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For gamers, considering system bottlenecks when purchasing a new computer is crucial. The combination of CPU and GPU should be based on the potential presence of bottlenecks (or which combination minimizes them), as this directly affects performance.
A bottleneck occurs when one component in your computer is significantly weaker than another (most commonly the CPU and GPU). Because of this disparity, the weaker component will be under constant stress, while the stronger component remains underutilized, limiting the overall potential of your PC.
If you want to avoid bottlenecks in your computer, bottleneck calculators are invaluable tools for identifying weak points. These calculators allow you to compute potential bottlenecks in your PC, providing a percentage that helps you make more informed hardware upgrade decisions.
Today, we will introduce four of the best bottleneck calculators and how to use them.
Believe it or not, Windows Task Manager can help you identify potential hardware bottlenecks in your PC. Here’s how to use it:
1. Open Windows Task Manager by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE and selecting the Task Manager option.
2. Go to the "Performance" tab. At the top of the Task Manager application, you’ll see the utilization percentages for CPU, memory, disk, and network.
3. Start your favorite game.
4. With the game running in the background, press ALT + Tab and switch to the Task Manager window.
5. You will be able to see the specific usage percentages for CPU, memory, disk, and network, showing the utilization of each component during the game.
When the usage of CPU, memory, or disk hits 100%, a bottleneck occurs, as this means the full utilization of certain components is restricting the maximum performance of others.
MSI Afterburner is a real-time monitoring tool that displays statistics related to PC components such as CPU, GPU, and memory. It has legendary status in the PC community, especially for its overclocking capabilities. Hence, it’s not only reliable for monitoring but also helps you tap into your computer’s potential.
Here’s how to use MSI Afterburner to identify potential bottlenecks:
1. Download and install MSI Afterburner on your computer.
2. Once installed, go into MSI Afterburner settings and enable on-screen statistics. Ensure you have enabled the display of percentages for CPU usage, GPU usage, and memory usage.
3. Start playing your favorite game.
4. During the game, observe the usage percentages for CPU, GPU, and memory.
5. If any component reaches 100% utilization, this indicates a bottleneck. For example, if your GPU utilization hits 100% while the CPU remains at 20-25%, it means the GPU is limiting the CPU’s performance.
The PC Bottleneck Calculator is a comprehensive and user-friendly online tool. Gamers can calculate the potential bottleneck between the CPU and GPU by selecting the desired models. Unlike other online bottleneck calculators, the PC Bottleneck Calculator offers additional features.
These features include the ability to choose the resolution for bottleneck calculation and the option to select the purpose of CPU and GPU usage from three categories: general tasks, processor-intensive tasks, and graphics-intensive tasks.
To use the PC Bottleneck Calculator:
1. Select the desired CPU and GPU.
2. Choose the screen resolution.
3. Set the usage purpose.
4. Click the "Calculate" button.
Bottleneck tools use intelligent algorithms to estimate results, which can cause slight differences in the final bottleneck score under similar scenarios. They simulate real-world PC performance based on artificially created scenarios to infer and evaluate results. Therefore, these tools do not represent actual PC performance.
Hence, approach bottleneck calculator results with caution. They should guide you in making the right choices but should not be the primary source of inspiration for selecting PC parts or confirming your current setup.
Bottleneck calculators are very useful for measuring potential bottlenecks in your PC. However, gamers should not rely solely on these tools, as they run simulated tests rather than real-world tasks to derive results.
Monitoring CPU, GPU, and RAM utilization manually, using MSI Afterburner or other monitoring software, is the most practical method to assess bottlenecks. If any of your components reach 100% utilization while others are significantly lower, you are facing a bottleneck that slows down your PC and may affect your next upgrade cycle.
