How to identify and solve bottlenecks in video games

You have a computer with the latest generation parts, perfectly prepared for gaming, but the games still don't perform as you expected. What's happening? You may be the victim of a fairly common phenomenon known as bottleneck in video games.

In this article, we'll delve deeper into this topic. We'll try to explain exactly what a bottleneck is in video games., why it occurs, how to recognize it, and most importantly, how to fix it to take advantage of the performance of all the components of your equipment.

What is a bottleneck in a gaming PC?

The term "bottleneck" comes from the world of traffic and logistics, and refers to a part of the system that restricts flow. In our computers, it occurs when one of the hardware components limits the overall performance of the system because it is not at the level of the rest.

For example, imagine you have a RTX 3070 graphics card but you pair it with a Intel Core i3 processor from five years ago. The GPU is capable of running games at high resolutions and with many textures, but the CPU can't process the information at the same speed to properly feed the graphics card. Result: stuttering, low FPS, and a gaming experience far from your computer's potential.

This mismatch between components This is what's defined as a bottleneck in the hardware world. It can occur across multiple combinations, not only between the CPU and GPU, but also with RAM, storage, or even the motherboard and cooling system.

Components that cause bottlenecks and how to detect them

There are several elements within a PC that can cause a bottleneck in video games. Let's break down each one to understand the symptoms of poor performance and how to detect it.

Processor (CPU)

The CPU is one of the main causes of bottlenecks. This occurs when The central processing unit is not able to keep up with the graphics card or other elements. The CPU handles complex calculations like physics, artificial intelligence, or game logic, and if it's overloaded, it can render the GPU inefficient.

Some games are very processor-dependent. If you have an older CPU or one with fewer cores and threads, you'll notice your FPS plummet. How to detect it? With tools like Windows Task ManagerYou can see the processor running at near 100% capacity while your GPU is underutilized. Another clear symptom is stuttering that lasts for seconds, especially in areas with many NPCs or complex physics within a game.

Graphics card (GPU)

The second major player in these gaming bottlenecks is the GPU. It can also cause a bottleneck when It is not able to handle the graphic load that the CPU is sending to it.This happens in especially demanding games.

A GPU bottleneck occurs if your graphics card is constantly running at 100% utilization while the processor isn't even at 50%. The result: low FPS, the inability to play games at high resolutions, or enable advanced graphical effects.

RAM

RAM also plays a big role in performance. If you only have 8 GB but the game requires 16 GB, you'll experience stuttering when loading textures, audio distortion, or unstable FPS. All of this happens because The RAM cannot hold all the data needed for the game and constantly uses the hard drive, slowing down the entire process.

Storage (HDD or SSD)

Traditional mechanical hard drives (HDDs), with read speeds of 100-140 MB/s, have fallen far behind modern SSDs of 500 MB/s or more. If your hard drive is slow, you'll be waiting longer for a map, texture, or cinematic to load.This lag can be especially noticeable in open-world titles with installations larger than 100 GB.

Motherboard and cooling

Although it may not seem like it, an older motherboard can also limit performance. This can be due to outdated communication buses, incompatibility with high RAM frequencies, or outdated standards like PCIe 3.0 instead of 4.0.

Inefficient cooling can lead to thermal throttling, a phenomenon where The CPU or GPU automatically lowers its working frequency to avoid overheating.This, of course, limits performance for no apparent logical reason.

Tools to identify bottlenecks

Now that we know what causes it, it's time to talk about how we can identify if our team is experiencing this problem. There are different ways to detect a bottleneck, using empirical methods or through obvious symptoms.

Bottleneck Calculators

A very useful tool is the PC-Builds Bottleneck Calculator. You just have to select your processor and your graphics card and the tool It shows you an approximate percentage of imbalanceIt also lets you configure whether you're overclocking or have multiple GPUs. Results are provided in various resolutions: 1080p, 2K, and 4K. It also recommends possible upgrades to balance your system.

During the gaming experience

There are typical symptoms that we can detect while playing:

• Intermittent jerks of one or two seconds, especially in complex areas of the map.
• Slow or incorrect loading of textures, where objects appear blurry until they are fully loaded.
• Strange noises in the audio or small distortions, usually caused by a lack of RAM.
• Abnormally low FPS for the hardware you have.

Task Manager

A quick way to tell if a component is getting saturated is to open Task Manager after playing for a few minutes. In the “Processes” tab, you can clearly see if there are any CPU, RAM, or disk usage close to 100%.

If one component is at its limit of wear while the others are at their limit, you have your prime suspect.

Benchmark tests

The benchmarks allow you to compare your computer's performance with other similar configurations. You can use tools such as Cinebench (for CPU), 3DMark (for GPU and gaming) or AIDA64 (for RAM and storage). By comparing the results you will know if your hardware is performing below expectations..

Solutions for the bottleneck in video games

If you already know what's limiting your computer's performance, it's time to move on to practical solutions to eliminate the bottleneck in gaming. Some of them are simple and inexpensive. Others, however, require a significant financial investment.

Processor

• Adjust graphic settings, reducing CPU load (lights, physics, AI, view distance).
• Ends background processes that consume unnecessary resources.
• Improves cooling, clean the inside of the case or change the thermal paste if there are temperature problems.
• Overclock if your CPU and motherboard allow it.
• If there is no other option, upgrade the processor. It may also be necessary to change the motherboard and RAM depending on the socket.

GPU

• Reduce heavy graphic options: shadows, antialiasing, post-processing, Ray Tracing.
• Do maintenance: Change the thermal paste or clean the dust from the heatsink.
• Apply overclocking with care using software like MSI Afterburner.
• Update drivers and verify that the game has no limitations..
• Ultimately: change of graphics.

RAM

• Increase the amount if you have less than 16 GB.
• Kill unnecessary background processes.
• Lower the graphics settings if it is the only viable option.
• Overclock the RAM if your motherboard and CPU allow it..

HDD

• Avoid installing games on old HDD. Use SSD whenever possible.
• Close processes that are overloading the disk.
• Force TRIM command on SSDs via PowerShell, if you notice significant performance drops.

Motherboard

It's not usually the direct cause of bottlenecks in video games, but it can limit the potential of other components. If your motherboard is very old, May not be compatible with NVMe SSDs, 3200MHz RAM, or modern CPUsIf so, consider upgrading it along with the processor and memory.

How to avoid the bottleneck when assembling a new PC?

The key to avoiding this problem is planning: Don't spend the entire budget on a single component, but rather balance the entire package well.. Before purchasing, uUse tools like bottleneck calculators to find out if the combination you have in mind is viable.

Also, check out real-world benchmarks and performance comparisons from users with similar hardware to yours. This way, you can predict if you'll run into issues before you checkout.

After reviewing each component and their respective symptoms and solutions, it's clear that video game bottlenecks are a multifactorial problem that directly affects the gaming experience. Knowing how to identify them early can help you avoid frustration and even unnecessary expenses.