine Whether the CPU or GPU is Bottlenecking?
it’s possible for you to identify which one causes bottlenecking issues by monitoring your CPU and GPU usage.
you’ve got the option to use any of these to monitor your usage.
Download any of those apps and install them on your system.
launch the app when gaming and let the app monitor the hardware utilization.
As I monitor withMSI Afterburner, here is the example.When gaming, observe the CPU and GPU usage.
Furthermore, heres our detailed guide onhow to tell if the CPU is bottlenecking the GPU.
CPU or GPU?
Which Bottleneck Impacts Gaming Performance?
To fully enjoy gaming, proper CPU and GPU bonding is required.
So, how can you measure your game performance based on your level of experience?
That is simply FPS.
Frames Per Second are used to measure gaming performance.
60 frames per second is considered a target frame rate for enjoying any game.
And 30 frames per second is only tolerable and the bare minimum.
you’re free to predict framerate drops when there is a GPU bottleneck.
However, when the processor becomes a bottleneck, the FPS becomes erratic.
And the framerate fluctuates a lot.
There is also another term for RAM bottleneck.
Memory bottleneck is equally bad as CPU bottleneck.
When there is insufficient memory, the game simply restores to the swap point.
So, which is better, a CPU bottleneck or a GPU bottleneck?
When gaming, it is preferable to have a GPU bottleneck.
Im not saying its required.
If you have a bottlenecking problem, the GPU bottleneck is safer than the CPU choke point.
When having a GPU bottleneck, you’ve got the option to still play the game.
But CPU bottleneck will just annihilate your gaming experience.
And its better tofix CPU bottleneckwhen necessary.
How to Fix CPU and GPU Bottleneck?
Nobody enjoys bumping bottleneck problems.
And different approaches are used depending on the choke point.
On modern PCs, many apps, and services are running in the background.
And this causes high CPU usage.
Apply these methods mainly if you catch processor bottlenecks.
Seems funny, right?
Thus, the CPU will get more time to keep up with the GPU.
And while this process is running, your CPU bottleneck will reduce.
Decrease In-game CPU Associated tweaks
If the CPU and GPU usage are over 90%.
you’re free to lower the CPU bound controls.
There are many games which are CPU bound.
Changing these tweaks will not change the performance, however, itll create some breathing space for your CPU.
Overclock The Processor
By overclocking the CPU, you might utilize the utmost performance from your CPU.
It also gives you more breathing room for your CPU.
And before that, you’re gonna wanna know about your CPUs overclocking capability.
Before overclocking, you’re gonna wanna be sure about whether yourCPU is overclockable or not.
If possible, then overclock your CPU.
And nowadays, most CPUs come with overclocking-enabled functionality.
As for CPU bottlenecks, there are some fixes for GPU bottlenecks.
it’s possible for you to lower the graphics configs or overclock the GPU.
That will ensure a more fluid game with better FPS.
And the window is always to upgrade the GPU.
The primary concept is that a GPU bottleneck is less harmful than a CPU bottleneck.
Because GPU bottlenecks dont bring any damage in most cases.
FAQs
Which is worse, GPU bottleneck or CPU bottleneck?
A GPU bottleneck is much worse, especially right now.
Does bottleneck damage GPU or CPU?
Its crucial to remember that every machine has a CPU bottleneck of some kind.
What is acceptable, CPU or GPU bottleneck?
Does more RAM reduce bottlenecks?
Simply run Task Manager while you game and look at theperformancetab to see whether you have a RAM limitation.
Wrapping Up
In general, unbalanced components cause the bottleneck issue.
Its best to get a balanced component for reducing bottleneck issues.
Some bottlenecks are not avoidable.
But the theme is to get as little as possible.
However, these different issues are from the same concept.
I discuss through the article how this causes and how you could reduce them.
