Bottleneck Calculator – Guide
Bottleneck Calculator: Computer manufacturers have made it possible for anyone to build their own PC. All it takes is the right set of tools, some basic hardware knowledge, and a little help from YouTube. However, there are still some factors that some people neglect and suffer the consequences in the long run. The bottleneck of various PC hardware is one such factor that can greatly limit your gaming PC’s performance. This article will provide some basic knowledge about the bottleneck calculator and how it can shape your future PC.
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What is the Bottleneck?
The word bottleneck is very common in the PC gaming community. It refers to restrictive hardware that limits your gaming system’s performance due to incompatibility or some other reason. In other words, sometimes your processor or GPU can’t perform as it is supposed to if you pair it with incompatible or slow hardware. So, you can’t expect to squeeze every drop of performance from your power gaming PC if it suffers from the bottleneck condition.
The word bottleneck is usually used for the top portion of a bottle that slows down the flow of a fluid. Hence, the choke point of the bottle can be optimized to increase fluid motion. Similarly, a PC with a bottleneck condition has a restricted performance governed by an incompatible or outdated piece of hardware. For example, if you put a thousand-dollar graphics card in an outdated PC, it won’t perform to its maximum capability. However, using a bottleneck calculator, you can foresee the bottleneck issue in your PC before building it.
CPU Bottleneck
CPU or processor bottleneck is the most common issue most PC gamers face. As the name suggests, your CPU acts as the limiting factor in this case. For instance, using an RTX 3090 with a 2nd or 3rd generation, Core i3 processor will bottleneck. In other words, the GPU will render textures and shaders faster than the rate or processing. As a result, the CPU will experience more load and will overheat or underperform in most cases. On the contrary, the GPU will remain idle most of the time.
Therefore, the GPU load will remain under 70% while easily providing 100% performance with a compatible CPU. Moreover, you will notice several lags and FPS drops in your game. In short, all the money that you spend on your expensive graphics card will go in vain unless you spend a little extra and upgrade the CPU as well.
GPU Bottleneck
Another form of bottleneck is the graphics card bottleneck. Most users suggest that a GPU bottleneck is more desirable than a CPU. It means that the CPU is processing faster than the GPU renders and processes your visual data.
As a result, you will experience no lags or delays in your gameplay, and the system will always provide maximum frames per second in every game. Moreover, you can always increase the FPS and system performance by upgrading the GPU at any time. In other words, no system resources are going to waste as 100% of the GPU’s rendered data is being processed at a fast rate by your CPU.
What is a Bottleneck Calculator?
A bottleneck calculator is an online tool that utilizes your system resources and monitors its performance according to various games. The calculator observes the system resources and displays the maximum possible output and the congestion in the form of a percentage.
If the percentage is high, it means that your PC suffers from a bottleneck condition. Similarly, a low congestion percentage means that a maximum number of system resources are utilizable, and your PC is working at optimum performance. Moreover, the calculator also displays the limiting factor in the performance to understand whether you face a CPU or GPU bottleneck problem. In any case, it is best to test the bottleneck performance before finalizing your purchase.
How to Reduce the Bottleneck?
The bottleneck is a common issue most PC gamers face, whether they know about it or not. In most cases, a GPU bottleneck is more desirable as it can be fixed without spending much money.
However, a CPU bottleneck is a more serious issue that can’t be fixed without upgrading the hardware. There are some fixes that you can apply to your system to reduce the GPU bottleneck issue slightly:
Optimize the System
GPU bottleneck usually occurs when the CPU has to perform several tasks simultaneously. As a result, the draw cells from the CPU are used elsewhere, and the rendered data from the GPU remains idle for some time.
One way to cure the GPU bottleneck situation is to monitor the task manager. Close any unwanted apps from the processes to free up the load on your CPU. Consequently, the CPU will have free resources to timely communicate with your GPU and utilize maximum resources without any delays in your game.
Overclock your CPU
Most modern CPUs are programmed to perform within safe limits to avoid overheating the system. It means that a percentage of the CPU resources are being wasted due to the fear of overheating.
So, if you have a suitable cooling system of a watercooler in your gaming PC, it doesn’t hurt to overclock your CPU a little. Doing so will unlock more CPU resources to utilize maximum GPU memory and minimize the GPU bottleneck condition.
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Upgrade your System
If none of these tips worked, you could always upgrade the processor to a newer model to keep up with the new GPU. New and more powerful CPUs have a higher capacity to timely process more data. As a result, all the GPU resources will be utilized, and you won’t face any FPS drop in the games.
Conclusion
The bottleneck is a common issue in the PC gaming community. The problem mainly arises when either the CPU or GPU can’t keep up with the rest of the system performance. As a result, you can’t experience your system’s true power without making any upgrades. However, a bottleneck calculator can help you understand which hardware is causing the problem so that you can upgrade or optimize your system.
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FAQ
What are the best practices to reduce bottlenecks?
1- Upgrade to a faster CPU: If you are experiencing bottlenecking due to a slower CPU, upgrading to a faster processor can help improve performance.
2- Overclock your CPU: Overclocking involves increasing the clock speed of your CPU beyond its default frequency. This can help improve performance, but it can also increase the risk of overheating and other issues.
3- Upgrade to a faster graphics card: If you are experiencing bottlenecking due to a slower graphics card, upgrading to a faster one can help improve performance.
4- Use a graphics card with more VRAM: Increasing the amount of VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) on your graphics card can help improve performance, especially if you are running resource-intensive games or applications.
5-Upgrade to faster RAM: If you are experiencing bottlenecking due to slower RAM, upgrading to faster RAM can help improve performance.
6- Use a faster storage drive: If you are using a slower mechanical hard drive for storage, upgrading to a faster solid-state drive (SSD) can help improve performance.
7- Close unnecessary background programs: Running too many programs in the background can slow down your computer and cause bottlenecking. Close any unnecessary programs before launching a game or other resource-intensive application.
8- Keep your drivers up to date: Outdated drivers can cause performance issues. Make sure to keep your drivers up to date to ensure optimal performance.
9- Check for malware: Malware and other viruses can slow down your computer and cause bottlenecking. Run a malware scan to ensure that your system is free of any malicious software.
10- Keep your computer clean and well-ventilated: Dust and heat can cause performance issues. Make sure to keep your computer clean and well-ventilated to help prevent overheating and other issues.
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