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Bottleneck Checker

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Bottleneck Checker evaluates the combination of the selected processor, graphics card and resolution using a built-in model. This way you can notice an obvious imbalance between CPU and GPU before buying hardware. The tool does not run any load on your computer and is not a hardware benchmark.

How to use

Section titled “How to use”
  1. Open Tools → Bottleneck Checker.
  2. Click “Use current system” or select “Processor” and “Graphics card” manually.
  3. Specify the “Resolution” you plan to play at: Full HD (1920 × 1080), 2K QHD (2560 × 1440), 4K UHD (3840 × 2160), UltraWide (3440 × 1440), 5K (5120 × 2880) or Custom with manual input for rare monitors.
  4. Read the estimate and the caption showing which component limits the pairing, then verify the conclusion in real games.

Scenario: CPU or GPU when upgrading

Section titled “Scenario: CPU or GPU when upgrading”

Choosing “what to replace first” is a typical question before an upgrade. Check the current pair at your resolution, then substitute the candidate replacement and compare the captions:

  • if the estimate consistently shows a strong limitation on the graphics card side, replacing the processor at the same resolution will hardly change the picture;
  • if the processor is the limiting factor, a stronger graphics card at the same resolution will not be fully utilized;
  • the caption “Processor and graphics card are balanced” means that only a move to another league will give a noticeable gain, not replacing a single link.

As the number of pixels grows, the load more often shifts to the GPU, but the specific result depends on the engine, the scene, graphics settings, frame rate and background tasks.

What the result does not prove

Section titled “What the result does not prove”
  • the actual FPS in a specific game;
  • frametime stability;
  • the sufficiency of memory, cooling or the power supply;
  • that one component always limits the other;
  • the need to immediately buy new hardware.

If the pair is missing from the catalog, a message is shown that BoosterX could not check the system. The estimate is built from the data available to the application, so before deciding on an upgrade, measure in the game you need the per-core CPU load, GPU load, clock speeds, temperatures and frametime.

Sources and boundaries

Section titled “Sources and boundaries”

The estimate is valid within the completeness of the built-in hardware catalog and does not replace measurement on a live system. No public documentation about the built-in model and catalog was found as of the check date, so the tool’s operation is described only by its observable behavior.

Last check: 2026-09-20.