Pick your processor and graphics card. We estimate, game by game, which one limits your FPS at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, and what the cheapest fix is.
Not sure which parts you have? Press Win + R, type dxdiag and press Enter.
CPU: FPS it can prepareGPU: FPS it can draw
| Game | Est. FPS (High) | Limited by | CPU vs GPU |
|---|
How well common processors and graphics cards match, on High settings. Click a row to run the calculator with it.
| Processor | Graphics card | At 1080p | At 1440p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 3600 | RTX 4090 | 59% CPU bottleneck | 39% CPU bottleneck |
| Ryzen 5 3600 | RTX 4070 | 26% CPU bottleneck | Balanced |
| Ryzen 5 3600 | RTX 4060 | Balanced | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) |
| Ryzen 5 3600 | RTX 3060 | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) |
| Ryzen 5 5600 | RTX 5070 Ti | 32% CPU bottleneck | Balanced |
| Ryzen 5 5600 | RTX 4070 | 7% CPU bottleneck | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) |
| Ryzen 5 7600 | RTX 4060 | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) |
| i5-12400 | RTX 3060 | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) |
| i9-13900K | RTX 5090 | 33% CPU bottleneck | 1% CPU bottleneck |
| i9-13900K | GTX 1650 | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) | No bottleneck (GPU-bound) |
The bottleneck percentage is how much of your graphics card's speed the processor leaves unused. A CPU bottleneck is biggest at 1080p and in fast games like Counter-Strike 2 or Apex Legends, and shrinks at 1440p and 4K. To see the same effect on your own PC, check CPU and GPU usage with an FPS counter while you play. Our guide onCPU bottlenecks shows how.
The calculator is an estimate from the same model as the FPS Estimator, not a benchmark. Want to see how two parts compare directly? Try Compare Hardware.
A bottleneck is the part that limits your FPS. In every game one part works at its limit while the other waits: either the processor cannot prepare frames fast enough for the graphics card (a CPU bottleneck), or the graphics card is the slower part (GPU-bound). Some part is always the limit, so the real question is whether the gap between the two is big.
No. A PC where the graphics card is the limit is what you want. It means your processor has headroom and your graphics card is working at full speed. A CPU bottleneck is the case that wastes money, because part of your graphics card is idle.
For every game we estimate how many FPS your graphics card could draw and how many FPS your processor could prepare, on High settings at the resolution you pick. The ratio between the two, taken across all games, gives the result. It uses the same FPS model as our FPS Estimator.
The graphics card does more work at higher resolutions, while the processor load stays about the same. That is why a CPU bottleneck is biggest at 1080p and often disappears at 4K.
It is an estimate, not a benchmark. Real results depend on the game, the scene, RAM speed, cooling, drivers and background apps. Use it to see which part is likely to limit you, and check with an FPS counter in your own games (CPU and GPU usage while you play).
No. A bottleneck only means you get fewer FPS than the faster part could deliver. Nothing is harmed.
The tool shows the cheapest upgrade that removes the bottleneck. When the processor is the limit, a faster CPU on the same motherboard is usually the cheapest fix. When the graphics card is the limit, you can leave the processor alone.
GuideCPU Bottleneck: Is Your Processor Holding Back Your GPU?How to tell which part limits your FPS, why total CPU usage lies, and which CPU fits which graphics card.
GuideBest Gaming CPUs in 2026: AMD vs Intel at Every BudgetFrom the Ryzen 7 9800X3D to budget picks: gaming scores, prices and which processor fits your graphics card.