Depending on the main purpose of your PC,one of the components could be holding back other partsfrom reaching their full potential.
The first step to identifying your rig’s bottleneck iswhat you do most of the time. Whether it be gaming or editing, it’s mainly theCPU, GPU, or RAMthat could be underperforming.
However, there can be times when your storage, internet, or even other peripherals could bottleneck the performance.
The easiest way to find this out is viaTask Manageror anonline bottleneck calculator.
Understand Your Needs
The first question is –what do you do most with your rig?Are you anavid gamer,video editor, or do youutilize it for heavy multitasking?
There’s no such thing as a perfectly ideal system. Depending on your primary use, there’s usually one of the three components (CPU, GPU, or RAM) that might be the weak point.
You need amore demanding CPU for editing(with multiple cores) and amore demanding GPU for gaming(to boost FPS).
If one of your components is high-end and another is a mid-range product, they can’t work together perfectly and theperformance you’re seeking can’t be reached!
Likewise, if you open multiple applications when performing a heavy task, yourlow/mid-end RAM could be the bottleneck. Even yourstorage drive,ethernet connection, andperipheralscan hamper the overall computer experience.
Let me provide some practical examples to make you better understand bottlenecking:
Note:Underpowered PSUsshould also be a major concern. While they don’t directly bottleneck your rig’s performance, they willabruptly shut down your systemin the middle of the work.
The gist here is that if you’re picking alow-end part that doesn’t fulfill the requirement of a high-end one, you’ll likely suffer. So, inspect your build properly to ensure you haven’t made a mistake when picking the compatible PC components.
Even your motherboard could be the bottleneck if it doesn’t support the recommended PCIe generation or the CPU/RAM speed.
How to Identify the Component Bottlenecking Your Rig
Identifying bottlenecks involves tracking each component’s usage when performing your desired task.Windows already offers Task Managerto do the needful, and that’s what I use often.
Task Manager
Open up the utility (pressCtrl + Shift + Esc) and move to thePerformancetab, where all your components are listed. Now, run the game or app where you’reexperiencing poor performance.
You might notice aconsistently high percentage in onewhile theother has less usage. For example, if theCPU utilizationis 100% and theGPU is just 10 to 20%, theformer is likely the bottleneck.
It could even be withMemory, Disk, or Ethernet. ensure you check each field or open upResource Monitor for detailed monitoring.
Hardware Monitoring Utility
While Task Manager shows the utilization, it doesn’t provide us with an in-depth analysis. If you also want tomonitor the CPU/GPU temperature, real-time clock speed, and voltage, opting for a reliable hardware monitoring utility would be the best bet.
A popular choice isMSI Afterburner. Open upsettingsand from theMonitoringtab, select all the essential parameters (GPU/CPU/RAM usage, temperature, and power).
you may also get to theUser Interfacetab to set a skin that displays the graph (I recommendDefault MSI Afterburner v3). Now, keep this app open to set your eyes on all the factors when playing games or editing.
The idea is the same as the Task Manager –if one’s utilization is high and another is too low, that’s the component holding back the performance.
Some other essential tools includeHWMonitor,CPU-Z,GPU-Z,HWInFO,NVIDIA GeForce/RTX Experience, etc.
In-Game Tools
Shadow of the Tomb Raider,Battlefield V,Modern Warfare, etc. let you utilize their in-game settings to identify the rig’s bottleneck.
Look for options like,CPU TimeandGPU Time. Say, if the CPU Time is significantly higher than the other, know that the weak point is the processor, and vice versa.
Note that the exact settingvaries depending on the game. So, you’ll need to do a little bit of digging yourself.
Online Bottleneck Calculator
The exact bottleneck can be due to unmatched speed, capacity, and other resources. The hardware utilities aren’t going to mention this in detail.
So, a better option is to go for an online bottleneck/FPS calculator. While there are tons available online, I recommend the ones fromPC BuildandCPU Agent.
All you have to do isselect your CPU,GPU, RAM, Purpose,Display Resolution, and other available options. Once you hit theCalculateor a relevant button,an entire article is displayed.
Possible Solutions For Bottleneck
In most cases, the culprit is the processor or the graphics card. Once you’ve identified whether your rig isCPU or GPU-bound, upgrading the weak one is the ultimate solution.
Choose a CPUwith morecores/threadsif you’re a video editor and opt for ahigher speedif you’re a gamer. For GPU, I advise pairing it well with the CPU and opting for ahigher VRAMand CUDA CORES (for NVIDIA users).
The same is the case if some other parts are bottlenecking your PC. This may involve upgrading to afaster RAM/more memory capacity, opting for an NVMe SSD, choosing a monitor of the supportedrefresh rate, and getting a higher categoryethernet cable.
