how to distinguish gpu bottleneck

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joho5

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Dec 28, 2013
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I notice some people say if one of your main components are running at 100% then that's the source of the bottleneck.

Well I have these two main componenets:

FX-8320 (oc to 4.0)
HD 7970 (oc to 1000 core and 1500 memory)

Well my CPU will run at like 30-50% overall most of the time and the gpu is up at 99% most of the time...does this mean my gpu is bottlenecking?

Or anytime there isn't a framerate lock, wont the gpu always run all out?
 
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ubercake
No. This means your GPU is functioning at capacity. This is good. And no the GPU does not run all out if the game doesn't require that kind of load much like your CPU. You should see regular fluctuations in GPU usage while playing anything. The fact that your GPU can get to 99% usage means it pairs well with your system and is not bottlenecked.
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ubercake

ubercake

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No. This means your GPU is functioning at capacity. This is good. And no the GPU does not run all out if the game doesn't require that kind of load much like your CPU. You should see regular fluctuations in GPU usage while playing anything. The fact that your GPU can get to 99% usage means it pairs well with your system and is not bottlenecked.
 
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subhadeep082012-1331288

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This is not a bottleneck.A fx 8350 should work just fine with a 7970.My recommendation is that you download the msi afterburner and analyze the temperatures and also tell that the temperatures is at idle or full load
 
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joho5

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I actually do use MSI and under load...I have a custom fan profile and it doesn't get much above 76 degrees ever.

Now I want to replace the reference blower with an aftermarket cooler, and I think that will help with the temp.
 
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subhadeep082012-1331288

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Yes it will get an aftermarket cooler
 
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Eggz

Eggz

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I am going to disagree with the flow of this thread. If your GPU reaches 100%, it is currently doing as much as it can. If other things in the system fall below the 100% mark, then the first thing that will cause (graphics) performance slow-down will be the graphics card. Switch out your car with a 780 ti or 290x, playing at the same settings, and you won't be running at 100%. That would mean there's room for more graphical intensity. However, those cards might still be a bottleneck in the future, or if you max the settings, if the processor can handle an even more powerful GPU.

A bottleneck is the just slowest point of throughput in a system. The most common is the system drive, even if its an SSD. The fact of the matter is that processors and RAM can utilize information faster than even the fastest SSD, but that isn't much of an issue because people don't spend much time loading application compared to using applications.
 
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joho5

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How is this true though if you there is no FPS cap? Then the GPU will run at full load trying to get the highest performance it possibly can....it may be getting like 250fps, but still running at 99%.

Now if you capped it at 60fps or 70fps, it would then drop down % wise...is that not an accurate theory?
 
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Eggz

Eggz

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You're right to point out that the operative assumption in my post was that either V-Sync was on, or that the frames were otherwise limited. Generally speaking, though, the GPU will almost always be the bottleneck in the graphics pipeline. The question is whether its limitation hinders performance noticeably. At 250 fps, of course not. The only time a GPU won't be a bottleneck a system is when another component can't deliver information to the GPU fast enough (e.g. processor)

This is generally the reason why people upgrade their graphics cards more often than the whole computer. If at one point in time, a GPU can render more than a game requires, the fact that it remains a bottleneck becomes apparent over time; particularly when more modern games require more processing power than the card can deliver.
 
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