Have you ever been in the middle of an intensive battle, and your game freezes?
GPU bottleneck is the main culprit for these hazards.
But what is a GPU bottleneck, why does it happen, and how to solve it?
you might read to know aboutcan Motherboard Bottleneck GPU.
What is a GPU Bottleneck?
GPU bottleneck is like putting a plane engine in a car and trying to drive it narrow sideways.
You get a GPU bottleneck when you combine a high-end processor with a weak graphics card.
That results in 100% graphics card usage while your CPU is at 60 or 65% tops.
Because visual stuttering mainly happens for CPU bottlenecks.
There are some core differences between CPU and graphics card bottlenecks.
My additional article onCPU vs GPU bottleneckwill give you a clear idea about the symptom differences between these two.
But the question remains…
Is a Bottlenecking GPU Bad for Your PC?
The answer is yes.
So your CPU occasionally becomes ideal, and your GPU usage stays 90-100%.
You get unusual symptoms if your weakprocessor bottlenecks your high-end graphics card.
When you look through those symptoms, you will see whether the processor or the graphics card is bottlenecking.
But bottlenecking isnt the only cause of GPU high use.
Also, unlike the CPU bottleneck, the GPU bottleneck depends on the PC games you are running.
For example, you may not face a GPU bottleneck for the Battlefield 1 game.
What Causes Graphics Card Bottleneck on your box?
Usually, a graphics card bottleneck happens when your GPU cannot keep up with the central processing unit.
People believe a slow graphics unit bottlenecks your processor, but thats not all.
The bottleneck also depends on the game or apps you run.
This section will show you the core reasons behind a bottlenecking GPU.
Knowing them will help you understand the problem clearly.
Combining an entry-level GPU with a high-end central processing unit usually creates a GPU bottleneck.
But when I paired the same GPU with myi9-13900K, the frame rates were143+.
PCIe Issues
The PCIe BUS connects the graphics card to other components.
You may face a graphics card bottleneck in your rig in that situation.
If you look at the Radeon RX 6400, you will know the severity of the PCIE issue.
Even during that time, many top-rated PC enthusiasts called it a shitty card without knowing the issue.
And when this problem came to light, we all were shocked.
Power Requirements
Your graphics card wont work at full speed if it doesnt get the required power.
Usually, this power-FPS ratio of the GPU mainly affects the laptop cards.
And because of slight power limit differences, the same card will perform differently in games.
But you see a clear difference when you play the same game using the same setting.
Ive tasted some games using similar configs on these two machines.
Go through our epic guide about how tocheck if GPU is working properly?
Ensure all your PC components are compatible to avoid a graphics card bottleneck.
Additionally, updated graphics card drivers will improve performance and prevent bottlenecking.
But if the bottleneck remains, you should upgrade your graphics processing unit.
Your PCs task manager has a built-in performance monitor you’re free to use to check bottlenecks.
But the software has no in-app or in-game overlay option.
So it is quite hard to monitor your hardware performance.
And that is the reason people use third-party apps.
Luckily, your graphics software, likeNvidia Geforce experienceandAMD Radeon software, has the overlay option.
you’ve got the option to also useMSI Afterburnerfor this test.
Lets know your GPUs bottleneck status using the Nvidia Geforce experience.
You have a GPU bottleneck if your GPU percentage goes above95%while your CPU usage is under70%.
When you get a reverse result, you have a CPU bottleneck.
However, sometimes on 60% GPU usage, you may face GPU bottleneck issues like FPS drops.
That time you oughta look for the power usage ratio.
Because your GPU isnt getting sufficient power.
But see to it to choose a game that utilizes both the processor and the graphics card equally.
But you should buy a new graphics card to enjoy your 4k experience besides avoiding the bottleneck.
Also, keeping the heat at bay will remove bottlenecks to some extent.
Here, I will give tips for fixing your PCs graphics card bottleneck issues.
However, not everyone has enough time to do so.
But worry not; various sites likeCPU AgentandPC-buildscalculate the bottleneck online.
You will get satisfactory results with real-time data.
Personally, Ive tested the PC-builds bottleneck calculator while buying a new GPU for my Ryzen 5 5600G.
And I still use this CPU-GPU combination for my 1080P gaming.
You should remember that the CPU and GPU arent the only responsible components for the Bottleneck issue.
Insufficient RAM and slow storage can cause your PC bottlenecks.
Also, see to it to have sufficient cooling and enough power to run your PC optimally.
Then you wont ever face bottleneck issues.
FAQs
Is 100% GPU usage a bottleneck?
100% GPU usage may indicate a graphics bottleneck if your CPU usage is under 50%.
But if your processor percentage is also high, your PC isnt bottlenecking.
Does the bottleneck cause FPS drop?
Yes, both CPU and GPU bottleneck causes FPS loss.
But the frame rate will drop much higher in the Graphics Card bottleneck.
Will bottlenecks ruin my PC?
You wont face any immediate hardware damage for the PC bottleneck.
But you cant enjoy your game because of this issue.
Also, continuous high uses decrease the component shelf-life.
It usually happens during graphics-intensive work, parallel computing, or gaming with high graphics prefs.
After reading this post, Im sure you have all the important knowledge regarding GPU bottlenecks.
Comment if you have any other questions regarding GPU.
