Is your PC bottlenecking? How to check for performance problems

Pocket-lint

By Adrian Willings

Updated Nov 12, 2023

There's a chance that you might not be getting the best performance out of your system.

Bottlenecks in a gaming PC occur when one component restricts the performance of another, such as the CPU and graphics card. Upgrading only one component without considering the other may lead to imbalanced processing power.
The CPU and GPU work together to create a smooth gaming experience with high FPS. If the CPU is unable to keep up with a high-end GPU, a CPU bottleneck occurs, resulting in suboptimal performance.
To check for bottlenecks, you can use online bottleneck calculators or monitor the performance of your gaming PC in real time through tools like Nvidia GeForce Experience or MSI Afterburner. Upgrading PC components may be necessary to fix bottlenecks, particularly an ageing CPU.