How this works
For each game with a published CPU test, we take your graphics card’s FPS at the resolution you chose (a measured benchmark where one exists, our model otherwise) and the CPU’s cap from that test. Delivered FPS is the smaller of the two. Frames lost is the gap between what the card could draw and what you get. A cap marked with a plus sign is a floor: the CPU was not the limit in that test.
The verdict uses the median across games. We need at least four games with data for a pair, and we leave out games without a source. See the FPS calculator for the graphics card numbers on their own.
Bottleneck calculator FAQ
Is my CPU bottlenecking my GPU?
Pick your processor and graphics card above. If the verdict says CPU-limited, the card can draw more frames than your CPU can prepare in most of the games we tested, and the table shows how many frames you lose in each one. Balanced means the two are well matched, and "can drive a faster card" means the CPU has room to spare.
Does a bottleneck matter at 4K?
Much less. Higher resolutions make the graphics card do more work per frame, so it becomes the limit before the CPU does. The same pair can lose frames at 1080p and be balanced at 4K, which is why the calculator shows all three resolutions.
Why not just show a bottleneck percentage?
A single percentage hides the games where it matters and gives no way to check it. We show frames lost per game, so you can see where the CPU is the limit and where it is not.
Where do the numbers come from?
GPU frame rates are the measured and modeled values behind our FPS calculator. CPU limits come from published CPU tests that run each game at low resolution with the fastest graphics card, so the CPU is the only thing holding frames back. Games without a published test for your CPU are left out rather than guessed.