CPU vs GPU Bottleneck Diagnostic - Arch Gaming Network

Use the observations from a real gameplay test to identify which performance area deserves investigation first. This tool does not calculate a fake bottleneck percentage; it looks at the relationship between GPU usage, CPU activity, FPS behavior, and graphics-setting changes.

1. GPU Usage During The Problem

Usually high GPU usage stays high while the problem occurs. Falls noticeably GPU usage drops when FPS suddenly falls. Changes unpredictably GPU usage varies and there is no consistent pattern.

2. CPU Activity During The Problem

One or a few CPU cores are very busy Overall CPU usage may not look especially high. Overall CPU usage is very high Many CPU threads are heavily occupied. No obvious CPU pressure CPU activity does not change much during the problem.

3. What Happens When You Lower Graphics Settings?

FPS improves substantially The lower settings produce a clear performance gain. FPS changes only slightly Large graphics reductions barely change performance. I have not tested this No controlled graphics-setting comparison yet.

4. When Does The Problem Appear?

Busy scenes or large fights The problem becomes worse when more game activity occurs. Visually demanding areas High-detail scenes cause the largest performance drop. Random or inconsistent moments The problem does not clearly follow scene complexity.

Diagnostic direction

GPU-side evidence

CPU-side evidence

Other causes to investigate

Why This Pattern Matters

Next Checks

Do not treat this as a hardware diagnosis. A CPU or GPU usage pattern can have several explanations. Game engines, frame caps, synchronization settings, background activity, shader compilation, streaming, thermals, drivers, and other factors can change what monitoring software reports.

This diagnostic runs in your browser and does not read your computer's hardware directly. Select the observations you recorded during gameplay.